Offered from The Forshaw Speedway Collection, c.1956 F.I.S. Speedway Racing Motorcycle

Frame no. X27 Engine no. SZ-014-56

• The only speedway machine produced in Poland
• The engine directly plagiarised from the JAP engine
• Joined the Forshaw Collection in 1991

The F.I.S. is probably the only speedway machine produced in Poland. As a part of the USSR – and with the constrictions of communism importing machines from the West - if not impossible it was certainly fraught with difficulties and complications imposed by bureaucratic red tape. Until the Poles could acquire Jawas from Czechoslovakia, another Soviet state, they had no realistic option but to build their own machines. The acronym F.I.S. came from the creators, Tadeusz Fedki and Romudd Izewski taking the 'S' from their local track known these days as Stal Rzwszow.

The first machine was wheeled out in 1954 impressing those who had gathered to witness the inaugural run. It was immediately obvious that the engine was directly plagiarised from the Prestwich JAP the only minimal difference was that it was built to the metric system and the only outward sign of deviation were the hairpin valve springs. Some of the later frames were also copper plated which was rather unusual. The F.I.S. became the number one choice in Poland particularly after Edward Kupczyndki rode it successfully in a First Division League Match at Wroclow later breaking the lap record at Rzeszow.

Whilst private enterprise was not encouraged at this time production of the F.I.S. was taken up by PZL in Rzeszow - a division of Pratt and Whitney which had originally been established in Poland in 1937. Volume production began in 1955. A more powerful Mk II appeared in 1958, the frame influenced more on the lines of Rotrax. There is no doubt that the F.I.S. was instrumental in establishing speedway in Poland with further endorsement of the F.I.S. coming when Mieczyslaw (Mike) Polukard became the first Eastern European to qualify for a World Final in 1959 finishing 12th in a strong field.

Having been imported the previous year in a very complete and original condition, this F.I.S. joined the Forshaw Collection in 1991 via a contact through Barry Briggs. It would appear to be one of the very first Mk I F.I.S. machines. Accompanied with photographs, correspondence and copied F/I.S. images, the mechanical condition is not known and therefore we recommend re-commissioning and/or restoration to a greater or lesser extent.
Key not required