Motorsport drives Arthur Blick

Jan 29, 2014

THE 10-time motocross champion, son of legendary rider and rally driver Arthur Blick Senior is, without doubt, the best rider of his generation

By Douglas Mazune

THE Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda (FMU) goes to polls this Saturday with Arthur Blick Junior, Jack Wavamunno and Kisitu Mayanja contesting for the presidency. New Vision Sport profiles Blick, assesses his credentials and weighs his chances of ascending to the motorsport top seat.

Who is Arthur Blick Junior?

Arthur Blick Jr., 37, is the youngest of all candidates vying for presidency, but has the most impressive accomplishments as a sportsman. The 10-time motocross champion, son of legendary rider and rally driver Arthur Blick Senior is, without doubt, the best rider of his generation. Blick is also a rally driver who finished fifth in the 2013 national championship.

He went to Jack and Jill Nursery School, proceeded to Buganda Road PS for three years before joining Katatumba Academy where he studied from primary 4 to Senior 6.

He graduated with a Bachelors of Business Management degree at Makerere University. His passion for motoring got him back in class at Nakawa Technical Institute where he studied mechanical engineering.

He runs Speedway Engineering, an automobile workshop along Rubaga Road, and is a director at Blick International Riding Academy which conducts safety training for NGOs and companies which own motorcycles.

Blick’s sports management

He is the president Speedway Motorsport Club (SMOC) and was FMU vice president in charge of motorcycling (2005-2009).

He is one of the directors of Uganda Motocross Club which leased Garuga race track and was director Uganda Motorsport Arena, Busiika until last year.

As SMOC president, Blick is crusading the transformation of motorcycling from the obsolete grass track racing in the late 1990s to the internationally recognised motocross when they leased and designed the race track at Garuga.

He was also a lead figure in improving the national championship from under four races to eight now. He has introduced over 90% of the current riders to the sport and interested the international community which boosted the level of competition and spectator attendance, consequently attracting sponsorship.

Motocross was previously regarded as a risky affair and parents were reluctant to let their children join the sport. But in 2007, Blick allayed that fear by bringing his four-year-old, Alestair Blick (50cc) in a competitive race.

The move has been a great success with young riders in the 85cc, 65cc and 50cc not only out-numbering the big guns in the MX1 and MX2 categories, but are also more exciting.

He has led a team which has organised several international races and was a key figure in the committee that organised the Africa Motocross Championship which Uganda won in 2012 at Busiika.

Strengths and shortfalls

Arthur Blick Jr. has demonstrated his leadership and management abilities through motocross and he is perceived as a generally acceptable candidate who would unite the various factions created by controversies in the sport.

He is expected to take decisions in the best interest of the sport because of his unquestionable love for motorsport.

However, he is still perceived as still a young man who should wait for the future and ‘too nice’ to cope with the intricacies in the volatile sports leadership in Uganda.

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