admin68km the east of Harare.
The Summer Series is the country’s premier motorcycling event and it consists of two Supercross (night racing) and two motocross events, spread over four days.
This year’s event got underway on Wednesday night with the staging of the first of the two Supercross races at the home of local motorsport – Donnybrook.
The second Supercross meeting was scheduled for last night at same venue where more than 60 young and old riders from the United Kingdom, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and the hosts Zimbabwe were taking on each other at the Donnybrook Raceway track.
And the same riders will this morning head out to Marondera for the penultimate round of this year’s Summer Series at Windrush Farm.
Today will see the riders moving from competing in Supercross to motocross whose action at Windrush Farm starts at 9am.
The riders will once again compete in nine classes – MX1, MXII, MX Master, Senior B, MX85, MX65, MX50, Junior B and PeeWee.
And judging from the scenes of Wednesday night’s opening round of the Summer Series at Donnybrook, another action packed day is in store for the local motorsport enthusiasts who are expected to travel to Marondera for today’s motocross meet.
Proceedings on Wednesday night were dominated by one of South Africa’s top motocross riders Wyatt Avis who emerged as the top dog in the main MX1 Class with 57 points. And Avis will be looking
for a repeat performance in today’s motocross racing at Windrush Farm in Marondera where he will once again be challenged for the top honours by the likes of Britain’s Sam Simmons, Zambia’s Graham Lionnet and two of Zimbabwe’s top riders Ashley Thixton and Jayden Ashwell.
In fact, Briton Simmons was yesterday itching to take on Avis and the rest of the field in last night’s Supercross racing and in the last two events of the Summer Series in Marondera today and tomorrow at Donnybrook.
” I had a good start in round one of Supercross (on Wednesday night) with 4th, 2nd and 2nd finishes. Now I know (the) track and feel ready for (a) good one tonight (last night at Donnybrook)!
“But it’s all about the motocross on Saturday and Sunday,” Simmons wrote on social network site Facebook yesterday.
So, Avis and the other top riders from South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe must brace themselves for another “tough ride” in today and tomorrow’s motocross events in Marondera and Donnybrook where Simmons has promised “to come out with all his guns blazing”.
But Simmons is unlikely to have it all his own way as competition seems to be tough in this year’s Summer Series as evidenced by the outcome of the first round at Donnybrook on Wednesday night where South Africa’s Avis ruled the roost in the main MX1 Class.
Zimbabwe’s “whizkid” Thixton also had a good day in the office on Wednesday night where he came second in the MX1 Class behind Avis, upstaging Simmons in the process. Thixton was expected to produce the same performance in last night’s Supercross meet at Donnybrook before shifting his attention to today and tomorrow’s motocross action in Marondera and at Donnybrook.
The Peterhouse College pupil is a tricky customer and on his day, he is quite capable of causing all sorts of problems for other top riders.
Today’s Summer Series motocross action at Windrush Farm in Marondera starts at 9am.
After competing in Marondera today, the riders will head back to Harare for tomorrow’s final round of the 2011 Summer Series at Donnybrook, starting at 9am.
Online Reporter