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disciplines in the country, the dramatic development leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Why, is obviously the big question?
Well, the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation recently excluded all motor rallying races in their calendar of events for the 2013 season, saying the sport was no longer attracting a big number of entries.
Temba Mazvimbakupa, an official of the ZMSF, yesterday confirmed that there would not be any motor rally events in Zimbabwe this year “due to the dwindling numbers of participating cars”.
At the moment, Mazvimbakupa said, there are less than 10 cars that are specifically built for motor rallying in Zimbabwe and this has forced the ZMSF to cancel all the local races scheduled for this year.
“In fact, we have four vehicles that are purpose built for motor rallying and they belong to Jess Watson (Mitsubishi Lancer), Richard Robinson (Mitsubishi Evo8), Craig Green (Mitsubishi Evo8) and Jamie White (Subaru Impreza).
“There are also two equally good cars that are owned by Sherwin Evans and Big Chitima, who last year drove a Subaru Impreza.
“So, basically we currently only have six cars for rallying in Zimbabwe and this is not viable and good for the sport.
“This is in sharp contrast to our neighbours South Africa who always have more than 30 cars for every national or major motor rallying event in their country.
“So, we (the ZMSF) have decided to go back to the drawingboard where we are going to find the best ways of resurrecting the sport of motor rallying in Zimbabwe.
“We desperately need big or major sponsors of motor rally in Zimbabwe and while we are looking for these sponsors, we also need to bring in or have more vehicles that will compete in local events in the future,” Mazvimbakupa said.
The cancellation of motor rallying events this year has come as a double blow for the local motorsport enthusiasts as only two months ago, the country’s premier motor racing event — the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally — was also struck off the African Rally Championship’s calendar for 2013.
Mike Exton, a member of the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally organising committee, said in November last year that they decided to pull this event out of the 2013 ARC series because it was becoming too expensive for them to stage this international event.
The ZMSF also decided to pull the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally out of the 2013 ARC series because they were also failing to attract more foreign entries for this international event.
The event, in 2011 and 2012, attracted a handful of foreign entries who came from Zambia, Rwanda and South Africa, and this might have forced the ZMSF to have a re-think and pull it out of this year’s ARC series.
The Zimbabwe Challenge Rally has been the major motor racing event in this country since its inception way back in 1962.
Sadly, this event, like all the other local motor rallying events before it, will not be on the Zimbabwean motorsport radar this year in what could be a cruel blow to the growth of the sport in this country.
But the “writing has always been on the wall” for local motor rallying events as only two races were staged last year and they included the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally.
In the past couple of years, more than three local events were staged each season and they included the Zimbabwe Challenge Rally, the Transearth Rally, the Jialing Rally, the Norton Rally, and the West Gate Rally.
These races were either staged in Harare, Ruwa or Norton but less than 12 vehicles competed in each of these events, painting a gloomy picture for the sport in this country.
Meanwhile, Mazvimbakupa said the cancellation of all motor rallying events in this country this year will now see most top Zimbabwean motor rally drivers competing in the main circuit races at the home of local motorsport — Donnybrook Raceway.
“In fact, this year there will be a lot of main circuit racing which will be complimented by the fast growing drag races and this will help us in keeping motor racing alive in this country,” Mazvimbakupa said.
And, according to the ZMSF calendar of events for 2013, the first main circuit racing event has been scheduled for March 3 at Donnybrook.
In fact, a total of seven main circuit events have been pencilled in for this year and four of them will be staged at Donnybrook while the rest will be hosted in Bulawayo.
The fast-growing motorsport event of drag racing will have its first event of the year on March 2 at Donnybrook.
And as usual, a number national motocross and karting events have also been included in the ZMSF’s calendar of events for 2013.
Online Reporter