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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
ZIMBABWEAN junior motocross champion rider Emmanuel Bako fired the early warning shots ahead of this coming weekend’s Round Four of the 2018 South African National Championship series when he “scored a double” by winning the 65cc and 85cc (Juniors) classes during a club event at Terra Topia in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Round Four of the tough seven-round South African National Motocross Championship series is scheduled for this coming Saturday at Terra Topia which is situated in the Northern Farms of Johannesburg and it will bring together all the top junior and senior male and female riders from across that country.

They will be joined by some of Zimbabwe’s top junior and senior male riders who have been competing in this series since it revved off in February and among these bikers is 12-year-old Bako who warmed-up for this event by sweeping to victory in both the 65cc and 85cc (Juniors) classes at a club event at Terra Topia on Saturday.

In fact, the club event was used as a pre-national competition ahead of Round Four of the 2018 South African Nationals and Bako was in scintillating form as he wagged his tail vigorously during this one-day competition in which he was just too hot to handle for a number of South African junior riders who were at Terra Topia on a sunny day on Saturday.

According to reports from Johannesburg, there was a big turn out of riders at Terra Topia on Saturday as they came to familiarise with the Northern Farms track ahead of this coming weekend’s Round Four of the South African Nationals and Zimbabwe’s Bako stole the thunder from them by claiming the top step on the podium in both the 65cc and 85cc (Juniors) classes.

Both classes had some fast riders but it was Bako who flexed his muscles right from the get-go as he first took all hole shots in front of his South African rivals Lucca Mynhardt and Wian du Plooy and never looked back on his way to victory in the 65cc Class.

Bako also had a good race in the 85cc (Juniors) Class, coming first in all the four heats to emerge as the top dog in this division.

In fact, on Saturday, all riders had to do four heats in the respective classes that they competed in and this saw Bako racing in 10 heats including practise; and the young Zimbabwean biker escaped unscathed as he sent a strong message to his peers in South Africa that he will be “the man” to beat during this coming Saturday’s Round Four of the South African Nationals at the same venue.

And Bako’s father and manager, Brighton, told The Herald on Saturday they were now looking forward to this coming Saturday’s big event at Terra Topia where they hope the young rider will once again stamp his own authority in the 65cc Class in which he will come up against his main rivals in this division Mynhardt and du Plooy.

“Emmanuel was just fired up in this club event at Terra Topia and we are now looking for a repeat performance in Round Four of the South African Nationals next Saturday where competition will be much stiffer but I think he will handle the pressure well as he is now grasping some of the professional tips he’s getting from his trainer at Team Vision Racing Team, Grant Florey,” Brighton Bako said.

Another top Zimbabwean junior rider Davin Cocker was also at Terra Topia on Saturday and he also did well to finish third overall in the 125cc High School Class.