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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE will on November 24 host the Southern Africa Motocross Challenge championships at Donnybrook as the country prepares itself to stage its premier motorcycling event of the year — the 2013 Summer Series — in December.
Gary Grainger, the chairman of the Bogwheelers Club who run motocross in Zimbabwe, said yesterday that they were expecting all the top riders from Botswana and Zambia to compete in the Southern Africa Challenge championships.
“On November 24 we will be hosting the Southern Africa Challenge and it will be combined or will run simultaneously with the sixth round of the NetOne National Championship series at Donnybrook,” Grainger said.
The Southern Africa Challenge championships will be followed by the season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series which will be held on December 7, 11, 13 and 15 at the same venue.
The Zimbabwe Summer Series is the country’s premier motorcycling event and it will consist of two motocross events on December 7 and 15 and as many Supercross (night racing) races on December 11 and 13.
This annual event usually attracts top motocross riders from the United States, the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and Zambia.
Former world women motocross champion Stefy Bau of Italy is expected to grace this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series at the invitation of Tawanda “Polycup” Muzinda, the father of one of the country’s top female riders, nine-year-old Tanya Muzinda.
Bau, who is scheduled to arrive in Harare on December 2 from her base in Florida, United States, is expected to work with Tanya prior and during the Zimbabwe Summer Series as part of the young rider’s development programme which has been put in place by her father, Tawanda, who wants to turn her into a fully-fledged professional rider.
In fact, Tawanda Muzinda wants to see his daughter becoming the first female professional motocross rider to emerge from Zimbabwe thus the engagement of Bau, a three-time world women champion, to come and help him in this “big project”.
Meanwhile, the Southern Africa Challenge and the Zimbabwe Summer Series will be preceded by a Bogwheelers Club event at Donnybrook tomorrow.
Grainger said most of the country’s top riders will be in action at Donnybrook tomorrow, starting from 10am, and they will be competing in all the classes.
“On Sunday (tomorrow), we are going to hold a club event and it’s the fourth and last round of our club championship and all the usual riders will be there but some of our top junior riders will be missing because of their school exams.
“But we are hoping to have them all back on the track on November 24 for the Southern Africa Challenge before they compete in the big one, the Zimbabwe Summer Series, two weeks later,” Grainger said. This year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series promises to be bigger and better as most of the riders who took part in the FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations in South Africa two months ago indicated that they will be coming to Harare to compete in this exciting four-day event at Donnybrook.
The FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations attracted more than 120 riders from Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the hosts South Africa.
Online Reporter