adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
TODAY will see the staging of the fourth round of the 2015 Monster Energy South African National Motocross Championship series at Springfield in Durban where a group of top junior and senior riders from Zimbabwe will be battling out for the top honours .
This is the midway point of the season and all riders are hoping to put in good performances, especially Zimbabwean competitors who today will be led by the country’s champion rider Jayden Ashwell.
Ashwell is expected to compete in the main MX1 Class.
Competition is really tough in the MX1 Class where South Africa’s Neville Bradshaw really shines. He won both heats after decent starts during round three of the South African National Championship at Rover in Port Elizabeth on May 30.
He was comfortable on the Yamaha and looks like a hard man to beat for the remainder of the season. His fellow countryman Anthony Raynard was the only rider to keep him in check, but second was the best he could do.
Sacha Naude, also of South Africa, had some bad starts, but rode solid to finish in third in both heats. Kerim Fitzgerald was fourth and Zimbabwe’s Ashwell was a solid fifth.
All these five riders will be back in action at Springfield today where spills and thrills will be the order of the day as they take on each other again in what promises to be a tight contest on the track.
While Ashwell will be hard pressed to take the first step on the podium today, his teammate in Team Zimbabwe, eight-year-old Emmanuel Bako is a safe bet to emerge as the top dog in the 50cc Pro Class.
Germany-bound Bako, a Grade Three pupil at Harare’s Heritage Primary School, is in sparkling form this year both at home and in South Africa where he’s been almost invincible in the 50cc Class.
In fact, the 50cc class has produced different winners at every round in this year’s South African National Championship series.
In the the last round at Rover in Port Elizabeth on May 30, Bako won both heats and proved he will be a big factor for the remainder of the season.
Today, Bako will once again come up against his newly-found “arch-rival”, South Africa’s Wian DuPlooy who has become Mr Consistant and finished second overall ahead of podium newcomer, Luke Grundy, the last time out in Rover.
Championship favourites James Thompson and Barend DuToit will also be in contention for podium places in the 50cc Class today.
But another top place at the podium at the end of business today, will see Bako tightening his grip at the top of the 50cc Class standings and he could emulate fellow Zimbabwean Daiyaan Manuel who was the overall winner of this section in South Africa last year.
Manuel has since graduated to race in the 65cc A Class.
Bako will today be joined in the 50cc Class by fellow Zimbabwean Jordan Dewdney who will be competing in the South African National Championship series for the first time and it will be interesting how this promising young rider will handle the pressure of riding away from his beloved home track at Donnybrook in Harare.
Two other Germany-bound top Zimbabwean junior riders Kuda Mhene (Jnr) and Manuel will today be competing in the 65cc A Class where they will have their hands full as they will be taking on gifted South African bikers Camden McLellan, Jono Mlimi, Ike Klaasen, Hayden Tully and Sebastian Wood.
But Kuda Mhene (Jnr)’s father and trainer, Kuda Mhene (Snr), was yesterday convinced that his son and Manuel will give these South African riders a good run for their money in today’s race meeting.
“We have been practicing hard in our preparations for the Springfield race meeting and Kuda and his teammates in Team Zimbabwe are in good shape and fit. We will definitely make our presence felt on the track at Springfield on Saturday (today).
“The riders are now fit and not yet fatigued. The bike setup is also spot on and the bikes are not tired yet,” Kuda Mhene (Jnr) said.
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