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Faith Mutema Sports Reporter
JUNIOR Zimbabwean female motocross rider Leigh-Anne Young wowed other motosport fanatics when she scooped the 125cc Class title during the final round of the Southern Africa Championships series which was recently held in Francistown, Botswana. Young’s remarkable feat saw her becoming the first ever female rider from Zimbabwe to win the regional motocross title.

The event in Botswana was the fourth and final round of this year’s Southern Africa Challenge series whose other rounds were held during the year in Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe; and there were more than 34 participants.

And 15-year-old Young won all her six races in the Southern Africa Challenge series in which she amassed a total of 120 points to emerge victorious in the 125cc Class. Young commented that she was proud to be crowned the Southern Africa Challenge’s 125cc Class female champion considering she had stopped participating constantly.

“I’m very happy to be the first young female rider from Zimbabwe to receive this title. “It feels so good especially given that I was skipping many events because of school commitments.

“I’m determined to start being competitive from this point onwards and want to participate in as many events as I can and I also owe it to my dad (Ray) who has always made sure I prepare before every race and supported me through every practice session,” she said. Leigh-Anne is now looking forward to take part in the Zimbabwe Summer Series at Donnybrook in Harare in December where international and regional riders are expected to participate.

Meanwhile, there was no stopping another young Zimbabwean motocross rider Jordan Dewdney during the same final round of the 2016 Southern Africa Challenge series in Botswana where he swept the board in the 50cc Class. Fresh from finishing third overall in the 50cc Class in the tough seven-round 2016 South African National Championship Series, Dewdney was just a ball of fire in the fourth and final round of the Southern Africa Challenge event in Botswana, winning all the three heats in the same class to take the first step on the podium.