Moto-X riders warm-up before Zim Summer Series
LOCAL junior and senior motocross riders will have an opportunity to limber up and sharpen themselves ahead of this year’s Better Brands Petroleum Zimbabwe Summer Series when they invade Donnybrook Park Raceway in Harare on Saturday night for a Supercross event.
The season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series will be held over three days on December 6, 8 and 10 at Donnybrook.
The first two days will see riders fighting it out in a Supercross (night racing) competition and the event will wind up with a full day of some motocross action on December 10.
This year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series has got a new title sponsor in Better Brands Petroleum and its subsidiary Better Brands Jewellery.
And this has attracted some top international motocross riders from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and South Africa.
Top riders from Zambia and Botswana are also expected to be part of this annual motorcycling jamboree at Donnybrook early next month.
At least more than 30 international dirt bike riders are expected to spice-up this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series, making it the biggest in its history.
The international riders will be tested by local bikers at this grand stage for what promises to be a great outing for both locals and their multitudes of fans who are expected to throng Donnybrook for this three-day event.
And the Bogwheelers Club, who run this big international motocross competition on behalf of Motorsport Zimbabwe in this country, have organized a one-day Supercross event which they would like the local riders to use to fine-tune themselves before competing in the Zimbabwe Summer Series.
The Supercross event will be held on Saturday night at Donnybrook with practice starting at lunchtime and racing at 4pm.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports yesterday, Jamie Kerwin of the Bogwheelers Club said Saturday night’s race meeting is mainly an event in which the local junior and senior riders will be testing each other before they plunge into the Zimbabwe Summer Series.
“It is a practice event for the Zimbabwe Summer Series and to test the track that Warren Thorne has renovated ahead of this big international event,” Kerwin said.
She said almost all the local junior and senior riders have confirmed their participation in Saturday night’s Supercross event at Donnybrook.
Among them will be the in-form nine-yearold 50cc and 65cc Class rider Victor Nyamupfukudza.
Victor’s father and manager, Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza, yesterday said his son was “definitely” going to race in Saturday night’s Supercross event at Donnybrook.
“We will definitely be there to see how Victor is in terms of his preparations for this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series.
“We are also looking at going to Zambia to compete there ahead of the Zimbabwe Summer Series . . . there’s an event there in Zambia which we are going to attend as part of our final preparations for the Zimbabwe Summer Series,” Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
Victor is under the training stable of former motocross rider and motor rally ace driver Big “Bigs” Chitima together with fellow talented young biker Kudzwai Chitsurura.
Local senior champion rider Emmanuel Bako has also confirmed his availability at Donnybrook Park on Saturday night.
He will be riding in the 125cc Class where he is expected to jostle for the first step on the podium with Riley Rocher, Karl van As, Noah Butler Res, Joshua Pike, Jack Gobey and Kayla Nesbitt.
Also competing in the different junior and senior classes will be the likes of seasoned campaigners Trevor Thixton, Ashley Thixton, Lofty Versfeld, Warren Thorne, Mark Zeimann, Scott Fraser, Roy Ormerod, Dougie Mellor, Ricky Whyte, Cameron Mellor, Daniel West, Kevin Morgan, Dylan Zanin and Regan Wasmuth.
In the junior ranks, several talented “young guns” will also be in action on Saturday night.
Among them will be Cameron Fraser, Michael Krause, Judah Sakupwanya, Ezra Ekron, Cameron Morgan, Jaxen Bird, Keegan Ormerod, Tyler West, O’Neil Shamu, Seb Wright, Jayden Kerwin, George Zeimann, Chris Mufanechiya, Craig Ormerod, Milan Mohammad, Terry Ekron, Elroy Shamu, Mudiwa Sakupwanya and Junior Bako.
“All these young riders are the future of motocross in Zimbabwe and they need all our support...we need to prop them up,” said Kerwin of the Bogwheelers Club.
She urged local motorsport enthusiasts to make their way to Donnybrook on Saturday to watch this one-day event.
Entry fee on Saturday has been pegged at US$5 per person for the spectators while children under the age of 12 will get in for free.