Zimpapers Logo

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
AS expected, the visiting top South African female superbike riders Savannah Woodward and Zoe Bosch hogged the limelight during the final round of the 2017 hp lubes Castrol national main circuit racing at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare on Sunday afternoon. Sunday saw the Sables Motor Racing Club of Harare celebrating 50 years of main circuit racing in Zimbabwe and Woodward (17) and Bosch (22) were part of the motor racing jamboree that saw most of the country’s top drivers and bikers converging at Donnybrook to mark this special occasion.

And the two young South African female riders lit up the day with some exhilirating performances on the track as Woodward came second behind veteran Shaun Whyte in the superbike section in which another local “old timer” Warren Thorne settled for third place. Whyte is a former South African superbikes champion and is now a regular feature on the track at Donnybrook and on Sunday he was pushed all the way by Woodward.

Apart from competing in the superbike section, Woodward also took part in the Meggeli 250cc race where she was joined by Bosch who convincingly won it ahead of her fellow South African female biker. Young Tristan Grainger, who is also into the motorcycling sport of motocross, came third in this section behind Bosch and Woodward. There were also some exciting races in the motor vehicle section in which Hamish Perry produced a polished performance to walk away as the top dog in the Saloons A class followed by Jim Perry and Barney Rogers.

The top three places in the Saloons B class went to Clayton Green, Bulawayo’s Calvin Rademeyer and Hilton Harunavamwe of Harare. Steve Murton took the first step on podium in the Saloons C class, beating Mano Zevgolis and Mike Laing into second and third place. In the sports car section Fanie van der Linde, who had already won the championship, was forced to settle for second place by Eric Heard in his Super 7 while Rogers came third in a similar powered car. Heard was emulated by Gary Kirk who won the Sports cars’ B class ahead Gary Bluett John Cameron. Temba Mazvimbakupa of the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation saluted all the bikers and drivers who took part in last Sunday’s event.

“All in all, I think we had an exciting main circuit racing season this year and some fast times were recorded in both the bike and motor vehicle sections; and I would like to congratulate the winners of the different classes for a job well done.

“We are now looking forward to another exciting season next year which I think will be bigger and better,” said Mazvimbakupa, who came all the way from his new base in Zvishavane, to watch Sunday’s event at Donnybrook. Meanwhile, after hosting the final round of this year’s main circuit racing last Sunday, Donnybrook will this coming Sunday stage the Grand Finale of the 2017 hp lubes Castrol Drag Racing Series. Drag racing has over the past three or four years become the most popular motorsport event in Zimbabwe and thousands of local motor racing enthusiasts are once again expected to throng Donnybrook this Sunday to watch some of their favourite dragsters in action in the fourth and final round of the year. Local top drivers and bikers such as Mano Zevgolis, Angelo Pereira, Terry Allberry, Les and Darryl Carlsson and Richard dos Santos are all expected to be in action on Sunday.