Is motor rallying dead in Zim?

Temba Mazvimbakupa Special Correspondent
LAST year was a roller coaster year for Zimbabwe’s motor sports.
Yes, so full of ups and downs, twists and turns, but yes the sport emerged victorious. As you know as well as I do, motor rallying is now dead and buried in Zimbabwe (well thus according to some fellows who command a lot of respect in the game).
This has been the down side of it all and indeed Zimbabwe is not on the 2014 FIA Africa Rally Championship calendar. Sad, really sad. I get a lot of folks asking me when rally will resume and my answer has always been the same: “Rallying will be back in Zimbabwe’’.

Fortunately we still have a lot of former rally guys who share the same dream.
So, God willing, big things will happen in 2014 that will see the structure of Zimbabwe motor sports changing to accommodate new players in the game, people who will take the sport of rallying to new levels.

If Zambia, Kenya and Uganda can popularise rallying to such high levels, I really don’t get it when guys say the sport is dead and buried in Zimbabwe. What we simply need is new blood to relaunch motor rallying in Zimbabwe.

Just like in marketing strategy, product life cycle, when a product dies another one is re-launched.
Drag racing was re-launched in Zimbabwe in 2012 and it penetrated the country’s sports market last year and has already taken up a position amongst the leading sport brands in Zimbabwe, thanks to the new dynamic management team at the Dragpro Club that is now running drag racing in this country.

Sadly one of the drag racing’s pioneers Patrick O’Hara lost the battle against cancer early last year. His yellow Beach Buggy has now found a new home. Chase Attwell, one of Zimbabwe’s former rally stars, will be driving the Dragstar in 2014.

A leading Zimbabwean mobile phone operator, Telecel, has confirmed sponsorship for the 2014 season together with a team of other secondary sponsors. Many thanks to both print and electronic media, they did a fantastic job in 2013. Yes, it’s now happy days at drags .

The 2013 Zimbabwe Motocross Summer Series was bigger and better than in 2012. No doubt motocross has taken up a huge segment of the Zimbabwe sports market.

So combine drag racing and motocross then you will get Zimbabwe motorsport as a leading and growing sports brand in Zimbabwe. Don’t let anyone fool you, the writing is on the wall.

The PeeWee class, 50cc, 65cc, 85cc, 125cc and the ever popular MX1 class were the pride of Team Zimbabwe in Uganda and South Africa at regional competitions.

Emmanuel Bako, Jordan Dewdney, Kuda Mhene (Jnr), Big “BJ” Chitima (Jnr), Tanya Muzinda, the Musariri brothers, Tristan Grainger, Regan Bond, Wade Ashwell, the Mawarire brothers, Victoria van Breda, Ashley Thixton and Team Zimbabwe captain Jayden Ashwell rode like men and women possessed by demons while representing their country.

I take my hat off to these young Zimbabweans and of-course their parents who made it all possible by making sure funds were made available for both repairs and maintenance of motorbikes and other hidden costs. Yes, the future is bright, very bright indeed.

And many thanks to the Bogwheelers chairman Gary Grainger who worked his socks off to make sure that more and more youngsters of different races joined the sport once perceived as a minority sport.

I have always said some the the Zimbabwe motor sports genres are media shy. Hopefully they will one day recognise the power of the media. Sponsors of sporting disciplines are not there to throw money around, they want a return of their investment.

They want to get closer to their markets through sports marketing and advertising. Media is the promotional vehicle to make their products and services more visible to their target markets. So, I really don’t get it when guys shy away from the media.

I know it’s good fun to race with friends and family on a sunny Sunday afternoon but sadly that will not grow the sport. We have a world-class sports complex at Donnybrook, let us fully utilise it, let us grow the sport, let us take the sport to the generality of the Zimbabwean people.

Kart racing continued to attract sizeable crowds at Donnybrook raceway last year with the major highlight being young Zack Dufty’s trip to Italy were he represented the country. It was a learning curve for the young Zimbabwean super star. I am told there was some action on the main circuit racing track last year. Guys went to Bulawayo and came back.

Main circuit guys are free to use this platform to communicate. The same applies to the 4X4 club, guys let us open up more and let us inform our public.

One motor sport genre that has been overlooked over the years is oval track racing.
It has the potential to grow since it’s a relatively low budget sport. This is the sport for aspiring rally drivers. One meeting was held in October 2013.

I have no doubt that with a proper management team in place and a small budget Friday nights will not be same again at Donnybrook. It is a spectator friendly sport and can be held under floodlights.

Be that as it may, let me thank the following media partners who have really worked so hard to put Zimbabwe motorsport were it really belongs, Yes, up there, The Herald, Daily News, The Standard, The Financial Gazette, the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (both radio and television), Star FM radio, Zi-FM radio, H-Metro and last but not least our official motorsports Disc Jockey, DJ Deon.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all adrenalin junkies, petrol heads included, a prosperous 2014. May God continue to bless you and your families.

Temba Mazvimbakupa is an administrator of the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation