Motorcycle racing was introduced on the Uganda scene in the early 1960’s debuting races like the East African Championship which run between the two East African countries Kenya and Uganda.
On its initiation in Uganda, Motorcycle racing was pretty much dominated by Asian and white folk like Young Hagbult, and the races were held indoors in stadiums like Nakibubo and Wankulukuku. The racing style at the time was a form of ‘Speedway racing’ called Grass Track Racing and Dick Kawesa was the first-ever local Ugandan rider to make his way into the sport winning several races in the early to mid-1960s.
The mid 60’s marked the emergence of two Ugandan local riders Arthur Blick Snr, Paddy Blick, and Dick Kawesa took the sport of motorcycle racing to a different level.
Arthur Blick Snr and Paddy Blick’s daring attitudes made them the first superstars of motorcycle racing in Uganda. They led the sport into the ’70s with their championship riding styles and flamboyant personalities.
Arthur Blick Snr won his first-ever East African Championship in 1971 and won back-to-back National Championships in the ’70s while his brother Paddy Blick traveled to the USA for his college education. The East African championship featured top Kenyan riders like Bill de Garis, Jack Simonian, and Vick Preston Junior at the time. Paddy Blick returned from college and won the East African Championship for the first time in 1982 and thereafter won back-to-back National championships. Arthur Blick Snr was very competitive until 1982 when a gruesome motorcycle accident in Bugembe stadium(Jinja) left him paralysed waist down and forced him out of the sport.
More fast Ugandan local riders like Godfrey Katende, Bissembeko, Dingiro, SSonko, and ‘daredevil’ Wycliff Bukenya joined the sport of motorcycle racing in the ’70s together with other non-Ugandans like Patrick Warton(From Seychelles), the Dias Brothers, Awan Junior, and Taruud Sidpra to name but a few.
In the ’80s, the competition was already intense, bikes were faster, the sport of Speedway Racing had already evolved into Grass Track racing and the sport was enjoying the best quality of racing talent ever!. Then emerged more talented riders like Tadeo Lubambula, George Kitayimbwa, John Lwanga, Stuart Long, Chipper Adams, Shane Andreade, and Harruna Mwanje to mention but a few. Stuart Long and Shane Andreade dominated a few seasons in the early ’90s.
Wycliff Bukenya won many championships in the late ’80s and ’90s till 1998, and the sport was slowly evolving from Grass track racing to the current highly competitive and popular Motocross.
1999 was the beginning of a rider’s career that would make him the greatest of all time, Arthur Blick Jr dethroned the then-reigning national champion Wycliff Bukenya to win the 1999 and 2000 National Championships. Arthur Junior injured his right knee in an off-season practice at the end of the 2000 season and did not race in 2001 and 2002 leaving another top rider Abed Lubambula to take the top honours. Other very fast riders in the time were Ali Nsubuga, Geoffrey Kayira, Emmy Godfrey Matovu, George Ssemakula, and his brother Derrick Sserunjogi. Arthur Blick Jr returned and won 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and finally the 2012 National MX1 Championship. Asaf Naten( Israeli origin) took the 2006 and 2008 National MX1 titles.
Motorcycle Racing Classes;
The ’60s and ’70s featured only one class of bikes up to 500cc and in the ’80s and 90’s two classes were introduced, the intermediates( Bikes up to 125cc) and the Experts( Bikes up to 500cc). In the ’90s the third class of bikes( 85cc) was introduced. This was mainly because there were no smaller bikes available in the country at the time!
The standard Motocross Classes(MX50, MX65, MX85, MX125, MX2, MX1) were pretty much introduced in Uganda in May 2005 when Uganda hosted its first FIM recognised East African Championship in the Lubiri circuit. Arthur Alestair Blick became the first Ugandan 50cc rider and took the MX50 National Championship in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010!
Motorcycle Racing leadership;
Dick Kawesa formed the first racing club’ The Uganda Motorcycle Sports Club’ in the ’60s after which Suleiman Kigundu spearheaded the formation of the motorcycle racing association, Uganda Motorcycle Sports Association(UMSSA).
