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Jefferies

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’S teenage motor racing sensation Axcil Jefferies has developed a soft spot on promising young motocross rider Tanya Muzinda.
Jefferies (19), who will be racing in his last race of the season in the IndyCar series at Houston in Texas, United States, today, “fell in love” with Muzinda after he learnt that the nine-year-old female rider had “creamed” the opposition in last Sunday’s Bogwheelers Club event at Donnybrook in Harare.

During last Sunday’s Bogwheelers Club event, Muzinda competed with boys in the 65cc B Class and she claimed the first podium place ahead Daiyaan Manuel and Kuda Mhene (Junior).

And this grabbed the attention of Jefferies who quickly wrote on his Facebook wall from Houston where he was preparing for today’s final IndyCar race: “Tanya is my biggest hero in motorsport. Congrats Tanya . . . much love Axcil!!!”

Temba Mazvimbakupa of the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation chipped in, saying: “Give Tanya two more years and Zimbabwe will have a world class champion. Keep it up Tanyaradzwa, your name has a strong meaning.”

Former Zimbabwe’s star middle and long-distance runner Brian Sheriff also gave his thumbs up to Muzinda from his base in Hiroshima, Japan, after she won the 65cc B Class last Sunday.

Meanwhile, Muzinda will be back in action again tomorrow at Donnybrook when she competes in the fifth round of the NetOne National Motocross Championship series.

She will be joined by a host of the country’s other top junior and senior riders who will be competing in different classes during this whole day event.

But attention will once again be on the talented and skilful male rider Jayden Ashwell who will be out to close the gap on Ashley Thixton at the top of the main MX1 Class standings.

Ashwell has been in dominant form of late, producing some exhilarating rides on his KTM bike and he is unlikely to face any stiff competition in the MX1 Class which is likely to be without Ashley Thixton who is recuperating from a knee injury sustained during the fourth round of the national championship series three weeks ago.

The country’s other top riders such as Wade Ashwell, Tafadzwa Mawarire,  Regan Wasmuth, Craig Burl, Mike Young and veterans Trevor Thixton, Blaize and Shane Thomas, and Lofty Versfeld are also expected to be in action tomorrow at Donnybrook.

They will be joined by promising youngsters such as Davin Cocker, Wade Ashwell, Mike and Tyle Mawarire, Mudiwa Chigumba, Ryan Masimo, Kuda Mhene (Jnr), Big “BJ” Chitima (Jnr), Reagan Bond, Emmanuel Bako, Tristian Versfeld and David Evans.

Most of these riders will be using tomorrow’s event to fine-tune themselves for December’s Zimbabwe Summer Series.
The Zimbabwe Summer Series is the season-ending motocross event in this country and it attracts top riders from the United States, the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and Zambia.

This year’s four-day event has been slated for December 7, 11, 13 and 15 and will consist of two motocross races and an equal number of Supercross (night racing) events.

The two motocross events will held on December 7 and 15 while the Supercross races will be staged on the evening of December 11 and 13 at Donnybrook.

Former world women’s motocross champion Stefy Bau of the United States is expected to attend this year’s Summer Series as a special guest of Tanya Muzinda’s father, Tawanda “Polycup” Muzinda.

Italy-born Bau recently accepted a personal invitation from Tawanda Muzinda to come and work with his daughter Tanya before and during the 2013 Zimbabwe Summer Series.

And Bau is expected to arrive in Zimbabwe on December 2 for her proposed two-week stay in this country during which she will, among other things, oversee Tanya’s preparations for the Summer Series and also give her some expert advice on motocross.

Bau said her mission during her visit to this part of the world would be to help set up a “thorough programme” which will help Tanya turn into a professional motocross rider and a global brand.

A Wales-based motocross academy — RMJ — have, meanwhile, indicated that they would like to have a look at Tanya during next year’s British Summer and are willing to help her in quest to become the first ever professional female motocross rider to emerge from Zimbabwe.
RMJ are based in Caerwys which is a town in Flintshire, Wales, and its director Mike Richard recently said they were willing to let Tanya join their club for a training stint next year.

“Well, I currently coach the best nine-year-old boy in the UK and probably in Europe so I can certainly help in coaching Tanya too! With regards to raving other girls, there is a girl’s national championship here in the UK (and Tanya can join them in this championship),” Mike Richard said earlier this week from his base in Caerwys.