Riders made to wait for FIM Africa event
Elevated Role: Kylan Wekesa has been appointed as Team Uganda’s new motocross captain. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- FMU vice president in charge of motorcycling Kisitu Mayanja, also a jury council member, said after a series of meetings with the international body they have decided to push the event to a later date.
The 2021 Federation of International Motorcycling (FIM) event will not take place on August 6-8 in Uganda as earlier scheduled.
This comes after President Yoweri Museveni sent the country into a 42-day lockdown that left the local body, the Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU), chasing wind.
FMU vice president in charge of motorcycling Kisitu Mayanja, also a jury council member, said after a series of meetings with the international body they have decided to push the event to a later date.
He added that the track at Victoria Race Track in Garuga was almost 75% ready to host the event.
Few adjustments
“The track was almost ready. We only had to finish the start gates and also add in some new corners and event pad the trees which are new to the racing track,” said Kisitu.
“We have the permit and they have assured us that Uganda will host the event if the country is open again.
“We will sit down with the technical team again to fix a new date after holding a series of meetings with all the federation and agree because we don’t want to have an event which collides with others.
The president FIM-Africa Marco Comana said that; “due to 42-day lockdown recently imposed in Uganda, which ends approximately a week before the start of the 2021 MXOAN, the FIM Africa council in consultation with the MX Working group have agreed the postpone the event to a later date.”
Willing away
“Our decision to postpone to a later date, it will not only assist the organizers with their planning, but that more importantly the ‘wave’ they are currently experiencing would have passed,” Comana’s statement adds.
FIM also appointed Tony Rowley, as jury president for the event, and Gillian Dykes from South Africa as foreign jury member.
Other technical personnel of the event include race director Jack Cheney (South Africa), clerk of course Joseph Mwangala, deputised by Joshua Mayanja and Jared Kalera jury secretary.
Noella Blick, wife to eleven-time national motocross champion Arthur Blick Junior, was appointed the event’s technical director.
