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Tedious Manyepo Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE motocross sensation Tanya Muzinda made history on Sunday when she raced in the Italian motocross championships in Bologna, Italy. Tanya, who arrived in Italy on Saturday, became the first female rider from this country to compete in the sport on European soil.

The 11-year-old “golden girl” of Zimbabwean motocross left the country last Friday afternoon accompanied by her parents, Tawanda and Adiyon.

The family landed in Bologna at around lunch-time on Saturday and there was no time to rest as Tanya went straight for a training session at the Bologna track ahead of her historic European debut on Sunday in which she raced in the 85cc Class.

Speaking from Bologna yesterday, Tanya’s father who doubles as her manager, said his daughter managed to hold her own despite competing against some seasoned female riders from Italy and across Europe.

“One thing we noticed on Sunday is that motocross is taken seriously in Europe and it’s not a social gathering . . . We have come to the real world of motocross and we have seen reality; and it was like we were competing in the sport for the first time,” Tawanda said.

After racing in Bologna on Sunday, Tanya was introduced to her international sponsors — Axo — at a Press conference yesterday where she was also presented with a brand new racing kit.

Initially, Tanya was supposed to leave the country on July 14, as she was scheduled to race in Belgium last weekend, but lack of sound sponsorship halted the trip.

It had to take the late intervention of several companies, which include NicozDiamond, Nestle, Nyaradzo Funeral Assurance, Doves, MBCA Bank, NetOne and some individuals like Victor Gapare, to rescue the situation.

Tawanda admitted last Tuesday at a handover of the $6 000 donation from NetOne that they were on the verge of cancelling the tour due to lack of resources.

He, however, thanked the corporate world and individuals who sacrificed their resources for the good of motocross in the country.

Tawanda expressed optimism that his daughter’s month-long European tour will be an eye-opener and will possibly open new avenues for the girl taunted by many as a world women’s motocross champion in the making.

“The tour appeared to be a pipe-dream just some few weeks ago as we toiled around trying to put resources together with little success.

“My sincere gratitude goes to the corporate world for rescuing us just at a time we were about to cancel the trip.

“This historic tour will certainly be an eye-opener for the young girl . . . This is an opportunity for her in terms of exposure and after the tour, I think Zimbabwean motocross will never be the same again.

“In fact, sport is now a multi-million-dollar industry the world over and it’s no longer being competed at a social level and we — Team Tanya — would like Tanya to be part of that as well,” he said.

After racing in Italy on Sunday, Tanya is now scheduled to participate in France and the Netherlands while she will also have a training camp in Belgium, a country believed to have some of the best motocross tracks in the world.

Some high-profile race meetings with renowned motocross riders in the world have also been arranged for the “golden girl” of local motocross.

Tanya’s international manager, Stefy Bau of Italy who is based in the United States, played a central role in facilitating the tour.