Moto-X preps gather pace

news that three foreign countries have entered 37 riders for this event.
This year’s edition of the FIM Africa Motocross Championships will be held at the home of motorsport in Zimbabwe – Donnybrook – on August 28.

This will also see Zimbabwe hosting its first major international motorcyling event since the turn of the millennium.
And the organisers of this big event, Bogwheelers Club of Harare, yesterday announced that three foreign countries – South Africa, Kenya and Zambia – have already entered a total of 37 riders for the championships.

Jim Perry, the chairman of Bogwheelers Club who run the sport of motocross in this country, said of the three countries, South Africa have entered the largest number of riders – 21.
The riders from South Africa will be led by seven of that country’s top motocross competitors – Grant Hutton, Cameron Durow, Chad and Zane Farquharson, Ethan Boshi, Ross Branch and Ryan Angilley.

Hutton, Durow and Farquhason will compete in the 50cc Class while Boshi will be fighting for the top honours in the 65cc Class.
Zane Farquharson will be carrying the South African flag in the MX Lites with Branch and Ryan Angilley competing in the MXII section of the competition.

“We expected South Africa to bring in more than the 21 riders that they have entered for this event. However, the good thing is that they will be bringing in some of their top riders who will bring stiff competition to the championships,” Perry said.

Perry said also that Zambia will also be bringing in 13 riders while Kenya have indicated that they will send three representatives to the FIM Africa Motocross Championships.
The Zambian team will be led by that country’s seasoned campaigners Davin Cocker and Dale Holiday.

The 37 riders from South Africa, Zambia and Kenya will be joined by 43 competitors from the host country – Zimbabwe – at this one-day event.
Perry said the August 28 championships have also received a major boost with the news that two overseas-based Zimbabwean motocross riders – Shaun Mitchell and Ricky Jardim – will be taking part in this big continental event.

Mitchell and Jardim are based in Europe with the former having recently firmly established himself on the European circuit, riding under the Moto Vision Racing-Development of England.
In fact, Mitchell left Zimbabwe a couple of years ago to settle in Belgium where he turned into a professional motocross rider.

This year’s FIM Africa Motocross Championships will be carried out as follows: Friday August 26 is reserved for documentation, registration and scrutineering for the riders.
Saturday August 27 is reserved for free full practise sessions for all classes and then Sunday August 28 will see the staging of the main event at Donnybrook, starting at around 9am.

Donnybrook has been totally re-built, featuring a brand new and exciting track, all for this big international event.
The Bogwheelers Club, with the help of a number of local sponsors, have also built a new track with spectacular 100-foot jumps and the public can also get into the middle of the track to get full view of the riders in action.

And the 20-year-old rider was recently reported to have moved to the other side of Europe, setting base in England where he is now under the MVR-D stable.
Perry said Mitchell is expected to fly in from his base in Europe next week while Jardim is already back in the country, preparing for the FIM Africa Motocross Championships.
At this event, Mitchell and Jardim will be joined by other top locally-based riders such as Jayden Ashwell, Ashley Thixton, Regan Wasmuth, Tyler Mawarire and Regan Bond as they take on some of the best motocross competitors from South Africa, Zambia and Kenya.

There will be full bar and catering at this event where entry fee is US$5 per person.
The FIM Africa Motocross Championships used to be held every two years but the continental competition’s organisers have now changed it to a yearly event.