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Collin Matiza Sports Editor
THREE of Zimbabwe’s top junior and senior motocross riders — Emmanuel Bako, Regan Wasmuth and Jayden Ashwell — have now moved their bases to South Africa and will this year compete in that country’s national and regional championship series as they turn into professional bikers.

First to relocate was senior champion rider Ashwell who has been competing in the South African National Championship series since last year and was joined there by Wasmuth who, at the beginning of this year, joined one of that country’s top racing teams – Linea Pro Racing Team. Ashwell and Wasmuth are now in the company of one of Bako who was lured Down South by that country’s other top motocross team — Team Vision Racing Team — at the beginning of this year.

Bako (12) has now featured in more than four South African national and regional championship race meetings, winning almost all of his races in the 65cc Class. He is also competing in the 85cc (Junior) Class.

Bako’s father and manager, Brighton, confirmed at the weekend that his son will be competing in the South African motocross circuit for the whole of this year. “We are going to race in South Africa for most of this year because there’s little competition here in Zimbabwe where the number of riders is dwindling. So, as a member of Team Vision Racing Team, Emmanuel will now be required to race in South Africa every other weekend.

“In South Africa, apart from the South African National Championship series, which is made up of seven rounds that run from February to October, there are several regional race meetings which are held almost every weekend and we are going to compete in all these races under Team Vision Racing Team… We really mean business this year. “What is good about racing in South Africa is that all race meetings are over subscribed and competition there is really tough,” he said.

Emmanuel currently leading in the 65cc Class Standings in both the South African Nationals and the six-round Northern Regions Championship series, which also run until October this year.

Wasmuth (14) has also been featuring regularly in the South African motocross circuit this year and at the weekend he competed in another regional race meeting in Pietermaritzburg after having raced in round three of the Inland Club Championship at Dirt Bronco in Krugersdorp on April 15 where he featured in the 125cc Class.

“The Inland Club Championship wasn’t great for me at all because I had bike problems and was only able to finish the first 125cc race, placing 3rd,” Wasmuth said last week.