HARARE - Zimbabwe motocross riders will have to dig deep in their quest to crawl their way back into contention at the ongoing Summer Series that has so far produced mixed results for the local contingent.
The local riders started with so much promise on the first day of the motocross extravaganza but seem to have lost their guile, ending the second day of the event trailing their South African rivals.
The second day staged at Donnybrook on Wednesday night clearly belonged to South Africa, with their riders dominated proceedings.
South African Bradley Cox made a strong comeback in the 125cc, taking the initiative from day one leader, Zimbabwe’s Ashley Thixton, who failed to heat top gear.
Cox won the 125cc heat one and two respectively before finishing third in the final heat of his class.
Peterhouse Collegepupil Thixton came second in heat one and two before dropping valuable points after failing to finish the final heat of that category.
Zimbabwe’s Big Chitima fought his way back in contention with a decent outing in the 50cc that saw him take positions three, two and one in the three heats on offer.
The Zimbabwe national series 50cc champion will hope to build on his new found form and fend off the challenge of South Africa’s Jono Mlimi going into the last two days of the event.
Dalton Venter was matchless in the 65cc A taking the chequered flag in all three heats to end the day in a commanding position ahead of the last two days of the motocross extravaganza.
Kuda Mhene Jnr was in a class of his own in the 65cc, B winning all three heats in his class.
Mhene achieved his fastest time in heat three when he finished the race in 4 minutes, 24 seconds and 433 split seconds.
Local rising star Tanya Muzinda, the only female rider in the male dominated category, had a fairly decent outing finishing numbers eight, three and three respectively.
The Eaglesvale Primary School pupil will be hoping to find her feet and push her way up the rankings in the last two days of the Summer Series.
Zimbabwe’s MX1 hopeful Jayden Ashwell started day two in forgettable fashion after failing to finish the first heat.
Ahswell had looked well on course to take the chequered flag only for his motorcycle to malfunction half way through the fourth lap.
That setback seemed to creep into his nerves as he finished a distant sixth place in the second heat before finding his composure to finish first in the final heat.
The MX2 first positions were shared between Wyatt Avis, who won heat one and Grant Frerichs, who won heats two and three.
Zimbabwe’s Lee Chigumba and national series Pee Wee champion Emmanuel Bako will hope for a strong finish in that class, which has so far seen a lot of spills and thrills.
The third day of the four day Summer Series will be held tonight at Donnybrook starting at 6pm.