adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
FORMER South African national superbikes champion Shaun Whyte is now the new chairman of the Bogwheelers Club — a body that runs the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe. Whyte (44) took over the hot seat from Gary Grainger who has been at the helm for the past two years. A likeable character, Whyte was ushered in as the new chairman of the Bogwheelers Club on Wednesday and will be assisted in running the club by his two deputies Paul Da Silva and Warren Wasmuth.
Kerry Bond, another seasoned motocross administrator, is also part of the club’s new executive committee.
Whyte said yesterday that they will be in the office for a two-year term.
“It’s a two-year term and we hope to keep running motocross the same way it has been run for the past two years when Gary Grainger took over the club’s chairmanship from Jim Perry.
“In fact, motocross has come up strong in this country in the past two years and last year saw (mobile network company) NetOne coming in as one of our major sponsors and we are hoping to retain them for this year as we are currently in negotiations with them.
“We really want to have them on board because without them or their support it would be tough for us to run the sport,” Whyte said. Whyte brings a wealth of experience into the sport with him as he has been into motorcycling for close to 20 years in which he also participated in the South African Superbike Championships.
In 2006, Whyte won the South African Superbike Championships and in 2009 won the Veteran Championships in that country.
He quit the superbikes at the end of 2009 to take up motor rallying, joining his elder brother, two-time African champion Jamie Whyte in the sport.
But Shaun Whyte always had a soft spot for motorcycling and February 2012 saw him being included in the Bogwheelers Club executive committee when Grainger took over as the club’s chairman.
His 10-year-old son, Ricky, is also into motocross and is one of the country’s top junior riders. Ricky will be in action tomorrow at Donnybrook when the Bogwheelers Club hold their first club race meeting of the season.
He will be joined there by other top junior riders such as the talented Kuda Mhene (Junior), Mudiwa Chigumba, Tristain Grainger, Davin Cocker, Daiyaan Manuel, Big “BJ” Chitima (Junior), Ryan Masimo, Emmanuel Bako and Tanya Muzinda, one of the few females who are into motocross in this country.
In fact, Muzinda, who turns 10 this year and is about to sign her first professional contract with United States-based 211 MX School, has graduated to ride in the 65A Class, up from 65B Class, this year and it will be interesting to see how she will fare in this class as she will be competing against fast male riders such as Tristain Grainger, Davin Cocker and Mudiwa Chigumba.
Online Reporter