DIRT NEWS
HARWOOD FINDS HIS 350CC HAS MORE THAN
ENOUGH POWER
Words: Andy McGechan/bikesportnz.com
West Auckland’s Hamish Harwood, who took his 350cc
KTM to finish on the podium with 450cc bike riders this year
I
t would be highly misleading to say that Hamish
Harwood took a knife to a gunfight this season.
It’s true the talented West Auckland man lined
up with his 350cc four-stroke KTM 350SX-F model
bike to race alongside full-time professionals, all
armed with 450cc machinery, but Harwood would
be the first to tell you that he was never really
disadvantaged.
In fact, in addition to finishing the four-round New
Zealand Motocross Championships ranked a solid
third overall in the premier MX1 class, Harwood
also managed to qualify his bike fastest at the final
round at Taupo.
Harwood was New Zealand motocross champion
in both the 125cc and MX2 (250cc) categories last
season, but this year he opted to concentrate solely
on the MX1 class.
90 KIWI RIDER
Racing for the high-profile CML KTM Racing
Team, the 24-year-old builder was never over-
awed by his illustrious main rivals, Australian
professional Kirk Gibbs or Mount Maunganui-
based Kiwi international Cody Cooper, and he
simply went about his business in typical no-
nonsense fashion.
Harwood even managed to finish runner-up on
three memorable occasions – behind Cooper
in one race at the series opener at Balclutha
in early February; behind Gibbs in one race at
round three in Fernhill in early March and then
again behind Gibbs in one race at last weekend’s
final round in Taupo.
Harwood could even afford to relax somewhat
with the rider fourth in the standings a long way
behind him.