Muzinda to turn pro

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
WOMEN’S motocross legend Stefy Bau of the United States is determined to help promising young Zimbabwean rider Tanya Muzinda to become the first ever professional female racer to emerge from Zimbabwe.
Bau, who is now retired and is involved in training aspiring female motocross riders from all over the world, recently accepted a personal invitation from Tanya’s father, Tawanda “Polycup” Muzinda, to come and work with his daughter before and during the 2013 Zimbabwe Summer Series in December.

The Zimbabwe Summer Series is the country’s premier motorcycling event which is staged annually during the second week of December and it attracts top international riders from the United States, the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Botswana.

This year’s four-day Zimbabwe Summer Series has been slated for December 7, 11, 13 and 15 at the home of Zimbabwean motorsport — Donnybrook in Harare — and it will consist of two motocross and two Supercross (night racing) competitions.

The series, which is hosted by the Bogwheelers Club who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe, will open with a motocross meet on December 7 and will be followed by two Supercross competitions on December 11 and 13 before it concludes with another motocross action on December 15.

A number of top international riders from South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and Zambia have already expressed their willingness to come to Harare in December to take part in this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series at Donnybrook.

And they are likely to be joined by Bau who indicated on Tuesday from her base at Tallahassee in Florida, United States, that she was “more than willing” to come to Zimbabwe in December to work with nine-year-old talented Zimbabwean female rider Tanya Muzinda during the 2013 Zimbabwe Summer Series.

Italy-born Bau, who is now the head of the world renowned 211 MX School which trains and turn female motocross riders into world champions, indicated that she would like to bring Tanya under her tutelage for two weeks in which she will give her some expert advice on the sport and also help her in her preparations for the Zimbabwe Summer Series.

Bau said although she was coming to Zimbabwe to primarily work with Tanya, she was also willing to work with other top female and male junior riders from this country and neighbouring countries such as Botswana, Zambia and South Africa during her proposed two-week stay in this country.

“I am very happy about this opportunity and I hope that we can start a great relationship with Tanya and make her the first ever professional female racer from Zimbabwe!

“My main goal is, however, to focus on Tanya and her racing development. I do believe that this project of me working with Tanya will be a great opportunity for her . . . I hope we are able to pull it together.

“Once everything is in place, I would like this school (211 MX School) to eventually involve some global media to promote Tanya,” Bau said.
But who is Stefy Bau?

Bau is a woman of firsts.
The 36-year-old now retired racer was the first woman to win the Men’s Amateur 125cc National Championship in Italy in 1977 and was the first woman to participate at the World Motocross event in 2005.

The Italy-born Bau went to the United States in 1999 where she won every WML (Women’s Motocross League, which then became Women’s Motocross Association) race and made history.

She was the first girl to ever win every race in one year. That year, she captured the women’s World Cup titles in both 125cc and 250cc classes.

Unfortunately, after many years of success, Bau’s illustrious motocross career ended in 2005. She came up short on a big double jump and destroyed both of her ankles, an injury that still has complications today.

And after this career-ending injury in 2005, Bau became the general manager of the newly-established FIM Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Women’s World Motocross Championship by Youthstream.

Her national racing number used to be No. 211. 211 was the first number that AMA assigned her when she turned pro in the USA amongst the men in January 2000.

Today 211 is synonymous of 211 MX School, 211 media, 211 Outreach and 211 Engaging, Bau’s companies in the motorcycle industry. Her 211 LLC office consults for companies and athletes that aim to make a mark in the Powersports industry. Bau is also a member of the CFM, Women Commission inside the FIM, the world’s controlling body of motorcycling sports.

She has also worked before with FIM Africa, a body which runs motorcycling sports in this continent.
Meanwhile, a UK-based Zimbabwean, Joe Marema, is currently working on getting Tanya some invites to race in England in Summer next year.

Marema, the former treasurer of the now-defunct Zimbabwean Premiership soccer side Arcadia United, yesterday said he heard about Tanya’s exploits on the track in Zimbabwe and was willing to help her get the much-needed international exposure by getting her some invites to race in the UK between June and August next year.

He said he has approached two British motocross clubs who have indicated that they were willing to accommodate Tanya next season.
“I am hoping to tie up one or two possibilities for her and I’m expecting (some) positive responses this week. It’s not a common membership and I have explained to both clubs . . . So we are clear on day one because she will be the only international or foreign member at one of these clubs.

“Once she gets a place here (in the UK), a lot will change for her because it’s almost equal to self promotion and people here have very soft hearts for children from disadvantaged communities,” Marema said from his base in Bradford, West Yorkshire, yesterday.
Marema works as a community development consultant in Bradford and has been living in the UK for more than 10 years now.