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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
AFTER having travelled to the United States for the past five or more years to compete in top amateur regional championships there, it’s back to school full-time for one of Zimbabwe’s top junior motocross riders Emile Croisette.
The 14-year-old talented rider has had the privilege of traveling to the United States at the beginning of every year to train and compete under one of that country’s most respected trainers Shannon Niday.
This year, Croisette left the country for the United States at the beginning of March accompanied by his father and manager, Joe Croisette, for a six-month stay there.
He competed in the full AMA National Championship series as his main target was to qualify for the finals of this prestigious event which are held annually at Loretta Lynn’s family ranch at Hurricane Hills in Tennessee.
It is known as the world’s largest amateur motocross race meeting. It is also the final stop for amateurs before they join the professional ranks.
In fact the AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is the major outdoor motocross series in the United States and is sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing and managed by MX Sports Pro Racing.
And young Zimbabwean rider Emile Croisette, whose father Joe is of French origin, wrote his own piece of history when he managed to qualify for the finals of the 2023 AMA Motocross Championship series.
Emile did himself and the nation proud by qualifying to race in two categories – Mini Senior and Super Mini – at the AMA National Championship finals which were held from July 31 to August 6.
In the Mini Senior he finished in 28th position out of 42 riders and in the Super Mini he had some bad luck and came 34th out of 42 bikers which was not bad at all for the young Zimbabwean rider who was making his debut appearance at this prestigious event.
In fact, Emile became the first motocross rider from Zimbabwe and the second of French origin to qualify for the AMA National Championship finals in the United States.
And despite this phenomenal achievement by this talented young rider, his father, Joe, said it was high time his son should concentrate on his schoolwork.
Joe told Zimpapers Sport on the sidelines of the penultimate round of the 2023 Bogwheelers Club National Motocross Championship series at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare on Sunday that as from next year, his son, who is going for Form Three next year at St John’s College in Harare, should concentrate more on his books rather than on the track.
This means that they have decided to shelve their annual trips to the United States.
“I think that after having traveled to the United States for the past five or more years which culminated in Emile qualifying for this year’s AMA National Championship, we are done and he should now concentrate more on his schoolwork.
“He is only going for Form Three next year and I think education is now more important for him at the moment. So, we have decided to stop or to shelve our annual trips to the United States as from next year.
“Emile will continue racing but locally. What he did this year, qualifying for the finals of the AMA National Championship was just a remarkable achievement for him.
“He won the hearts of many motocross fans and trainers at the finals considering the fact that he was coming from a small country in Africa named Zimbabwe… everybody was just too emotional and wanted to be associated with him. There was even an American motocross journalist who was attached to him for the whole week of the AMA National Championship finals.
“We are proud of him, of course, because qualifying for the Loretta Lynn’s finals is a very long process. “It takes about four months to qualify for these finals and for one to be at Loretta Lynn’s finals is quite a big achievement.
“What makes Emile’s qualification for this year’s finals quite special is that he did not only qualify for one class but for two classes which is the maximum one can do… you can’t qualify for three classes.
“It was his first time at Loretta Lynn… all the other guys in his class were there four or five times already.
“He was the only kid who goes to school… the other guys do home schooling and they train almost everyday. “They have a track at home where they train everyday unlike us here in Zimbabwe where we have one track at Donnybrook, “ Joe Croisette said.
He said their main aim at the moment is not for Emile to turn professional but he should now concentrate more on his schoolwork.
“He will be in Form Three next year. We don’t want him to be a professional rider. Motocross is not the final destination in his life. We just want him to have some fun and we will try to keep him fit as we head into next season.”
Joe Croisette said they were now looking at having Emile to race in the tough seven-round South African National Motocross Championship series as from next year.
Emile’s participation in the South African National Motocross Championship series is being facilitated by Brighton “Bucks” Bako whose 17-year-old son, Emmanuel, has been a regular feature in the competition for more than a decade now.
“I think as from next year we should take the South African route and see how Emile performs there.
“I understand competition is very stiff in South Africa which is good for Emile. He will also be racing in the local Bogwheelers Club National Motocross Championship series as well as club competitions,” Joe Croisette said.
Emile did not take part in last Sunday’s fifth round of the Bogwheelers Club National Motocross Championship series at Donnybrook as he is taking a deserved break following his six-month sojourn in the United States.
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