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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
AS  expected, Zimbabwe’s junior motocross champion riders Emmanuel Bako and Daiyaan Manuel ruled the roost during the first Supercross meet of the 2018 Zimbabwe Summer Series at Donnybrook in Harare on Wednesday night.

Bako (13) swept the board in the 65cc Class in which he won all the three heats without raising much of a sweat and was emulated by fellow 13-year-old rider Manuel who was also in a class of his own in the 85cc (small wheel) Class where he put visiting British champion Bailey Johnston in the shade.

The 85cc Class saw some of the best action of the night as Manuel produced an exhilarating performance to shoot in front from the onset, leaving a close battle between Johnston and Bako for 2nd and 3rd place.

Bako also raced in the 65cc Class and he was virtually untouchable, blowing the opposition away in all the three heats of the night to take the first step on the podium ahead of young Jordan Dewdney and his (Bako’s) cousin Munyaradzi.

In Heat One of the 65cc Class, Emmanuel Bako came home first ahead of Dewdney and Declan Barrett but Munyaradzi Bako forced his way into the top three in Heat Two and the script did not change in Heat Three where Emmanuel Bako, Dewdney and Munyaradzi Bako came 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The 65cc Class had a big field of 17 young riders who included the Nyamupfukudza siblings Victor and Tadiwanashe.

In the main MX1 Class, the battle was between South Africa’s Kerim Fitzgerald and former Zimbabwe senior champion rider Ashley Thixton with the former winning Heat One and Three for first overall with the latter settling for second place.

Another South African rider Matthew Malan swept the board in the MX2 Class where he had some close battles with his fellow countrymen Joshua Mlimi and Dalton Venter; and Zimbabwe’s Joshua Goby.

Venter also competed in the 125cc Class where he won the first two heats ahead of Mlimi while local rider Tristan Grainger did well to come third in Heat One and Two and then second in Heat Three.

There were 10 riders in the 125cc Class.

The 2018 Zimbabwe Summer Series continues tonight with another Supercross race meeting at Donnybrook before it closes with a full day of motocross action on Sunday at the same venue.