Zimbabwe's motocross champion rider Emmanuel Bako and young Victor Nyamupfukudza will be out to redeem themselves when they take part in the third round of the 2024 South African National Motocross Championship series in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Round Three of this year's South African Nationals will be hosted this Saturday by the Bloemfontein Offroad Club (BOC) and most of South Africa's top junior and senior motocross riders will be making their way to Free State for this one-day event.
Saturday is set to witness heart-pounding action as South Africa's top riders battle it out on the track for motocross supremacy at BORC!
They will be joined by four riders from Zimbabwe -- Bako (17), Nyamupfukudza (9) and the Sakupwanya brothers Mudiwa (10) and Judah (6) - who are this year representing the country at this tough seven-round series.
The four riders were all at the last round of the South African Nationals at Rover in Port Elizabeth where they met with mixed fortunes in the different classes that they competed in.
Bako, now a seasoned campaigner in the South African Nationals, did well to come fourth overall in the seniors 125 High School Class while Nyamupfukudza, who was making his debut at the series, found the going tough in the juniors 65cc Class in which he finished 10th overall out of 18 riders. The Sakupwanya brothers failed to make it into the top 5 of the 50cc Class. Judah struggled with his racing and finished ninth overall out of a good field of 18 riders in the 50cc Class.
The second round of the championship series showcased thrilling racing action and highlighted the skill and determination of the riders. And Nyamupfukudza's father and manager, Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza, admitted that they found "the terrain" tough at the sandy track at Rover but they were determined to do well at BORC when the gates drop for Round Three of the South African Nationals on Saturday. "To tell you the truth, we didn't know what to expect at Rover and the sandy track just proved too much to handle for Victor . . . It was a rude awakening for him and he will be out to redeem himself in Bloemfontein this Saturday.
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"He's been training hard here at Donnybrook and is really looking forward to taking part at BORC where we understand there are smooth track conditions. We are aiming for a podium finish and it's achievable," Simbarashe Nyamupfukudza said.
Another Zimbabwean rider, Bako, will also be out hunting for a podium finish at BORC on Saturday after having been forced to come fourth overall in the High School Class during Round Two of the South African Nationals at Rover. Bako hates to lose and BORC presents him with another opportunity to be back in the winners' circle after having taken third place during the opening round of this year's South African Nationals at Legends in Gauteng in February, kicking off the 2024 racing season in spectacular fashion. And now he is back at his favourite hunting ground at BORC where a top-three finish should not be ruled out for him.
The South African National Motocross series is proudly Fuelled by: TRP Distributors, Betterbrands Petroleum Zimbabwe, Venturesport, Missing Second Technologies, Prepsol, Motorsport South Africa, FIM Africa, FIM -- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, supported by Red Bull South Africa.
