Collin Matiza-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ALL eyes will be on budding young local motocross riders as the 2026 Bogwheelers Club National Championship series gets to its final stage at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare on Sunday.
The six-round season will, for the first time, come to a close with a combined event of rounds five and six
The last two rounds will be held in a two-heat format in the morning and another two in the afternoon.
And the most notable championship battles are in the junior classes, which will feature an array of talented young riders.
In fact, this year saw several budding young riders making major waves across the sport.
Newcomers and rising youngsters such as Victor Nyamupfukudza, Chris Mufanechiya, Sebastian Wright, Jayden Kerwin and the Shamuyarira brothers, Oneill and Elroy, turned heads this year with standout performances, rapid skill progression and strong competitive debuts.
And the young rider to watch on Sunday is 12-year-old Nyamupfukudza, who this season raced with dominant form and surged to the top of the 85cc Class.
Nyamupfukudza, who has just finished writing his Grade Seven exams at Elland Oak Junior School in the Waterfalls neighbourhood of Harare, will arrive at Donnybrook on Sunday fresh from another outstanding performance during last weekend’s final round of the 2026 Mozambique National Championship in Beira.
The Mozambique Cup 2026 MX & Quad Cross Grand Prix (also known as the Taca de Mocambique or the final round of the Mozambique National Championship series) was held last Saturday in Beira.
And Nyamupfudza hogged the limelight as he emerged as the cream of the crop in the 85cc Class (MX Lites).
He also competed with senior Mozambican, South African and Angolan riders in the 250cc Class and came sixth overall.
Another young Zimbabwean rider, Mufanechiya, came second behind Nyamupfukudza in the 85cc Class in Beira.
Rahim Dada of Mozambique settled for third place.
The top two places in the seniors MX2 category went to top Zimbabwean riders Riley Rocher and Declan Barrett.
Angola’s Diogo Santos came third.
Nyamupfukudza just needs a top three finish on Sunday to be crowned the 2026 85cc Class National Champion in Zimbabwe.
In fact, the exciting young rider just needs to maintain at least position one, two or three during the day on Sunday.
He is expected to face some stiff competition from fellow talented young riders Wright, Mufanechiya, Kerwin and 11-year-old Elroy Shamuyarira.
This Sunday’s event will also feature the 50cc Class where young Oneill Shamuyarira is the championship leader.
In this class, eight-year-old Oneill Shamuyarira will face another promising young rider, Ebenezer Parsell.
He will also compete in the 65cc Class, which is designed for riders under the age of 12.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the Bogwheelers Club, Carla Campbell, said they are expecting to have 10 riders in the PeeWee Class on Sunday.
“Our PW riders have grown immensely over the years, and we are hoping to have around 10 riders in that class.
“In the 50cc Class, our top riders are Oneill Shamuyarira, Ebenezer Parsell and Tait Bruford.
“Oneill Shamuyarira is taking the lead for the National Championship so far, and we’ve got Victor Nyamupfukudza who is leading in the 85cc Class.
“Sunday’s event is a ‘double header’ which marks our last Nationals for the year. In fact, it is good for our junior and senior riders to race one more time before they compete in our annual Zimbabwe Summer Series in December.
“They will get a feel for the new track before racing against some of the world’s best in the Zimbabwe Summer Series,” Campbell said.
After having temporarily disappeared from the local motorsport radar, the country’s premier motorcycling event — the Zimbabwe Summer Series — will make a welcome return to the local motocross calendar next month.
The Zimbabwe Summer Series is a premier, season-ending annual motorcycling and motocross event traditionally held over three days in December at Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare.
It typically opens with two days of Supercross (night racing) followed by a full day of high-octane motocross action on its final day.
Run by the Bogwheelers Club under Motorsport Zimbabwe, this thrilling event is returning this year after it was shelved last year after its dates clashed with the staging of the fifth and final round of the 2025 World Supercross Championship, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa.
And the Zimbabwe Summer Series is set to make a sensational return at Donnybrook Park Raceway on December 9, 11 and 13 this year.
