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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
AN international flavour has been added to the opening round of the 2017 hp lubes Castrol Drag Racing Series, with news that a number of Mozambican competitors will grace this event which revs off at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare tomorrow.

Drag racing is now arguably the country’s most popular motorsport event as the past two years have seen over 4 000 local motor racing enthusiasts making their way to Donnybrook to watch each and every round of this exciting quarter-mile racing competition for cars and motorbikes.

There has also been an increase in the number of competitors as scores of local motor racing drivers and bikers have over the past couple of years been registering with the Sables DragPro Club, which runs drag racing in Zimbabwe, wanting to be part and parcel of this exciting motorsport event.

Not to be left out this year are competitors from Mozambique who, according to the chairman of the Sables Dragpro Club, Mano Zevgolis, have indicated that they will be driving over to Harare to take part in the opening event of this year’s four-round series at Donnybrook tomorrow.

In past events, drag racing at Donnybrook welcomed a number of dragsters from South Africa, including octogenarian Reg Murray who lit up the event in 2014 and 2015 with his Rail Car.

But it is the coming on board of a number of dragsters from Mozambique that is likely to bring more excitement to tomorrow’s event as they will be “breaking new ground” at Donnybrook where they will come up against a number of seasoned campaigners who are already familiar with the “tough terrain” at the home of Zimbabwean motorsport.

The Mozambicans are coming here at the invitation of one of Zimbabwe’s top dragsters, Sam Mathabire of Team Al Tezza Zimbabwe.

Mathabire told The Herald yesterday that they were expecting six competitors from Mozambique this afternoon who will all be driving Al Tezzas during tomorrow’s event at Donnybrook.

“In fact, I’ve just been in touch with one of the guys who is coming down here to Harare for Sunday’s drag racing event and he indicated that they are bringing in a team of six drivers, some of them are from Beira, and they are actually teaming-up in Maputo before making their way to Harare and we are expecting them to be in town by 12noon tomorrow (today).

“They will all be driving naturally aspirated Al Tezzas and they will team-up with our team — Team Al Tezza Zimbabwe — for Sunday’s event.

In fact, our club will be fielding 30 cars on Sunday and we are all raring to go,” Mathabire said.

The secretary of the Sables Dragpro Club, Michelle Exton, said they were all excited that this year’s drag racing series has attracted some foreign competitors from Mozambique.

“This is of course some very good news for us and for the sport in Zimbabwe in general because this is the first time that drag racing in this country has attracted foreign entries from Mozambique.

“This shows that we are doing something right despite some of the challenges we’ve been facing here and there,” Exton said.

Temba Mazvimbakupa of the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation echoed Exton’s sentiments.

“It’s not a secret that drag racing has over the past few years turned itself into the country’s most popular motorsport event and the coming in of Mozambican dragsters is testimony that the sport is now being run professionally in Zimbabwe.

“In fact, the Sables Dragpro Club, through their chairman Mano Zevgolis and former secretary Susan Zevgolis, have done a tremendous job in popularising drag racing in Zimbabwe and their good job has now spread to our neighbours in Mozambique whom we welcome with both hands on Sunday.

“I think their presence will make Sunday’s event much, much more exciting as I’m sure they will give some of our seasoned campaigners a good run for their money in the classes that they will be competing in,” Mazvimbakupa said.

Action tomorrow starts at 10am and it will be spiced-up by a Sound Off competition hosted by Zimtorque and a Spinning demonstration at the end of the afternoon with “Fat Cat and Crew”.

Entry is $5 per person while children under the age of 12 will get in for free. There will be full bar and catering as well as jumping castles for the kids.