The gritty display by KTM rider Hamish Harwood at the weekend’s 57th annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville prompted one of his rivals to question afterwards “is this guy a machine or what?”

Even with temperatures hovering close to 40 degrees Celsius, the now Auckland-based two-time and current national MX2 (250cc) champion from Takaka turned on what could only be described as “a superman performance” during Sunday’s senior programme, racing his way into the podium in both the two premier bike classes.

It was perhaps even more impressive because, with the heat-wave unrelenting, it was the final race of the day in each class that Harwood seemed strongest and where he scored the most success.

Harwood took his KTM 250SX to finish 2-2-1 in the MX2 (250cc) class and then, riding a similar KTM 250SX, this bike fitted with a stock-standard 300cc kit, he also went into battle against the 450cc bike riders in the MX1 class, this time posting a 2-5-1 score-card.

These results earned Harwood the runner-up position overall in both classes, in the MX2 class behind fellow KTM rider Wyatt Chase – the Taupo rider finishing with a 1-1-2 score-card – and in the MX1 class behind Mount Maunganui’s national MX1 champion Cody Cooper (Honda Racing Team), who went 1-1-2.

Harwood seemed to get faster as the day wore on, the CML KTM Racing Team rider apparently in his element in the furnace-like conditions at Woodville.

Australian visitor Kirk Gibbs (CML KTM Racing Team), who finished runner-up in the Invitation Feature race on Sunday and also clinched fourth overall in the MX1 class. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

“At the start of the day I felt really tight and I was getting arm pump. I know that this track can be tricky, so I didn’t want to push too hard. I wasn’t just cruising, but I did tone my riding back a bit.

“I have not been doing as much riding lately as I’d like because my wife, Katie, and I have been working on sprucing up our new home,” said Harwood, a builder by trade.

“It was a good work-out for me at Woodville. I think I proved today that the KTM 300, even as a stock bike, is a real weapon in the MX1 class though. I certainly loved riding it.

“I’ll be using this week to recover from the weekend and then I’ll come out swinging again at the opening round of the nationals in Taranaki this Sunday.”

Fellow KTM rider Kirk Gibbs arrived from his home in Queensland during the week, keen to use Woodville and the upcoming New Zealand nationals to help prepare him for the Australian nationals that kick off in Victoria in April.

Despite the fact that he had not raced since representing Australia at the Motocross of Nations in England in October, Gibbs managed to finish the day fourth overall in the MX1 class and also runner-up in the event’s signature Invitation Feature race, behind Hamilton’s Kayne Lamont (Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team).

It was a courageous performance too on Sunday from KTM rider Hayden Smith.

The current national senior 125cc champion from Taihape is still aged only 16, and still one year short of compulsory graduation to the seniors ranks, but he lined up in the senior MX2 class on Sunday.

Smith was keen to take the opportunity to use the Woodville event to beef up his training regime ahead of his entry into the Junior Motocross World Championships in Australian later this year.

Smith finished a creditable fourth overall in the MX2 class at Woodville.

It was bad luck for Oparau’s James Scott, the Kiwi Rider-backed KTM rider impressing on both Saturday and early on Sunday before crashing out of the final senior 125cc race of the day, breaking his wrist.

He had finished 2-1 in the first two 125cc races, equalling the points tallied by Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team rider Maximus Purvis (who went 1-2), but the final race accident meant he had to settle for only fifth overall, behind Australian KTM rider Mason Semmens and HLR Husqvarna Racing Team rider Tommy Watts, of Wairoa.

After round one of the New Zealand Motocross Championships in New Plymouth this Sunday, the series heads to Rotorua for round two on February 25. Round three is set for Hawke’s Bay on March 11, with the fourth and final round in Taupo on March 24.

© Words and photos by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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