adminCollin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE have taken over the hosting of this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations competition from Botswana. This came after a formal request from Botswana Motorsport to withdraw from hosting this exciting motorcycling event and the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation quickly stepped in and agreed to stage this continental competition at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare on August 29.
Ray Wilson, the president of FIM Africa, said earlier this week that dates of the event will remain per the calendar (August 29) but the host federation will now be the ZMSF and the event will be organised by the Bogwheelers Club, who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe, at Donnybrook in Harare.
“The FIM Africa Council would like to extend its most sincere gratitude to ZMSF for taking over this event at relatively short notice, but are, however, sure that they will once again host an event befitting of Continental Championship status, as they have shown capable of in the past.
“Gary Grainger will be the contact person for FMN’s wishing to get more information regarding the event and the SR’s will be posted in due course and within the prescribed time-frame.
“No doubt Gary will contact all FMN’s with his contact details and basic information in the very near future.
“With the venue now confirmed for Harare, we trust that all FMN’s will now support the event with full teams and make it a spectacle worthy of Continental Championship status,” Wilson said in a circular sent to all African motorsport federations earlier this week.
The FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations is an annual event which usually attracts all the top riders from seven African countries — Angola, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe — who compete for the top honours in all the classes from the PeeWees to the main MX1 Class.
Last year, this event was successfully staged at Kitwe in Zambia after having been held at Syringa Park just outside Johannesburg, South Africa, the previous year.
Meanwhile, two of Zimbabwe’s top junior motocross riders Kuda Mhene (Jnr) and Daiyaan Manuel were in dominant form during a national championship race meeting at Donnybrook last Sunday as they returned to action for the first time after having been sidelined by injuries for the past two months.
Mhene (Jnr) and Manuel, who have now fully recovered from a hand and leg injury respectively, competed in the 65cc A Class last Sunday where the former came first in all the three heats, interestingly ahead of the latter who had to settle for second place in these closely-contested races.
And after last Sunday’s epic battle at Donnybrook, Mhene (Jnr), who has just moved from Lomagundi College’s primary school to St George College’s Hartman House in Harare where he is in Grade Six, and Manuel are now both tied for first place on 74 points in the national championship standings.
The country’s top female rider, 10-year-old Tanya Muzinda also competed against Mhene (Jnr) and Manuel in the 65cc A Class and was placed third overall at the end of business last Sunday ahead of another talented young racer Big “BJ” Chitima (Jnr).
Last Sunday was just not Chitima (Jnr)’s day as he crashed twice and was forced to settle for fourth place overall behind Muzinda.
Not to be outdone by Mhene (Jnr) in last Sunday’s race meeting was the exciting eight-year-old Emmanuel Bako who also took the first step on the podium after winning all his races in the 50cc Class and garnered 60 points to emerge as the top dog in this section.
Bako, a Grade Three pupil at Heritage Primary School in Harare, came first in the 50cc Class, beating Ryan Masimo and Ricky Whyte into second and third place.
Oh by the way, there’s another Bako who is into motocross riding and he is Emmanuel’s young brother Munyaradzi who is competing in the PeeWee Class, a section designed for young riders under the age of seven.
And Munyaradzi also showed that he was a star in the making when he came first overall in the PeeWee Class to crown a memorable day for the Bakos at Donnybrook last Sunday.
In fact, Munyaradzi, who is only six years old, first came second in the opening heat before raising his game in the second and third heats, taking first places in these last two races much to the delight of his father and trainer Brighton.
The main MX1 Class was dominated by Cameron Thixton who rode brilliantly in all his heats while Bradley Perry took full advantage of the absence of Regan Wasmuth to emerge as the overall winner of the 125cc Class ahead of Ryan Webb. Wasmuth is currently nursing a wrist injury.
There was also a great come-back in the 85cc Class by young Tristain Grainger who had been out injured since last year and he showed that he has lost none of his touch by winning this section ahead of Reagan Bond.
Online Reporter