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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
HE is just nine years old and is set to plunge into his third biggest international sporting event carrying the Zimbabwean flag.
Victor Nyamupfukudza is by no means your ordinary young schoolboy as he is now heavily involved in the tough world of motocross racing.
This weekend will see Nyamupfukudza, a Grade Four pupil at Elland Oak Junior School in the Waterfalls area of Harare, competing in the 2023 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships at the famous Zone 7 track in Cape Town South Africa.
He is part of a strong Team Zimbabwe side of more than 30 junior and senior male and female bikers that will represent the country at this annual motorcycling event.
This will be the third time that Nyamupfukudza will be representing Zimbabwe in the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships after having first competed in this big continental event on home soil in Zimbabwe in 2019.
During that event Nyamupfukudza competed in the Peewee Class which is designed for young riders under the age of seven.
After a two hiatus due to the Covid-19 restrictions and lock downs, the African Championships returned on the radar in August 2022 where Nyamupfukudza made his way to Uganda to race in this event with his sister Tadiwanashe.
And now he is preparing to have his third dance with the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships in Cape Town this weekend. Victor will be part of a record 200 senior and junior male and female dirt bike riders who have registered to tackle the track at the famous Zone 7 track in the Mother City. The riders are coming from several African countries that includes Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Mozambique, Morocco, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the hosts South Africa.
And speaking from Kimberly in South Africa yesterday on their way to Cape Town, Victor’s father/manager and trainer, Simbarashe, told The Zimpapers Sports Hub that his son was more than ready to take on some of Africa’s budding riders in the 50cc and 65cc classes that he will be competing in at this tough three-day event. “We are now on our way to Cape Town to race in the African Championships and Victor is raring to go.
“He has been getting some extra tips from (former Zimbabwe senior champion rider) Trevor Thixton since we arrived here in South Africa last week. “I can say Victor is not feeling nervous since this is going to be his third appearance in the African Championships and he is determined to leave a marker in Cape Town this weekend,” Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
And that’s a bold statement from a father who introduced his son to the tough motorcycling sport of motocross when he (Victor) was at the tender age of three.
But Simba admitted that they faced a lot of challenges along the way, especially when it comes to sponsorship in Zimbabwe.
“Motocross is taken as a minority sport in Zimbabwe and most of the corporates are not interested in sponsoring it.
“But here in South Africa motocross is one of the biggest motorsport events in the country and they hold regional and national Championships every weekend and each event attracts dozens of sponsors.
“That’s not the case back home in Zimbabwe but we are slowly getting there as a number of sponsors, including Scott Sakupwanya’s Better Brands Jewelry, are coming on board.
“We also have dedicated fathers of the riders who are passionate about the sport. We are talking about the likes of Brighton Bako who has spent thousands and thousands of American dollars supporting his son Emmanuel Bako who is now a big brand in Zimbabwe.
“I would also like Victor to follow in Emmanuel Bako’s footsteps and become a champion rider in Zimbabwe.
“But my main aim is to see Victor turning into a fully-fledged professional motocross rider and compete in Europe and the United States where the sport is really big,” said Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza.
But that journey to stardom starts this weekend in Cape Town where the spotlight will fall on Victor in the 50cc and 65cc classes.
A podium finish will be a phenomenal achievement for him considering the fact that the African Championships are not for the faint-hearted.
Competition will be tough and Victor needs to bring his A-game there!
Online Reporter