admin
Collin Matiza
Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’S junior motocross champion rider Emmanuel Bako was this week left grounded in South Africa.
This followed the indefinite postponement of race meetings, in that country, due to the surge of Covid-19 cases, especially in the Gauteng area.
Vic Maharaj, the sporting services manager of Motorsport South Africa, on Wednesday released a statement, his association had taken a decision to indefinitely postpone this event.
The fourth round of the 2021 South African National Championship series was initially due to take place on July 3, at the Legends track, in Gauteng.
It was later moved to Pietermaritzburg, following the increase of Covid-19 cases, in and around Johannesburg.
Motorsport South Africa also postponed the National Extreme Festival circuit racing event, in East London.
Round four of the 2021 Northern Interprovincial Championship, which was scheduled for Terra Topia, in the heart of Gauteng, has also been postponed.
Bako’s father and manager, Brighton, told The Herald yesterday his son was now only going to compete in a pre-national event in KwaZulu-Natal, this weekend.
This means Emmanuel’s campaign, in the 85cc Pro Mini Class, in both the 2021 South African National Championship series and regional championships, has been stalled.
The 14-year-old has been competing in South Africa, and a number of regional competitions in that country, since the beginning of the year.
He took part in the opening three rounds of the 2021 South African National Championship in February, April and May.
He claimed three places, on the podium, at these events to put himself among the strong contenders, for the 85cc Pro Mini Class title this year.
But the recent surge, in the Covid-19 cases, appears to have ended the rider’s hopes of being crowned the 2021 85cc Pro Mini Class Champion, in South Africa.
Meanwhile, the 2021 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships, scheduled to be held in Kampala, Uganda, in August, have been postponed due to the 42-day lockdown, recently imposed, in the East African country.
In a circular to all of its member countries, Marco Comana, the president of FIM Africa, announced the developments.
“Due to the 42-day lockdown, recently imposed in Uganda, which ends approximately a week before the start of the 2021 MXOAN, the FIM Africa Council, in consultation with the MX Working Group, have agreed to postpone the event to a later date.
“We hope that, by postponing to a later date, it will not only assist the organisers with their planning, but that, more importantly, the (Covid-19) ‘wave’ they are currently experiencing would have passed. “A new date will be communicated to all FMN’s in due course.”
Uganda were initially supposed to host the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships in August last year.
FIM Africa later indicated that the event will be staged in the same country from August 6 to 8 this year.
Countries such as Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and hosts Uganda, are expected to send their top junior, and senior male and female riders, to this annual event.
Online Reporter