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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
TWO of Zimbabwe’s top junior motocross riders Emmanuel Bako and Regan Wasmuth are now strongly in the running for the 2018 South African National Championship overall titles after producing some brilliant performances in the opening three rounds of this seven-round series.

Bako (12) is competing in the 65cc and 85cc (Juniors) classes while Wasmuth (14) is carrying the country’s flag in the 125cc High School Class in this year’s heavily subscribed South African National Championship series.

And after competing in the first three rounds of this tough seven-part motorcycling event in February, April and this month, both Bako and Wasmuth are currently sitting in the top three of the group standings of the different classes that they are competing in.

In the 65cc Class Standings, Bako is lying in second place after amassing 133 points, just four behind first-placed Lucca Mynhardt of South Africa who is surely worried about his Zimbabwean rival’s form going into the fourth round of the South African Nationals scheduled for July 7 at Terra Topia in the Gauteng Province.

There are 26 bikers who are vying for the top honours in the 65cc Class this year and Bako is having a strong shout in this division in which he moved into second place after putting in a good performance to finish second overall at the end of business during round three of the 2018 South African Nationals at Bloemfontein Offroad Club track in Bloemfontein on May 19.

Bako is also competing in the 85cc (Juniors) Class but he hasn’t done well in this section as he is lying in 10th place with 72 points in the 11 riders Group Standings which is being led by South Africa’s Troy Muraour with 138 points, 13 ahead of his nearest rival and fellow countryboy Luke Grundy. Another South African rider Wesley McGavin is placed third with 116 points.

Another Zimbabwean junior rider Wasmuth is strongly in contention for the 125cc High School Class title as he is sitting in second place in the Group Standings with 122 points and is 15 points off the leader Justin Sangster of South Africa.

The 125cc High School Class Standings has 25 riders and South Africa’s Arnu Saaijman is occupying third place on 101 points; and with three more rounds to go in this series, it’s slowly turning into a two-horse race between Sangster and Wasmuth for the overall title.

Wasmuth moved into second place in the High School Class Standings after producing a stellar performance during the second round of the South African Nationals at Bloemfontein Offroad Club track on May 19 where he took the second step on the podium behind local lad Dalton Venter.

Another top Zimbabwe junior motocross rider Davin Cocker is occupying eighth place in the High School Class Standings with 82 points while his fellow countryboy Tristan Grainger, who missed the third round of the South African Nationals on May 19 at BORC, is placed 18th with just 37 points.

In the 85cc ProMini Class Standings, Zimbabwe’s Daiyaan Manuel slipped to 11th place with 64 points after he also missed the third round of the series in BORC on May 19 as he is reportedly preparing to go and race in Europe in August.