MACDONALD CLINCHES
YOUTH WORLD ENDURO
CROWN
STORY: ANDY MCGECHAN, BIKESPORTNZ.COM
N
ew Zealand’s off-road motorcycle
racers are truly world class. More
proof of that was provided last
month by Christchurch man Hamish
Macdonald when he wrapped up the
FIM 125cc Youth Enduro GP World
Championships title for 2019.
The 20-year-old from West Melton, near
Christchurch, followed in the wheel-tracks
of such Kiwi enduro legends as Stefan
Merriman, Chris Birch and Paul Whibley
when he packed up his helmet and boots
and headed off-shore to seek enduro
fame and fortune.
While the accumulation of fortune might
have to wait a while longer, the winning of
fame happened almost immediately for
the Canterbury man.
This year was only his second season
in Europe, but the teenager from
Christchurch had already set tongues
wagging on his debut in the youth class of
the FIM Enduro GP World Championships
last year.
Finishing no worse that sixth all last
season and celebrating two wins in Italy,
Macdonald wound up a close second
overall in the 2018 youth series, finishing
behind Chile’s Ruy Barbosa and ahead of
Britain’s Daniel Mundell, and this year he
was just as impressive.
He took his Sherco SE-R 125 bike to win
both days at the double-header 2019
series opener in Germany in March and
then repeated the remarkable feat with
back-to-back wins at the next double-
header weekend, rounds three and four of
the series, in Portugal.
His unbeatable four consecutive wins
from four starts put him 16 points clear
of his nearest challenger, Italian Claudio
Spanu (Husqvarna), with another Italian,
Matteo Pavoni (Beta), Spain’s Alejandro
Navarro (Husqvarna) and Finnish rider
Hugo Svard (Yamaha) rounding out the top
five.
Based in Birmingham in England,
Macdonald was on the road again to
tackle rounds five and six at Santiago de
Compostela in Spain, a venue that he
was familiar with, having raced there last
season and finishing third overall on that
occasion.
But his visit to Spain in May this year
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