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Collin Matiza
Sports Editor
IT’S all looking good for Zimbabwe’s motocross 125cc Class champion rider Emmanuel Bako ahead of this coming weekend’s Round Two and Three of the 2023 South African National Championship series at Zone 7 in Cape Town.
This weekend will see the organisers of the South African National Championship series hosting ”a double header” of the tough eight-round competition by holding Round Two and Three on two consecutive days on Saturday and Sunday at the famous Zone 7 track in the Mother City.
And Zimbabwean rider Bako is expected to join a host of South Africa’s top motocross riders at this two-day event as the race for the top honours in this year’s South African Nationals gains momentum in what is already predicted to be another memorable year in the series.
Bako, a 16-year-old Form Four student at St John’s College in Harare, is this year racing with the seniors in the 125cc Class and this last Sunday he took part in the second round of the 2023 Bogwheelers Club National Championship series at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare.
The Bogwheelers Club run the motorcycling sport of motocross in this country on behalf Motorsport Zimbabwe and this last Sunday they hosted the second round of this year’s National Championship series at Donnybrook where Bako was once again in a class of his own in the 125cc Class, easing to victory without raising much of a sweat.
On Sunday, Bako was fighting for the top step on the podium with his ”old rival” Daiyaan Manuel but he was just too good for him as he went on to emerge as the top dog at the business end of the one-day race meeting.
And Bako’s manager and father, Brighton ”Bucks” Bako, said Sunday’s victory was a good morale booster for his son ahead of this coming weekend’s Round Two and Three of the 2023 South African National Championship series at the famous Zone 7 track in Cape Town.
”Emmanuel was very fit and ready to battle with some of Zimbabwe’s top riders and it was great to watch him race with his schoolmate Daiyaan Manuel who is back in good spirit too. Daiyaan settled for second place behind Emmanuel in the 125cc Class and this bodes well for Emmanuel ahead of the next two rounds of the South African Nationals.
”He was, in fact, supposed to be in Cape Town this last weekend for the pre-National race meeting but he missed his flight to South Africa and it was a blessing in disguise as he then decided to take part in the second round of the local Nationals at Donnybrook on Sunday where he did extremely well… Manu is ready for this coming weekend’s races in Cape Town,” Brighton Bako said.
Locally, Emmanuel rides under Better Brands Racing Team and on Sunday he was joined on the track by his younger teammate, six-year-old Judah Sakupwanya, who emerged as the overall winner of the PeeWees 50cc Class, which is designed for riders under the age of seven.
”I think Judah did extremely well with the help of his new coach and trainer Warren Thorne. He was in good spirit and he (Judah) came first in all the heats to be crowned the overall winner of the PeeWees 50cc Class,” added Brighton Bako.
Young Sakupwanya and his 12-year-old brother Mudiwa both train under Thorne who also mentors Emmanuel Bako.
The Sakupwanyas are sons of prominent Harare businessman, Scott Sakupwanya, who donated more bikes to a number of local motocross riders at Donnybrook at the weekend.
”Scott Sakupwanya just wants the sport of motocross to grow in Zimbabwe and that’s why he is donating bikes to these riders as part of his efforts to get them hooked on to the sport as you know motocross is a very expensive sport and one cannot go it alone without getting some help or some form of sponsorship or assistance from well-wishers.
”So, I personally think that his (Sakupwanya’s) involvement will help in raising the profile of the sport in this country and one other good thing is that he is also sponsoring Better Brands Racing Team which is producing a number of good riders,” Brighton Bako said.
Online Reporter