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Collin Matiza-Sports Editor
THERE were no champagne bottles to pop for Zimbabwean riders as they were once again forced to settle for overall second place by hosts South Africa during the 2023 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships, which ended in Cape Town on Sunday.
Hosts and perennial winners of the annual Championships, South Africa, walked away with the overall title with 728 points, way ahead of runners-up Zimbabwe, who amassed 384 points.
Zambia were also a distant third with 233 points.
This year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships attracted more than 200 junior and senior male and female riders from Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Uganda, Madagascar, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the hosts.
Led by two of their most talented riders, Emmanuel Bako and Daiyaan Manuel, most members of Team Zimbabwe found the going tough during this two-day continental event as they failed to get any place on the podium.
It was nine-year-old Victor Nyamupfukudza and old warhorses Warren Thorne and Trevor Thixton, who walked away with some medals at the business end of the Championships on Sunday afternoon at the famous Zone 7 track in Cape Town.
Competing in his third FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships, young Nyamupfukudza, a Grade Four pupil at Elland Oak Junior School in the Waterfalls area of Harare, brought some joy in the Zimbabweans camp when he settled for third place overall in the juniors 50cc Class much to the delight of his father/manager and trainer Simbarashe.
“This is almost unbelievable. I never expected Victor to finish in the top three considering the big field and tough competition which was in the 50cc Class,” Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
There was a strong field of 23 young riders in the 50cc Class.
“But Victor was not intimidated by this strong field. He showed some character and I think he could have emerged as the overall winner of this class had he not been pushed and fell in the third and final round.”
Victor was emulated by seasoned campaigners Thorne and Thixton who came out as the top dogs in the Veterans/Masters Class to claim Zimbabwe’s one and only top place on the podium at this two-day event.
Thorne and Thixton were the overall winners in the Veterans/Masters Class with a total of 91 points, beating Namibia (76 points) into second place.
As for the rest of the Zimbabwean riders, this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships will be the one they would like to forget in hurry as they all failed to get places on the podium.
Much was expected from champion rider Bako but the 17-year-old was forced to settle for a distant 12th place in the 125cc Class with 17 points despite winning the third and final round of this class on Sunday.
The top three places in the 125cc Class, which had a strong field of 24 senior riders, went to South Africa’s Jordan van Wyk, Tristan Durow and Kyle Townsend.
There was also no joy for another top Zimbabwean biker, Manuel who came 10th in the seniors MX2 Class.
The first step on the podium in this class was claimed by Stav Orland of Uganda ahead of two South Africans Dalton Venter and Davin Cocker.
Cocker used to race for Zimbabwe before he switched allegiance to South Africa a couple of years ago.
The MX2 Class attracted 27 riders.
South Africa-based Zimbabwean rider Regan Wasmuth also struggled with his racing as he finished 11th in the MX1 Class while two other local bikers Riley Rocher and Tariq Shelton came 4th and 15th in MX Lite Class.
Young Kudzwai Chitsurura did well to finish 9th in the 65cc Class in which his compatriots Sebastian Wright, Jayden Kerwin and Chris Mufanechiya took 11th ,18th and 19th places.
Online Reporter