Chronicle Editor
Collin Matiza Sports Editor
TANYA Muzinda — one of the top junior motocross riders in Zimbabwe — left the country yesterday to embark on a journey aimed at seeing her becoming the first fully-fledged professional female racer to emerge from this part of the world.
Muzinda, the poster-girl of Zimbabwean motocross who has just turned 13, flew out yesterday to England where she will compete in this weekend’s British Girls National Championships at the famous Wroxton track in Oxford. This event will be run over two days on Saturday and Sunday and brings together all top female motocross riders from across the UK and other European country who will be battling it out for the top honours in different classes ranging from the juniors (small wheel) to the seniors (big wheel).
And Muzinda will be the only rider from Africa who will be taking part in this event after she was invited to be part of the two-day dirt bike riding competition following her record breaking performance during the 2017 HL Racing MX Master Kids UK Championships at Mildenhall just outside London in May.
While there were 434 participants at that event, Muzinda was the only African contestant, immediately making her stand out. She cemented her place in the history books on May 28, when she won the third heat of the 85cc B Class (small wheel). And that made her the first ever female to win a heat at the event since it began in 2013. The footnote to this record-making performance was an overall third place finish in the class, earning her at least the bottom step on the podium.
So impressed by Muzinda’s outstanding performance at that event that the organisers of the British Girls National Motocross Championships extended an invitation for her to take part in this weekend’s big competition at Wroxton. And speaking to the Herald shortly before her departure for London yesterday, Muzinda’s handlers said she will use this weekend’s event at Wroxton as a springboard to becoming a full-time motocross racer overseas.
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