Timely Moto-X boost for Bako

ONE of the country’s finest young motocross riders Emmanuel Bako has received a timely boost ahead of this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series when he was recently invited for a one-week training camp with one of South Africa’s top teams - Team Vision Racing Team - next month.

The season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series is the country’s premier motorcycling event which is held annually at Donnybrook in Harare during the second week of December and it usually attracts top junior and senior motocross riders from the UK, USA, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Swaziland.

This year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series will, for the fourth-year running, be held over three days and it will consist of two Supercross (night racing) events on December 13 and 15; and one full day of motocross action on December 17.

And as part of his preparations for this big international event, young Bako (12) will soon be heading to South Africa for a one-week training camp with one of that country’s top motocross teams - Team Vision Racing Team - which is owned by Grant Florey.

According to Bako’s father and manager, Brighton “Bucks” Bako, Florey is a revered motocross trainer who trains “quite a big number” of top junior and senior riders from around the world and some of them end up riding for his Team Vision Racing Team.

“Grant Florey runs Team Vision (Husqvarna) Racing Team which is based in South Africa and has in its ranks some of the world’s top junior and senior motocross riders. In fact, Florey has been calling me, asking me to send Emmanuel to train with his team.

“And now we have decided to send Emmanuel to South Africa for a oneweek intensive training camp with Florey’s Team Vision Racing Team as part of his preparations for next month’s Zimbabwe Summer Series. He is scheduled to leave for South Africa on December 7 accompanied by his Zimbabwean trainer Stanley Mugiyo.

“They will be based in Sandton just outside Johannesburg and practising at Terra Topia for at least six hours a day and that’s one week of some intensive training,” Brighton Bako said yesterday.

In fact, after his one-week training camp with Team Vision Racing Team, Emmanuel will also be expected to be part of the same team during the seven-round 2018 South African National Championship Series which runs from February to October.

Emmanuel was initially supposed to join Team Vision Racing Team this year but he got injured at the beginning of the season and was sidelined for quite sometime, forcing him to miss a large chunk of the 2017 South African National Championship Series.

But he is now expected to be part of Team Vision Racing Team for the 2018 season and will be competing in the 65cc A Class.

Already, Zimbabwe have another young talented rider - Daiyaan Manuel - who is a South African 65cc Champion.

Manuel (13) clinched this year’s South African 65cc Class title after competing in that country’s seven-round series throughout the year and this saw him picking up his second motocross crown Down South in three years after winning the 50cc Class championship in 2014.