Motorcross back at Donnybrook

Sunday’s meet will be the first of six national events that will be held this year and they will all be staged under the Bogwheelers Club who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in this country.
Gary Grainger, who was recently elected as the new chairman of the Bogwheelers Club, said yesterday that Sunday’s event will cater for all the classes from the PeeWees to the main MXI and MXII sections.
“This is the first of six national events that we will be hosting this year and this Sunday we are hoping to have up to 100 riders from all over Zimbabwe.
“All the top Zimbabwean riders will be there and we’ve got some guys from Botswana who are coming up here to compete in this event.
“We are likely to have four or five of them and this is going to make the event more exciting,” Grainger said.
Local national champion Ashley Thixton, his young brother Cameron, Tristan Grainger, Jayden Ashwell         and Regan Wasmuth will be among the top Zimbabwean riders that expected to grace the occasion on Sunday.
In fact, young Tristan Grainger, Ashwell and Wasmuth will be arriving at Donnybrook on Sunday fresh from competing in the first of the 2012 Motorsport South Africa national championship series that was held at Saryinga just outside Johannesburg last Saturday where they carried the country’s flag high.
At Saryinga, Tristan Grainger, Ashwell and Wasmuth helped Zimbabwe to take a credible second place finish behind Durban in the newly introduced regional championships in South Africa.
In fact, at Syringa, these three young riders did the nation proud with Tristan Grainger producing an eye-catching performance in the 50cc senior class where he got two first-place finishes to emerge first overall in this section.
Tristan Grainger, who is turning nine this year, was riding a KTN 50cc and led the way for his teammate  Ashwell (15) who got a first and a second-place finish to emerge second overall in the MXII class, riding a KTN 250.
Not to be outdone by Tristan Grainger and Ashwell was 11-year-old Wasmuth who got two third-place finishes to be placed third overall in the 65cc class on a KTN 65cc.
These outstanding performances by Tristan Grainger, Ashwell and Wasmuth helped Zimbabwe to a second-place finish behind Durban in the regional competition of this event.
In fact, Gary Grainger said Zimbabwe is classified as a region in the 2012 MSA national championship series and it’s a new format that was introduced this year.
“They (Motorsport South Africa) have created a new competition between the regions and Zimbabwe were included in it, coming in as one of the regions.
“So, the brilliant performances of Tristan, Jayden and Regan on Saturday enabled Zimbabwe to get a second-place finish behind Durban in the opening regional competition of this year’s MSA national championships.
“Non of this couldn’t have been done without the help or support of our sponsors Fuchs Silkolene as well as Gigatel who look after Tristan Grainger,” Gary Grainger said.
The Bogwheelers Club chairman said they were now looking forward to competing in the second of the 2012 MSA national championship series that will be staged over the Easter Holidays in Durban.
“This is going to be the big one as it will be held over two days and up to 200 riders are expected to compete in this event.
“We are looking at sending Tristan, Jayden and Regan, and we hope to encourage more Zimbabweans to go and compete at this big event,” Gary Grainger said.