adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
THRILLS and spills characterised the day at Donnybrook in Harare on Sunday when the Bogwheelers Club held a motocross and an enduro race day in preparation for next month’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championship.
The 2015 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championship will be held at Donnybrook on August 29 and it is expected to attract most of the top junior and senior riders from seven African countries – Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and the hosts Zimbabwe.
And this last Sunday saw the Bogwheelers Club, who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe, hosting a race meeting which they used as a dress rehearsal for next month’s continental championship and it brought together most of the top local riders.
The track was brilliant, catering great, the atmosphere electric and logistics superb.
Racing was intense in all the classes and as expected, Cameron Thixton swept all before himself in the main MX1 Class in which he won all the three heats comfortably to take the first step on the podium with 60 points.
Second and third place went to Cole Bond (49 points) and Blaize Thomas (47 points).
Thixton was emulated by young Emmanuel Bako who was also in dominant form as he “scored a double” on Sunday, winning the 50cc A Class and 65cc B Class.
Everybody knew Bako was going to deliver the goods at Donnybrook on Sunday and he didn’t let anyone down. He first recorded some comfortable victories in the 50cc A Class to amass the maximum points of 60 as he beat Jordan Dewdney (47 points) and Lee Chigumba (43 points) into second and third places.
Bako also cruised to victory in the 65B Class in which he emerged triumphant with 57 points. One of the country’s top junior motocrossers Ryan Masimo was second with 54 points while third place went to Ricky Whyte (45 points).
Bako’s cousin, Munyaradzi, also had a memorable day on Sunday as he won the PeWee Class, which is designed for riders under the age of seven, and the 50cc B Class.
Interestingly, Munyaradzi competed in the 50cc B Class for the first time and came first in all the heats, proving he was another star in the making.
There was a “Battle Royale” in the 65cc A Class where Big “BJ” Chitima and Kuda Mhene (Jnr) went toe to toe as they fought for the first step on the podium in this section.
And if there was an award for courage and determination it would go to both young riders as they finished the day tied on 52 points but first place went to Chitima (Jnr) with Mhene (Jnr) settling for the silver medal.
Third place in the 65cc A Class went to Daiyaan Manuel (47 points) while the country’s top female rider Tanya Muzinda came fourth with 41 points.
The 125cc Class was another great race to watch and Brad Perry was able to win it ahead of Josh Gobey and Liam Robinson.
The 85cc Class was dominated by Reagan Bond who beat Mudiwa Chigumba and Davin Cocker into second and third place.
Next up for most of these riders will be the fifth round of the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Championship series at Dirt Bronco in Gauteng on July 25.
Meanwhile, the GeBe Education and Sports Foundation of Germany would like to enter into a partnership with the Bogwheelers Club which would see them bringing top German motocross trainers to Zimbabwe to run training camps for young, aspiring local riders.
Bernd Wulffen, the founder and director of the foundation, recently told The Herald that they were also looking at bringing top German riders to compete in the annual season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series which is held during the second week of December at Donnybrook.
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