It has been a glorious season of motocross racing for Auckland-based former Takaka rider Hamish Harwood.
Supported by Davey Motorsports KTM Team in Australia, the three-time and current New Zealand MX2 (250cc) champion took his CML KTM Racing Team two-stroke bike to qualify fourth fastest at the tenth and final round of the Australian Motocross Championships at Coolum, in Queensland, on Sunday, setting himself up for a solid afternoon on the treacherous sand track.
The 23-year-old South Islander, now living in Royal Heights in Auckland, raced his 2018-model KTM 250SX to twice finish third in the MX2 (250cc) class on Sunday, which also featured him leading race one, as well as posting the fastest lap time, and this was good enough for the intrepid Kiwi to earn a podium spot, third overall for the day.
But, even more significantly, this also enabled him to clinch second overall for the championship, Harwood ending the series overall runner-up to Australian international rider Wilson Todd.
Harwood had been locked in a battle with Australian rider Aaron Tanti for the series runner-up position, but Harwood was too slick for Tanti in both races on Sunday, Tanti finishing the day only eighth overall.
“I knew I had to keep an eye on where Tanti was on the track, but we top three riders actually lapped Tanti in race one,” said Harwood.
“I knew what I had to do and, when I lapped Tanti, I knew I was halfway there.
“I was riding well and, even though I led the first race, I didn’t want to push too hard either and risk throwing it all away. It is hard work to race flat out in sand for 30 minutes, but my fitness is very good and I’d put in the hard work in training, so it paid off.”
Harwood had won the MX Development class (under-19 years) title in Australia in 2013 and also previously finished runner-up in the MX2 class, in the 2014 season. His intention now is to put together a plan to return and have another crack at winning the Australian MX2 title next season, “depending on what financial support I can muster”.
Harwood made it three consecutive New Zealand MX2 Championship title wins in a row in March and, just last month, he was named as reserve rider for Team New Zealand when they head off to compete at the annual Motocross of Nations (MXoN) in the United States on October 6-7.
Meanwhile, fellow Kiwi riders Rhys Carter ((Complete Parts Kawasaki Racing Team) and Maximus Purvis (Altherm JCR Yamaha Racing Team) also stood out at Coolum at the weekend.
Mount Maunganui’s Carter finished the day fifth overall in MX1 class (after finishing fourth and eighth in his two races on Sunday) and he wound up seventh overall in the series standings, while Mangakino’s Purvis dominated the day at Coolum – winning both races – in the MX Development (under-19 years) class and he finished the series third overall for that class.
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ
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RESULTS & STANDINGS:
MX1 CLASS:
2018 MX1 Final Championship Standings:
- Dean Ferris – 701 Pts
- Mitch Evans – 570 Pts
- Luke Clout – 547 Pts
- Caleb Ward – 507 Pts
- Dylan Long – 502 Pts
- Brett Metcalfe – 484 Pts
- Rhys Carter (NZ) – 468 Pts
- Zak Small – 357 Pts
- Joel Wightman – 337 Pts
- Kade Mosig – 321 Pts
MX1 Round 10 Overall Results:
- Dean Ferris – 70 Pts
- Mitch Evans – 64 Pts
- Caleb Ward – 60 Pts
- Callum Norton – 52 Pts
- Rhys Carter (NZ) – 51 Pts
- Luke Clout – 49 Pts
- Dylan Long – 48 Pts
- Zak Small – 46 Pts
- Charlie Creech – 43 Pts
- Joben Baldwin – 41 Pts
MX1 Moto 1, Round 10
1 Dean Ferris – Race Time: 32:58.753
2 Mitch Evans +37.406
3 Caleb Ward +53.954
4 Rhys Carter (NZ) +2:05.125
5 Brett Metcalfe +1 Lap
6 Callum Norton +1 Lap
7 Luke Clout +1 Lap
8 Zak Small +1 Lap
9 Dylan Long +1 Lap
10 Charlie Creech +1 Lap
MX1 Moto 2, Round 10
1 Dean Ferris – Race Time: 33:03.645
2 Mitch Evans +34.356
3 Caleb Ward +45.421
4 Brett Metcalfe +47.204
5 Callum Norton +1:31.835
6 Dylan Long +1:48.545
7 Luke Clout +2:00.377
8 Rhys Carter (NZ) +1 Lap
9 Zak Small +1 Lap
10 Charlie Creech +1 Lap
MX2 CLASS
2018 MX2 Final Championship Results
1 Wilson Todd 611 Points (2018 Champion)
2 Hamish Harwood (NZ) 558 Points
3 Aaron Tanti 543 Points
4 Jay Wilson 519 Points
5 Dylan Wills 457 Points
6 Jy Roberts 438 Points
7 Kyle Webster 436 Points
8 Kale Makeham 419 Points
9 Cody Dyce 352 Points
10 Cooper Pozniak 328 Points
MX2 Round 10 Overall Results:
1 Kyle Webster 67 Points
2 Jay Wilson 67 Points
3 Hamish Harwood (NZ) 60 Points
4 Wilson Todd 53 Points
5 Jy Roberts 48 Points
6 Kaleb Barham Points
7 Cooper Pozniak 44 Points
8 Aaron Tanti 42 Points
9 Kale Makeham 39 Points
10 Cody Dyce 39 Points
MX2 Moto 1, Round 10:
1 Jay Wilson – Race Time: 33:49.269
2 Kyle Webster +13.271
3 Hamish Harwood (NZ) +23.097
4 Richie Evans +1:04.639
5 Jayden Rykers +1:31.632
6 Wilson Todd +1:34.055
7 Kaleb Barham +2:07.397
8 Ricky Latimer +1 Lap
9 Jy Roberts +1 Lap
10 Cooper Pozniak +1 Lap
MX2 Moto 2, Round 10:
1 Kyle Webster – Race Time: 23:34.961
2 Jay Wilson +8.404 8.404
3 Hamish Harwood (NZ) +24.735
4 Wilson Todd +41.438
5 Jy Roberts +1:23.475
6 Joel Evans +1:23.781
7 Kaleb Barham +1:34.011
8 Cooper Pozniak +1:35.671
9 Aaron Tanti +2:00.536
10 Kale Makeham +2:13.870
MX DEVELOPMENT CLASS
2018 MOTUL MXD Final Championship Standings
1 Bailey Malkiewicz 585 Points (2018 Champion)
2 Hugh McKay 564 Points
3 Maximus Purvis (NZ) 558 Points
4 Riley Dukes 542 Points
5 Brodie Ellis 497 Points
6 Rhys Budd 471 Points
7 Mason Rowe 443 Points
8 Jye Dickson 437 Points
9 Mat Fabry 377 Points
10 Liam Walsh 364 Points
MXD Round 7 Overall Results:
1 Maximus Purvis 70 Points
2 Hugh McKay 60 Points
3 Mason Rowe 60 Points
4 Bailey Malkiewicz 57 Points
5 Dylan Wood 51 Points
6 Jye Dickson 48 Points
7 Liam Walsh 47 Points
8 Mat Fabry 44 Points
9 Jayce Cosford 42 Points
10 Rhys Budd 41 Points
MXD Moto 1, Round 7
1 Maximus Purvis (NZ) +Race Time: 24:13.906
2 Bailey Malkiewicz +36.844
3 Mason Rowe +38.900
4 Hugh McKay +45.302
5 Liam Walsh +55.495
6 Dylan Wood +1:05.346
7 Jye Dickson +1:16.815
8 Brodie Ellis +1:40.663
9 Riley Ward +1:44.895
10 Riley Dukes +1:50.207
MXD Moto 2, Round 7
1 Maximus Purvis (NZ) – Race Time: 22:16.849
2 Hugh McKay +15.864
3 Mason Rowe +19.538
4 Mat Fabry +27.900
5 Dylan Wood +33.202
6 Bailey Malkiewicz +37.700
7 Jye Dickson +39.645
8 Rhys Budd +55.071
9 Jayce Cosford +59.039
10 Liam Walsh +1:10.923
WOMEN’S CLASS:
MXW Final Championship Standings:
1 Meghan Rutledge 272 Points (2018 Champion)
2 Jessica Moore 254 Points
3 Maddy Brown 250 Points
4 Tahlia O’Hare 224 Points
5 Courtney Whyte-Dennis 207 Points