It was with a wry smile that Auckland’s Hamish Harwood answered questions after his mixed day at round two of the New Zealand Motocross Championships near Rotorua at the weekend.
The 27-year-old Royal Heights-based former Takaka man always knew it was going to be tough this year to tackle twice as many races as most of his rivals and it was truly a mixed bag of results for him on the steep and deep-rutted farmland course at Horohoro on Sunday.
He started the day with the points lead in the MX1 class and in the 125cc class as well, following a brilliant day of racing at the series opener in Balclutha two weeks ago, but a huge crash in the final race of his weekend at Horohoro sent him sprawling and put a dent in his MX1 title defence.
The CML Makita KTM Racing Team hero picked himself up after the ugly spill and managed to work his way back up to finish that fateful race in sixth place, a remarkable feat in itself.
Auckland’s Hamish Harwood (CML Makita KTM Racing Team), with his young son Lee, on the podium at Rotorua on Sunday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
He is still to assess his bruised body, but it’s the damage to his campaign that might yet be the most painful.
From five points in front of his main rival, Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis (Yamaha), at the start of the day, to now find himself 10 behind Purvis, is not a position he wants to be in with just five MX1 class races left to wrap up the series.
But Harwood was philosophical about his predicament when he said “hey, it’s not over yet” as he looks ahead to the final push in Taupo next month, a double-header weekend with three MX1 races on Saturday, March 25, and then two more at the same sandy venue the following day.
However, dual class superman Harwood remains untouchable in his hunt for 125cc class glory this year, finishing the weekend with an even firmer grip on the 125cc class trophy.
Harwood and his distinctive orange KTM125SX has been unbeatable this season. With six wins from six starts at the two rounds thus far, Harwood has a whopping 32-point advantage over his nearest challenger, Taupo’s Cody Griffiths (Yamaha).
With 25 points on offer a win, it means that Harwood already has more than a race up his sleeve and he could, if he so chooses and if the balance of power remains so heavily in his favour, to sit out the final 125cc class race of the championship.
With two days back-to-back in Taupo coming up next month, this might give him the break he needs to concentrate on the MX1 class fight-back.
“I’m conserving myself a bit in the 125cc class races, to be honest, although the young guys behind me are riding well. I’m not just cruising, but I’m not giving it 100 percent either,” said Harwood.
“In the MX1 class I was leading and thought I had the race win in the bag when the front end of the bike washed out in soft dirt. That cost me two positions and I had to settle for third.
“In the second MX1 race I just wasn’t feeling it and it was a pretty average race from me and I finished second.
“In the third race I was right behind Max, but I thought I had him and was just being patient and waiting for the right moment. But then I hit a braking bump and the bike flew sideways.
“I think I’ll be okay for Taupo. We’ll just have to wait and see won’t we?”
2023 New Zealand Motocross Championships:
Round one: February 12 – South Otago (at Balclutha);
Round two: February 26 – Rotorua (including women’s nationals);
Rounds three & four: March 25-26 – Taupo (including women’s nationals).
© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
Find BikesportNZ.com on FACEBOOK here