admin
Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ONE of Zimbabwe’s top junior motocross riders Emmanuel Bako has been ruled out of this weekend’s second round of the 2017 South African National Championship series after he injured his leg during a Dirt Bronco event in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Bako was in Johannesburg on Saturday for round two of Dirt Bronco’s 2017 Mayfair Gearbox Gauteng Motocross Series which he wanted to use as part of his preparations for the second round of the South African nationals.
But as fate would have it, the 10-year-old rider crashed and seriously injured his right leg during the opening lap of the Mayfair Gearbox Gauteng Series and is likely to be out of action for at least two months, according to his father and manager, Brighton.
“What happened is that Emmanuel was among the leading bunch of riders in the 65cc A Class, but unfortunately they crashed while approaching a corner and he (Emmanuel) injured his right leg and was quickly taken to hospital where he had some X-rays and a plaster was put on his leg.
“The doctors said he will be out of action for at least two months meaning he is definitely going to miss a number of races including this coming weekend’s second round of the South African National Championship series in Cape Town.
“The young man is devastated because he was really itching to go and participate in Cape Town this coming Saturday, but these things happen and they are part of the game and we all wish him a speedy recovery,” Brighton “Bucks” Bako said.
Before Saturday’s incident, Emmanuel Bako had just received a big boost ahead of this coming weekend’s second round of the 2017 South African National Championship series at Zone 7 in Cape Town when a transport and logistics company from that country sponsored him with a brand-spanking new bike.
Emmanuel Bako, a Grade Five pupil at Mai Grace Mugabe Primary School in Mazowe, last Thursday flew out to Johannesburg where he received a brand new bike from a South African transport and logistics company, Graveltech Investments and Logistics.
Graveltech director, Tendai Chaitezvi, handed the bike — a Husqvarna 2017 65 — to Emmanuel Bako on behalf of his company in the presence of the young biker’s father and manager, Brighton, and his trainer Stanley Mugiyo.
And Emmanuel Bako could not hide his excitement when he received his brand new bike last Friday.
“Words (alone) cannot express how much this means to me because sponsorship in the form of a bike has been very hard to come by back home in Zimbabwe and I would like to thank Graveltech, from the bottom of my heart, for what they’ve done to me today.”
Graveltech director, Chaitezvi, said they were proud to be associated with Emmanuel Bako who they feel is a talented young rider who has “the potential of becoming a world-class athlete” in the tough sport of motocross.
Online Reporter