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LADY WHIRLWIND . . . Top South African female superbike rider Savannah Woodward will be among the star attractions during tomorrow’s final round of the 2017 national main circuit racing series at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare

Collin Matiza Sports Editor
SPILLS and thrills will be the order of the day when the cathedral of local motorsport — Donnybrook Raceway in Harare — stages the final round of the 2017 main circuit racing tomorrow. Tomorrow’s hp lubes Castrol-sponsored event, which will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the opening of Sable Motor Racing Club which is based at Eastlea in Harare, has an international flavour in the form of two top South African female superbike riders — 17-year-old schoolgirl Savannah Woodward and Zoe Bosch (22) — who will grace this special occasion.

And according to one of the event’s organisers, Phil “Archie” Archenoul, Woodward will be racing in the 600cc Class while Bosch will be mounting a 250cc Kawasaki. They both ride for Monroe Racing Team in South Africa.

Woodward is rated highly in South Africa and in September this year she had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of attending a 10-day superbike training camp at Misano in Italy after she accepted an invitation extended to her by the Italian branch of Monroe Racing Team’s sponsor Fuchs Lubricants.

Social media has become the most interactive platform for motorsport personalities to engage with both their fans and sponsors and this is exactly where that invitation originated from.

Woodward’s regular engagement with sponsors on her Savannah#77 brand caught the eye of the Italian company who had been following her progress in South Africa ever since.

And during her stay in Italy, Woodward represented Fuchs Lubricants in a film insert as well as a branding image production. Apart from that she also partook in a private test session at the Autodrome Internazionale del Mugello situated in the Tuscany province. The test session was paid for by the lubricant manufacturer.

But that was not Woodward’s first international outing since joining the Monroe Racing Team either. During 2016 she participated in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup trials held in Spain and she has been one of top contenders in the Zimbabwean national superbike championship.

Last year she wrote her own piece of history when she became the first girl to win a superbike race in Zimbabwe and like most men she races against, she’ll be scratching her knees and elbows during tomorrow’s event at Donnybrook.

According to reports from South Africa, the Benoni scholar joined Monroe Racing Team during 2015 after a successful grassroots career in off-road endurance racing, and the Honda NSF100 Cup.

Her passion for the sport started when she was five years old and she has been gradually climbing the ladder to the top since. The goal that she is constantly working towards, is to represent her country in either the MotoGP or FIM World Superbike Championship.

Woodward teammate at Monroe Racing Team, Bosch, also used to race as a junior in South Africa before she took a five-year break from the sport and her appearance at Donnybrook tomorrow will be part of her comeback bid for next year.

The Johannesburg student has been involved with circuit racing since 2007 and progressed through the 50cc to 250cc ranks.

In 2013 she finished as runner-up in the Northern Regions 250cc Championship in South Africa. This paved the way for her to be signed up for the 24 Hour endurance race at the end of the 2013 season as part of the African Bank Racing Sisters. Tomorrow’s main circuit racing will be joined by Team Altezza who will be doing five laps around the track.

Racing tomorrow starts at 11am and entry fee has been pegged at $5 per person for spectators while children under 12 will get in for free.