daniel chigunweCollin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER having last raced during the second week of December last year, the cobwebs will finally come off the bikes of some of the country’s top junior and senior motocross riders when they compete in the opening round of the 2025 Bogwheelers Club National Championship series at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare on Sunday.
The last time the local motocross riders competed on the track was during the season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series at Donnybrook on December 11, 13, and 15 last year.
And after the Zimbabwe Summer Series, most of them took the off-season break and were away from the track for close to eight weeks.
They are now itching to burn it again at Donnybrook this coming Sunday.
Local motocross fans will also dive back into the arguments and debates for the 2025 National Championship series.
Will Daiyaan “D” Manuel dominate again?
Can Emmanuel Bako, who has graduated to race in the MX1 Class, give him a run?
Where are veteran Doug Mellor and Ashley Thixton?
Where will Cameron Thixton, Riley Rocher, Karl van As, and others fit in?
It’s all here to get you ready for the 2025 National Motocross Championship series, which revs off at Donnybrook on Sunday.
A huge title battle is expected across the season between a group of pre-season favourites.
And all eyes will be on the irresistible Emmanuel Bako, who is set to resume his rivalry with his old foe Daiyaan Manuel.
Bako has moved a gear up into the MX1 Class and is fresh from winning this class during last Saturday’s opening round of the 2025 Mayfair Gearbox Inland Championship at Erora in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He was fired-up at Erora, and his father and manager, Brighton “Bucks” Bako, told Zimpapers Sports Hub yesterday that his son is ready and waiting to blow the opposition away on Sunday. “With how he has been training with his fitness trainer, Manu (Emmanuel) is ready to win all his heats on Sunday . . . He will be taking no prisoners,” Brighton Bako said. Going into 2025, Emmanuel Bako has momentum on his side to a degree unlike any of his rivals. And his attitude is absent of any uncertainty over his ability to get the job done in 2025.
But it will be interesting to see how he will handle the challenge from his long-time rival Manuel.
Manuel needs no introduction at the Donnybrook Park Raceway track, where he monopolised both the 125cc and MX1 classes in the past few years.
He will be out to cement his status as one of the fastest dirt bike riders in Zimbabwe.
There will be a little bit of fire on the track and tension in the air at Donnybrook on Sunday. The Junior field is filled with potential title contenders. Chris Mufanechiya, who dominated the 65cc Class in last year’s title race, is back for another crack.
He will be looking at making a strong start to the season. People’s favourite 10-year-old Victor Nyamupfukudza was rapid on his programme in 2024 and wants to make amends for a title tilt that never took off last season. However, his father and manager, Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza, said fans should not expect much from his son on Sunday. “We have not been at the track training since the December Zimbabwe Summer Series. “We only trained twice this year . . . our bikes are not in very good condition, but I’m positive he’s going to make it.
“We are running on a very tight budget, and I’m praying things will change for the better. “We still have the same competitors; no one upgraded to a higher class for now.
“We have Chris Mufanechiya, Jayden Kerwin, Elroy Shamhuyarira, and many more. “Elroy has been training very hard since December, and they never skipped a week,” Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
Online Reporter