Top local Moto-X riders for SA series

FOUR of Zimbabwe’s top junior and senior motocross riders are expected to fly the country’s flag high when they compete in Round Four of the 2018 South African National Championship series at Terra Topia Dirk Bike Club just outside Johannesburg on Saturday.

The riders are Emmanuel Bako, Regan Wasmuth, Ashley Thixton and Jayden Ashwell.

Round Four of this year’s South African Nationals, just like the opening three rounds of this tough seven-round series, is once again heavily subscribed as a big field of more than 120 riders, drawn from across South Africa and Zimbabwe, had entered to compete in this event ahead of the close of the pre-entries at 6.30pm yesterday.

And among the more than 100 riders who had already forwarded their names for this one-day event were four of Zimbabwe’s top junior and senior bikers Bako, Wasmuth, Thixton and Ashwell who are all expected to be fighting for the top honours in the different classes at Terra Topia on Saturday.

Bako (12) will be fighting on two fronts on Saturday as he will be competing in the 65cc and 85cc (Juniors) classes while Wasmuth (17), Thixton and Ashwell will be the country’s flag-bearers in the 125cc High School, MX2 and MX1 senior classes respectively.

And all eyes in the Zimbabwean camp will be on Bako and Wasmuth who are both in a strong running for the 65cc and 125cc High School titles in this year’s South African National Championship series after they put up some strong performances in their respective classes during the opening three rounds of this competition which got underway on February 17.

Bako takes to the track at Terra Topia lying in second place in the 65cc Class Standings where he has so far accumulated 133 points, just four behind points leader Lucca Mynhardt of South Africa.

And if the talented young Zimbabwean biker manages to secure the top step on the podium on Saturday, he will unseat the latter at the top-of-the-table with three more rounds to go in this tough series.

He has got a psychological edge over Mynhardt going into this Saturday’s Round Four of the South African Nationals after having beaten his South African rival into second place in the 65cc Class during a pre-national event which was held last Saturday at Terra Topia.

Bako was just fired up during last Saturday’s event at Terra Topia as he took all hole shots in front of Mynhardt on his way to claiming the top step on the podium after the four-heat race ahead of the South African.

And a repeat performance at the same venue this weekend will see the Zimbabwean rider putting himself in good stead to be crowned the 2018 65cc Class Champion when the seventh and final round of the series reaches its business end at Dirt Bronco in Johannesburg on October 20.

Bako’s fellow Zimbabwean rider Wasmuth (17) is also fighting for the 125cc High School title in this year’s South African Nationals as he is currently lying in second place in this division’s standings behind the “group leader” Justin Sangster of South Africa.

Wasmuth is just 15 points behind Sangster in the 125cc High School Standings where he has amassed 122 points .

Zimbabwe’s senior champion rider Ashwell, unlike Bako and Wasmuth, has a lot of catching up to do in the MX1 Class as he is currently lying in sixth place with 108 points in this division.