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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
VETERAN Zimbabwean motor racing star Phil Archenoul has scored a double.
The 58-year-old motorcyclist was at the weekend crowned the 2014 Superbikes champion before he went on to clinch the Bokomo Weet-Bix Megelli 250cc title at the completion of a main circuit racing at Bulawayo Motoring Club in the City of Kings.

This was a phenomenal achievement for Archenoul who turned to full-time motorcycling racing after helping Jamie Whyte to win back-to-back African motor rallying titles in 2009 and 2010 while competing as the latter’s navigator.

In fact, after an awesome weekend’s racing in Bulawayo which produced two firsts in the Superbikes and a second and fourth-place finish in the Bokomo Weet-Bix Megelli 250cc heats, Archenoul managed to clinch both national championships to crown a memorable year in which he was also in dominant form in the Telecel Drag Racing Series.

Archenoul was first crowned the 2014 Superbikes champion after amassing a total of 240 points from 12 races during this year’s national main circuit racing meetings which were held in Harare and Bulawayo.

His closest rival in the Superbikes series was Ian Gutherless who is sitting on second place with 163 points with one more championship race meeting to go in Harare on November 1 but the Bulawayo-based rider cannot overtake Archenoul even if the latter doesn’t compete in this last event of the season.

In this year’s national Superbikes series, Archenoul mounted a DeWalt Suzuki 1000cc and there were three race meetings in Bulawayo and the rest at Harare’s Donnybrook Raceway.

There were two races for each national class meeting and Archenoul was lucky enough to win all the 12 races to be crowned as the 2014 Zimbabwean Superbikes champion.

Archenoul also walked away with the 2014 Bokomo Weet-Bix Megelli title for 250cc motorbikes after recording three wins and six second-place finishes which gave him enough points to win the series for the second time in a row.

And he attributed his success to former South African national Superbikes champion Shaun Whyte, who has been running the Bokomo Weet-Bix Megelli series for the past two years.

“Although I’ve won the national Superbikes title for this year, I’ve been lucky that Shaun Whyte was there for me as he has been teaching people and advising us how to handle our machines during this series, which is a great thing.

“Shaun was also racing with us but he was not getting any points because he’s retired now but he is still Zimbabwe’s fastest rider and he gave us some invaluable tips during the series . . . I owe this victory to him. But special mention should also go to my sponsors, DeWalt power tools, Castrol Zimbabwe, BGI Financial Services, Samsung and Richard Exton Engineering. Without these companies, it would be impossible to race,” Archenoul said.

Talented Bulawayo-based female rider Tiffany Fisher finished second overall in this year’s Bokomo Weet-Bix Megelli series. On Sunday in Bulawayo, Fisher won the second race ahead of Dave Mouat for her maiden victory in the series and this was described by Archenoul as a fantastic achievement for her.

“Tiffany has been riding consistently this year and on Sunday, a South African motorcycling team, Monroe, came over to watch her riding and they were so impressed with her that they offered her a ride (or place in their team) for next year, which is a fantastic achievement for her as she’s really done well this year,” Archenoul said in paying tribute to Fisher.

Meanwhile, Shaun Whyte, the chairman of the Bogwheelers Club who run the motorcyling sport of motocross in this country, has indicated that they were most likely to have their last national championship meeting of the year in Bulawayo prior to the staging of the season-ending Zimbabwe Summer Series.

The 2014 Zimbabwe Summer Series will this year be held over three days on December 10, 12 and 14 and it will comprise of two Supercross races (night racing on December 10 and 12) and one motocross event on December 14, all at Donnybrook.

“We have decided to have our last national championship meeting in Bulawayo in November before we stage the Zimbabwe Summer Series at Donnybrook. We haven’t had motocross events in Bulawayo for quite a long time now and I think the sport’s fans in that city will be more than happy to have it there.

“So, we are hoping that all the top local motocross riders will make their way to Bulawayo for the last event of the national championship series in November and they will use this event as part of their preparations for the Zimbabwe Summer Series the following month,” Whyte said.