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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE are looking at sending a big team of 50 of the country’s top junior and senior male and female riders to this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships which are scheduled to be held at Mindola Motocross Park in Kitwe, Zambia, in August.

This year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships will be held over three days from August 17 to 19 and they are expected to attract top junior and senior riders from eight countries — Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and the hosts Zambia.

Continental powerhouses South Africa are the defending champions after they swept to victory ahead of Zimbabwe during last year’s championships which were held in Botswana.

And Yasmin Manuel, the secretary of the Bogwheelers Club, who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe, recently told The Herald that they were looking at sending a big entourage of 50 of the country’s top junior and senior male and female riders to this year’s African Championships in Kitwe in mid-August.

“We are definitely going to compete at this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships in Kitwe, Zambia, in August and we are hoping to get a team of 50 of our junior and senior riders there and they will all be ranging from the 50cc Class up to the Masters Class,” Manuel said.

At last year’s African Championships in Botswana, Zimbabwe had more than 20 riders who were led by two of the country’s top junior riders Daiyaan Manuel and Emmanuel Bako, who both competed in the 65cc Class in which they performed brilliantly to help their country finish second overall behind Southern African Region arch-rivals South Africa.

South Africa have already indicated that they will be in Kitwe to defend their title this year but they must once again expect to be given another good run for their money by Zimbabwe who always send a strong team to this continental event.

Yasmin Manuel indicated that they will pick their final team for the Kitwe event after tomorrow’s round three of their Club Championship series at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare. She said a big field of more than 75 riders is expected at tomorrow’s Club Championship event at Donnybrook and they will be  be jostling for the top honours in 10 classes – PeeWee (which is designed for young bikers under the age of seven), 50cc, 65cc, 85cc, 125cc, MX1, MX2, Masters, B Class and Veterans.

And an exciting duel between four of the country’s top junior riders – Daiyaan Manuel, Emmanuel Bako, Ricky Whyte and Tanya Muzinda – is expected in the the 85cc (big wheel) Class.

The country’s top female rider Muzinda will be back riding in tomorrow’s race meeting after having missed out the June 3 National Championship event due to a bout of flue.

Muzinda’s father and trainer, Tawanda, confirmed this week that his daughter now has a clean bill of health and will “definitely” be back in action tomorrow where she will be fighting for the top three places on the podium in the 85cc (big wheel) Class with Daiyaan Manuel, Bako, Whyte, Jamie Doran, Dillan Faasen, Cameron Mellor and Tristan Versfeld.

There’s no prize for guessing who will take the first step on the podium in 65cc Class which has, of late, been monopolised by 12-year-old Bako.