Enduro National Champion Brian Cocker Set For Baboons Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa
By Ignatius Mazeko
TWELVE companies that include Group 4 Security Services (G4S) Zambia have staked US$7, 000 to Zambia’s leading off road rider, Brian Cocker to facilitate his participation in the Baboons Lesotho Sun Roof of Africa, the only Extreme Enduro on the continent.
G4S Zambia business development manager, Sacha Makulu said at a press briefing at Toyota Zambia this morning when he presented a $1, 000 cheque to Cocker that his company was optimistic that Cocker would excel in Lesotho.
Makulu said as part of its corporate social responsibility programme this year, G4S had been sponsoring local Enduro competitions and as such felt to prudent to facilitate Cocker’s participation in Lesotho next weekend.
“We are presenting $1, 000, kwacha equivalent and we look forward to him doing well in the competition,” he said.
The other companies are that have sponsored Cocker are Honda Zambia, Mazabuka-based Jacaranda Plant an Machinery Hire Services, Rainbow Properties and Mechanical Services and Signs of the Times/ Neon and General Signs.
The rest are Toyota Zambia, Trentyre Zambia, TS Tyre Services, Wilson Off Road Services, Juldan Motors, Zambia Motor Sport Association (ZMSA) and a number of contributions from anonymous well-wishers.
Cocker, who recently won his maiden Enduro national title and was runner-up in the Southern Off Road Challenge, thanked all the companies and individuals for their gestures and promised to put Zambia on the map by doing well in Lesotho.
“If it wasn’t for the people and the sponsors out there I wouldn’t have managed to do well this year and win the national title,” said the Chisamba-based Arudin Logistics rider.
Motorcycle Commission Off Road commissioner, Charles Bender said he was positive Cocker would excel in Lesotho because of a good run in the local Enduro series and the 10-day training stint he recently undertook in the Dombashawa Hills in Zimbabwe.
“Brian has spent the last three months since his last race in Botswana, which he won and also had the fastest lap, practicing three to six hours a day building stamina and increasing heart rate to be prepared for this ‘mother’ of all Enduros.
“He returned last night from 10 days riding the Dombashawa Hills in Zimbabwe which is the closest rocks to those in Lesotho,” he said.
Bender thanked local Enduro rider Robert Marsden for lending Cocker, who traditionally rides a KTM 450EXC, a KTM 300EXC two-stroke motorbike.
“Many of these sponsors have contributed throughout the year to our motorcycle events and for this we are very grateful, especially during this time of the global economic crisis and now they have dug deeper into their pockets to get a Zambian based rider to the premier and toughest event on the African motorcycle calendar,” he said. ©ZMSA
