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Caroline Magenga Sports Reporter
SHAUN Whyte, the chairman of the Bogwheelers Club who run the motorcycling sport of motocross in Zimbabwe, believes the crop of riders who are going to represent the country at the 2014 FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championships to be held in Kitwe, Zambia, during the weekend of August 29-31 are ready to fly the country’s flag high.
“We have had a two training camps so far in the build up to the championships and the feedback from the riders is impressive and we are going all guns blazing. Our preparations so far are going according to plan,” said Whyte.

Zimbabwe will be sending a larger delegation of riders as compared to last year’s championships hosted and won by their neighbours South Africa.
This year’s edition will see 30 full field riders including junior sensation 10-year-old Tanya Muzinda who will be the only girl in the competing Zimbabwean squad.

At this year’s FIM Africa Motocross of African Nations Championship, Zimbabwe will be joined by five other African countries Botswana, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya and the hosts Zambia who will all be battling out for the top honours at this exciting motorcycling event which will be staged at Mindola Motocross Park in Kitwe, some 400km outside Lusaka.

Zambia, who have the home advantage and also a slight boost as some of their riders have been training in the United States, could prove more competitive at this year’s edition but Whyte still believes Team Zimbabwe have the pedigree and resources to harvest enough points in all the classes to emerge as the overall winners at this event.

“The Zambian team has been preparing well as some members of their their team were training in the United States. They also have the home circuit advantage and support, and all this could place them in pole position but I have confidence in the team that we have and will bring the title home,” added Whyte who will also be part of Team Zimbabwe in Kitwe.

Team Zimbabwe will be made up of the country’s top junior and senior riders with promising young racer Daiyaan Manuel leading their charge in the 50cc Class where he will be joined by Jordan Dewdney while “the diamond girl” Muzinda, Regan Bond, Tristan Grainger, Lee Chigumba, Davin Cocker, Kuda Mhene (Jnr), Big “BJ” Chitima (Jnr) and Ricky Whyte will be competing in the 65cc category.

The country’s top rider in the 85cc Class Reagan Wasmuth will be joined in this section by Junior Deploy, Deman Whyte and Mike Mawarire (Jnr) while Joshua Gobey, Nick Freemantle, Brad Perry and Tafadzwa Mawarire are set to score some reasonable points in the 125cc Class.

Former Zimbabwean motocross champion rider Ashley Thixton and Matt Gobey will be carrying the country’s hopes in the 250cc Class. Cameroon Thixton, Warrick Rowley, Philip dos Santos, Rock and Joshua Thomas will also be part of Team Zimbabwe in Zambia. The Veterans and the Masters classes have also been included as part of the competition.

Trevor Thixton and Shaun Whyte will be competing in the Veterans class with 1983 South African National Champion Blaize Thomas and brother Shane competing in the Masters class.

Meanwhile, the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe have saluted young Tanya Muzinda who was on Tuesday appointed as the Honorary Ambassador for Youth, Sports and Gender in this country. “To describe Tanya Muzinda in one sentence is not that easy, as she is a handful: A handful of beauty, talent, ambition, education, passion, will, decency and drive — the latter literally, as she is an upcoming motocross champion at the age of just nine.

“From today on, Tanya is officially the Honorary EU Ambassador for Gender, Youth and Sports — and the proud owner of a EU-funded motorbike that will allow her to keep on racing competitively.

“We are proud to have a wonderful young Zimbabwean like Tanya on board, and we hope she will be a magnificent example for young girls (and surely boys) in Zimbabwe!the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe said in a statement on Tuesday.

“On a sad note, the event (on Tuesday) also marked the final appearance of EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell’Ariccia, who leaves Zimbabwe after an intensive four years. We as colleagues will miss him and thank him for the extraordinary work he has done in and for Zimbabwe, and we wish him all the best for the future!”