Every young motocross (MX) rider waits for the email letting them know they have been selected alongside a handful of others to represent their country on the international stage.
This is what caught Namibian female MX rider Zoe Waldschmidt (19) totally off guard when she was one of five Africans invited to participate in the FIM Oceania Women’s Motocross Cup in Australia.
The event will take place on 22 and 23 March at Wonthaggi, a town in the Victoria province.
The Waldschmidt household was abuzz this weekend when Top Revs visited them to find out more about this event in the land known for its size and varied wildlife.
The five African riders, under the guidance of team captain Leah Heygate (25) from Zambia, will meet this week in South Africa to prepare for the event. The other riders are Atete Benzinge (15) from Kenya, Zoe Botha (17) from South Africa and Kateete Sharifah (21) from Uganda.
The quintet are no strangers to each other – they recently competed against each other in Cape Town, South Africa.
The upcoming event will go down in MX history as this is the first time Africans are competing alongside riders from host Australia, New Zealand and the United States. And their experience competing against each may help them gel together as a team.
FIM Africa president Marco Comana has expressed enthusiasm for this historic moment, emphasising the importance of representation and opportunities for African women in motorsport in a statement shared with Top Revs.
Waldschmidt said in an interview over the weekend that her expectation is that she do the best she can in competition with some of the best riders in the sport.
She said the invitation is more than an honour; Africa too often has to be content with “second-best” but this time, some of the continent’s best female riders will take the stage.
She recalled the excitement of getting the message, saying she couldn’t help but tell all her friends before discussing it with her parents, whose approval and consent she needed. However, she added that the discussion with her parents was just a formality: they were both immediately on board and started putting things in place to organise her historic participation.
Waldschmidt advised all aspiring MX riders to go full out as there is nothing stopping them from getting on the track. There might be challenges of stereotypes and barriers to overcome, but support and mentorship can make anything possible.
Her presence on the local MX arena is acknowledged by KTM Namibia – she is the brand ambassador of the motorcycle dealership.
The Waldschmidt family will depart later this week for South Africa where they will meet the rest of the team for a team-building event before flying to Australia next week.
Waldschmidt father, Ingo, will accompany her and also serve as a technical and mechanical crew member for the African team.
The team will receive brand new MX motorbikes sponsored by KTM to participate in the event.
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