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Ellina Mhlanga

Sports Reporter

THE organisers of the country’s premier motorcycling event — the Zimbabwe Summer Series — are keeping their fingers crossed that they will be able to stage the 2020 edition.

The Bogwheelers Club, who run motocross in this country under Motorsport Zimbabwe, are seeking to hold the three-day annual meet next month.

The exciting competition is usually held during the second week of December and marks the end of the motocross season in this country.

It usually features two Supercross (night racing) events and a full day of motocross racing.

Phil dos Santos, the chairman of the Bogwheelers Club, yesterday told The Herald they remain hopeful they can rise above the current challenges.

They are also engaging the Sports Commission on the way forward.

“We are hoping to hold it (the Zimbabwe Summer Series). It all depends on, obviously, what we are allowed, in terms of (the) public, and it also depends if the borders open because a lot of our competitors come from Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.

“We are in the process of doing that now (engaging the Sports Commission), so we are just waiting to see what’s going to happen, obviously.

“But, with all things being equal, we would like to go ahead with it.

“So, we are actually having a committee meeting, it should be held tomorrow (today) and then we will make the final decision.

“It’s likely to happen, the only thing is that we get about 50 percent of our competitors from outside the country, so, unless the borders open, it’s going to make our holding the event very difficult,” dos Santos said.

The Bogwheelers Club chairman said they have been in touch with some of the competitors that usually grace the season-ending event.

“A lot of them, they are running their sporting events in their different areas and provinces.

“The only thing that will stop them from coming through is if the borders don’t open.

“The borders are an important thing in order for them to get their equipment and things in order to compete up here and then to return back before the onset of the holidays,” said dos Santos.

National championships have been shelved to next year.

Brighton Bako and Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza, whose kids are into motocross, said they were hopeful the Zimbabwe Summer Series will go ahead as scheduled next month.

“It’s unfortunate that our racing season was disrupted by the Covid-19 outbreak in March and our kids have been missing going to the track at Donnybrook to compete,’’ said Bako.

“But, we are now happy that motocross has been allowed to resume its activities and we are looking forward to competing in the Zimbabwe Summer Series next month.’’

His son, Emmanuel, has been racing in South Africa in the past couple of months.