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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THE country’s top junior and senior motocross riders, led by the irresistible Emmanuel Bako, will move a gear up in their preparations for this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series when they compete in a Bogwheelers Club National Championship event at Donnybrook in Harare on Sunday.

The Zimbabwe Summer Series is a three-day annual event which is held during the second week of December and it marks the end of the motocross season in this country.

It attracts other top junior and senior male and female riders from Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia.

And the Bogwheelers Club, who run this exciting motorcycling sport of motocross in this country, recently indicated that this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series will be held on December 12, 14 and 16 at Donnybrook and it will once again consist of two Supercross (night racing events) and one full day of motocross action.

The opening two Supercross events have been slated for December 12 and 14 and the series will close with a full day of motocross action on December 16.

Some of the country’s top junior and senior male and female riders taking part in Sunday’s event  will also use it as part of their preparations for this year’s Zimbabwe Summer Series.

These riders will be led by 13-year-old Bako who is currently leading in the National Championship series’ 65cc Class Standings with 120 points followed by another talented young rider Jordan Dewdney on 102 points. Sitting in third place with 73 points is Dillan Faasen  ahead of Hunter Moore (65 points).

Bako’s cousin Munyaradzi, who also has a bright future in motocross, is occupying fifth place in the 65cc Class Standings with 54 points, two ahead of sixth-placed young Emile Croisette.

Dewdney, Faasen, Moore, Munyaradzi Bako, Croisette, Declan Barrett, Blake Prinsloo, Joshua Halkier, Jack Gobey and Luke Southen all have got an unenviable task of stopping Emmanuel Bako from taking the first step on the podium in the 65cc Class.

In the 85cc Class Standings, Emmanuel Bako’s fellow junior champion rider Daiyaan Manuel (14) is leading the way followed by the former and the two will once again be fighting for the top step on the podium.

Emmanuel Bako and Manuel have always been involved in a “Battle Royale” on the track at Donnybrook, be it in the 65cc Class or 85cc Class and it will be interesting to see who will emerge as the top dog in the 85cc Class as these two young talented riders know each other so well.

There’s no prize for guessing who will claim the top step on the podium in both the seniors MX1 and MX2 Classes as they have now been monopolised by seasoned campaigner Ashley Thixton who will also have his younger brother Cameron on tow on Sunday.

In the 50cc Class, for riders in the five to nine years age-group, Karl van As is the current points leader with 103 points followed by Croisette (100 points), Luke Southon (88 points), Callum Moore (86 points), Willem Krause (44 points), Conner Whiting (22 points) and Jack Gobey (zero points).

Meanwhile, South Africa-based Zimbabwean rider Regan Wasmuth is looking at raising R50 000 (or US$5 000) which will enable him to compete in this month’s Thor Winter Olympics Supercross and Motocross Championships in Florida, United States.

This year’s Thor Winter Olympics Supercross and Motocross Championships have been slated to run from November 19 to 24 at Gatorback Cycle Park in Florida’s Alachua area and it brings together all the top amateur and professional male and female riders from across the United States.

The organisers of this event have this year invited two of Zimbabwe’s top male and female motocross riders Wasmuth (17) and Tanya Muzinda (14) to be part of this six-day motorcycling jamboree; and the former has indicated that he needs something in the region of R50 000 for his airfare and general upkeep during his stay in the United States.

“After winning the FIM Motocross of African Nations (in Zambia in August), I have been invited to participate in the Thor Winter Olympics in Florida, USA, from 19-24 November, 2018. This will be the first time I can get exposure overseas and the last chance to compete in the junior classes.

“I have been offered a full package by a top (American) trainer to ensure that I can prepare and race. Please support me and assist with sponsorship for this event. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” Wasmuth wrote on his Facebook wall yesterday.