adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
AFTER almost a three-week break, Zimbabwe’s junior motocross champion rider Emmanuel Bako will be back on the road again this weekend as he heads back to South Africa where he has a date with two regional events in Bloomfontein and Johannesburg.
Bako is becoming a household name in the South African motocross circuit in which he has been featuring regularly after he joined one of that country’s top teams – Team Vision Racing Team – at the beginning of the year.
The 12-year-old talented rider last competed in South Africa on April 15 when he took part in the third round of the 2018 Inland Championship series at Dirt Bronco in Krugersdorp where he came first overall in the 65cc Class which had a strong field of 29 riders.
Bako also took part in the 85cc (Junior/ProMini) Class at the same event and he did well in this division, coming second overall and was crowned the best rider of the day to crown a memorable day for himself.
There were 16 riders in the combined 85cc Junior and ProMini Class where Bako rode well to take a credible second place finish overall.
And this weekend sees him returning to South Africa where he has been entered to take part in round three of the Free State Regional Championship series at the famous BORC (Bloomfontein Offroad Club) track in Bloomfontein on Saturday.
Bako’s father and manager, Brighton, told The Herald yesterday that his son has a date with two race meetings Down South this weekend.
“We are off to South Africa on Friday where we have a pre-national event at BORC in Bloomfontein on Saturday and then on Sunday we will compete in the fourth round of the Inland Championship series at Smoking Pistons in Johannesburg.
“So, Emmanuel has got another tight schedule this weekend and we are hoping that he will do well in both events as he has been practising hard for the past couple of weeks . . . We will be looking for another first place on the podium,” Brighton Bako said.
So, it will be all work and no play for Emmanuel this weekend as the young Zimbabwean continues with his journey of becoming a fully-fledged professional motocross rider.
After competing in Bloomfontein and Johannesburg this weekend, Emmanuel will return to Bloomfontein again on May 19 for the fourth round of the 2018 South African National Motocross Championship series.
He has already competed in the opening three rounds of the 2018 South African Nationals and is sitting pretty at the top of the 65cc Class Standings after having taken the first step on the podium in the opening round of the seven-round series at Rover in Port Elizabeth on February 17 and then he came second overall in round two at KwaZulu-Natal’s Thunder Valley track on April 7.
Emmanuel is also leading in the 65cc Class Standings of the 2018 South African Northern Regions Championship series after he swept the board in this division in the opening two rounds of this six-round competition at Sand Trax in Sasolburg on February 3 and Dirt Bronco in Krugersdorp on March 17. He is now under the tutelage of Grant Florey, the owner of Team Vision Racing Team, and Stanley Mugiyo of Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter