daniel chigunwe
Collin Matiza
Sports Editor
WHILE growing up, Big “Bigs” Chitima wanted to be a plumber.
Now the former motocross rider and motor rally driver has some leaks to fix at the home of motorsport in this country – Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare.
Chitima is now training budding young motocross riders at Donnybrook for free and he’s enjoying every minute of it.
And the riders have taken Chitima to their hearts as they now regard him as their “Godfather” on the track. The Zimpapers Sports recently caught up with Chitima at Donnybrook where he was putting a number of promising young motocross riders, who included Victor Nyamupfukudza, Kudzwai Chitsurura and Tariq Shelton, through their paces and he revealed how he got into motorsport and how he ended up training these youngsters.
Chitima is an Electrical Engineer specialising in telecommunications and alternative energy. He started riding motorbikes and driving in 1977 when his father was put in prison and charged with treason by the Rhodesian government.
“We had to help our mother to run the business to sustain the family. Hiring drivers was too expensive and sometimes very inconvenient. “My father used to ride bikes and we have always had a bike or two at the house up to now. My first ride was on a Honda scooter and by 1979 I could handle my father’s BSA 250cc motorbike.
“These type of bikes all came in one colour, black. It’s in the bones. Even at University I had two bikes – a Yamaha 175cc off-road and a metallic blue Yamaha 1100. Riding a bike is like second nature in terms of mobility,” Chitima said. His son BJ is also a rider but has since pulled back from racing to focus on academics. He (BJ) was also a National Motocross Champion at some point.
“I got serious enough to delve into racing around 2006. I participated in plenty drag races where I won for more than 90% of my races. Then got onto Superbike racing with the top names of Superbike racing in this country at the time.
“Around the same time, the racing community convinced me to try rally car racing which I eagerly got into and thoroughly enjoyed it.
“That was the pinnacle of my dreaming treat, stronger than Superbikes. Again I was racing with the top drivers of this country and Africa. Jamie Whyte, the two time African motor rally champion, was one of the top drivers.
“Then there was Conrad Rautenbach as the typical high fliers. Conrad ended up qualifying to race the World Rally Championship from Zimbabwe.
“There was quite a chunk of extremely good drivers such as Craig Green and Richard Robinson, Sherwin Evans etc. In my last year of rally racing around 2010 we had a hot race where my points were tied to Shaun Whyte’s points for the championship. Brutally mind challenging it was.
“I enjoy sharing the little knowledge that I acquired during the days when I could race. Racing is a set of multiple characteristics which actually develop the character of a child into a solid, confident, fast but careful person who is able to emotionally contain emotions whether it’s a win or a loss.
“It’s an excellent personality development tool. If I live long enough, I am sure that I will be able to look back at these young guys developing into resilient and dependable members of our society. I don’t feel it appropriate for me to charge any money for helping to improve the characters of leaders of our future society.
“I train anybody who shows up while I am conducting training, but the ones that have been consistent in attending my training sessions have been Kudzwai, Victor, Tariq, Josh and of late Chris.
“Victor (Nyamupfukudza) and Kudzwai (Chitsurura) are National Champions in their respective classes while the rest are also always on the podium (top 3).
“One of the most riders that I trained from Peewee level (which is designed for young riders under the age of seven) was Tanya Muzinda, who is now racing in the USA.
“We also have the likes of Emmanuel Bako who passed through my points at annually stage of entering motocross. A promising champion. Then we have Daiyaan “Dee” Manuel, really, really fast, who also used to spar with my son BJ during the early stages of motocross. He has got the potential to go very far with this sport, environment permitting.
“Training motocross is my pass time when I get a breather off my demanding profession,” Chitima concluded.
Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza, the father of nine-year-old rider Victor Nyamupfukudza, saluted Chitima for the good job he is doing at Donnybrook. He owed his son’s success at the 2023 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, in August to Chitima.
At this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships, Victor was the most outstanding rider in Team Zimbabwe as he helped them to finish second overall behind the hosts South Africa after he finished third overall in the 50cc Class.
Victor walked away with a trophy.
He continued with his fine form during the penultimate round of the 2023 Bogwheelers Club National Motocross Championship series at Donnybrook a couple of weeks ago where he scored a double by sweeping to victory in both the 50cc and 65cc classes.
“Victor was just an average young rider before Big Chitima approached me and offered to train him for free sometime last year.
“Since then Victor’s riding has been exceptionally good and out of this world. He is now a monster on the track, all this because of Big Chitima who is just good when it comes to training these youngsters, “ Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
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