The Monroe Racing team again delivered an excellent performance during Round 3 of the 2018 Zimbabwean Superbike Championship held at the Sables Dragpro Zimbabwe circuit on Sunday, May 20.

Returning to the venue was Zoé Bosch who made vast improvements to her times since her previous visit to the circuit. Riding the Kawasaki ZX-6R she qualified in sixth position on the grid during Sunday morning’s session. The opening race of the day saw her involved in a good tussle with Matthew Schultz after making a superb start. She finished the race in fifth position. The second race saw her making another good start to hold onto the leading group during the early stages. This time round she finished in fourth place. The afternoon’s handicap race saw her securing another fourth place; almost holding off Shaun Whyte and winner Damion Purificati right until the end.

Nicole van Aswegen made her Harare debut and quickly found her pace during Saturday afternoon’s practice sessions. Sadly an engine related issue brought her day to an early halt. The team however did not come all the way to give up that easily. Hard work until the early hours of Sunday morning saw her Triumph Daytona 675R ready for a tough day ahead. Van Aswegen qualified in fourth place on the grid to finish Race 1 in third position. Race 2 saw her running in second place momentarily right after the start. On the second lap a slippery section of the track saw her crashing out of the race. Although not suffering any serious injuries, she was withdrawn from the handicap race.

Junior rider Jessica Howden also kept the Monroe Racing flag flying high in the 250cc Cup races. The young rider being coached by Bosch and Van Aswegen as part of Monroe Racing’s development initiative with Toyota Zimbabwe did a superb job to finish in third position overall during the sprint races prior to recording her maiden victory during the handicap race.

Rider reactions:

Zoé Bosch:

“It was a wonderful weekend for us; even despite Nicole’s accident. We were very competitive on-track leading to increased confidence as the season continues. The improvement in my times shows that the hard work we have done in recent month have paid-off. I’m looking forward to returning to Zimbabwe. Round 4 of the championship will see me making my debut at the Bulawayo Motorsport Park.”

Nicole van Aswegen:

“I’m happy with my pace throughout the weekend and podium in the opening race. The Sables Dragpro Zimbabwe circuit was indeed a challenge, but an enjoyable one. The teamwork that went into our repairs on Saturday night also speaks a lot about the camaraderie within our group. This really is a team where there’s no lack of motivation to excel.”

Jessica Howden:

“It was such an awesome weekend for me and I’d like to thank both Zoé and Nicole for all their assistance during the weekend. I’m looking forward to more good results with the Monroe Racing team behind me.”

The Monroe Racing team would like to thank their sponsors for making their season and participation in the Zimbabwean Superbike Championship possible: Monroe South Africa, Fuchs Lubricants South Africa, Fuchs Lubricants in Zimbabwe, Banff Lodge Hotel, BetterDrive and Toyota Zimbabwe.

Published by: Reynard Gelderblom

Picture Caption: Zoé Bosch doing battle with Matthew Schultz