Spills, thrills at Donnybrook

explodes into life at the home of local motorsport.
The FIM Africa Motocross Championship is the first major international motorcycling event to be staged in Zimbabwe since the turn of the millennium.

And the oneday championship, which starts at 8.30am, has attracted a spectacular full house entry of 80-top motocross riders from five African countries – Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and the hosts Zimbabwe.
Among the entries, competing in six classes – MXI, MXII Lite, 125cc, 85cc, 65cc and 50cc and representing different motorcycle manufacturers, are several talented motocross riders who have competed both in Africa and abroad.

They include our own Sean Mitchell who has been competing as a professional motocross rider in Belgium in the past couple of years before he recently moved his base to England.
In tomorrow’s FIM Africa Motocross Championship, Mitchell will represent Zimbabwe in the MXI class where he starts as the prerace favourite and will be joined in the lineup by local champion Ashley Thixton.

Zimbabwe also have another star rider in young Jayden Ashwell who will be carrying the country’s flag in the MXII class with Kurt Greatorex. Zimbabwe’s hopes of silverware in the 125cc class lies in Ricky Jardim and Francois Swan while Cameron Thixton, Farnie van der Linde and Tafadzwa Maraire are among the favourites in the 85cc class.
Young Tafadzwa Maraire from Zvishavane is returning to action after having recovered from a shoulder injury sustained during practice two weeks ago and has been given the all clear by the doctor to compete in tomorrow’s big international event at Donnybrook.

All eyes in the Zimbabwe team selected for tomorrow’s event will also be on five other talented riders – Regan Wasmuth, James Dean Harrison (both 65cc class), Tristan Grainger, Reagan Bond and Tyler Mawarire (all in the 50cc class).

All these Zimbabwean riders will be battling it out for the top honours in their respective classes with the visiting competitors from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
Kenya have entered three riders for tomorrow’s championship – Dekker Kihara (50cc class), his brother Rolf (65cc class) and Tutu Maina (125cc class).
They will be joined in this event by two Ugandan riders – Ahmad Tamale and Moses Lutwana – who will both race in the MXII class. Zambia have also entered 13 riders for the 2011 FIM Africa

Motocross Championship and they will be led by that country’s champion rider in the MXII class Dale Holiday. In fact, Holiday is no stranger to the local motocross scene as he has competed in this country on numerous occasions in the past and he will be the man to beat in the MXII class tomorrow.

The other top Zambian riders to watch out for in tomorrow’s event are Davin Cocker (50cc), Bradley Lionet (85cc), Dima Fircks (125cc), Brendon Reed (MXII), Nicholas Comana and Shamus McCahey (both MXI). Zambia will also field a lady competitor – Jenna Bohling – in the women’s class where she will be joined by Zimbabwe’s Victoria van Breda.

But the local riders and those from Kenya, Uganda and Zambia are likely to have their work cut out by a strong 26 member contingent from South Africa at tomorrow’s event.
South Africa will be fielding a number of their “top guns” in all the classes tomorrow and it will interesting to see how the likes of Ross Branch, Ryan Angilley (both MXII), Brandon Wheeler and Geoff Den (both MXI) will fare in this event.

The other top South African riders who will be seen in action tomorrow at Donnybrook are Cameron Durow, Chad Farquharson (both 50cc), Ethan Boshi, Matthew Kruger (both 65cc), Zane Farquharson, Dirco van der Westhuizen (both 86cc), D’Artagnan Lobjoit and Dillan Juul (both 125cc). Tomorrow’s FIM Africa Championship Motocross Championship is being organised and hosted by the Bogwheelers Club of Harare whose chairman, Jim Perry, said they expect some nonstop exciting action in this event.

“This is a major international motocross event which has attracted some of Africa’s top riders and I think we are going to have some very interesting competitors.
“We, Zimbabwe, will be fielding a very strong team which will be led by Jayden Ashwell, Ashley Thixton and overseas based Sean Mitchell and I’m convinced that they are all going to fly the country’s flag high and give a good account of themselves at this event,” Perry said.

The Bogwheelers Club, with the help of several local sponsors such as Koala Park Abattoir and petroleum company Fuchs Silkolene, have built a new track for this event. The track has spectacular 100foot jumps and the public or spectators can also get into the middle of the track to get full view of the riders in action.

There will be full bar and catering at tomorrow’s event and entry fee is US$5 per person.