With Hamish Harwood in the form to produce 11 wins from 12 race starts, there really was no stopping the KTM man this season. To say the West Auckland-based former Takaka man was successful in defending his New Zealand MX2( 250cc) title would be a massive simplification of the feat, not to mention it being a huge understatement of just how truly good Harwood was this season. He took two different versions of his CML KTM Racing Team two-stroke bike – one a regular KTM250SX and the other a KTM250SX with a 300cc kit fitted – and impressed in both of the separate MX2 and MX1 classes. Harwood was totally untroubled in defending his 2017 MX2 crown and also in making it three national MX2 title wins in a row – his only“ failure” was finishing runner-up to fellow KTM rider Wyatt Chase, of Taupo, in the first of the day’ s three MX2 races – and he wrapped up the 2018 crown with two races to spare. MX2 class runner-up was Taupo’ s Brad Groombridge( Kea Trailers Suzuki), who finished the series 70 points behind Harwood.“ It doesn’ t really matter how many races you win. It’ s all about winning the championships and I got that done with two races to spare,” said Harwood.“ You’ ve got to have a good team and good bike and that’ s what I have had. There can’ t be any missing pieces to the puzzle or it just wouldn’ t happen.” Harwood will be racing in Australia later this season, again entered in the MX2 class.“ I’ ve been heading over to race in Australia since 2013 and I won the Under-19 class on debut there that year,” said Harwood.“ I have been over every year since, although one year I didn’ t complete a full season and then I did only some races in MX2 and some in MX1. This year I’ m going back to race in the MX2 class only and I’ ll give that 100 percent.“ I don’ t know what we’ ve decided to do next season in New Zealand, but most likely I’ ll defend the MX2 class on a four-stroke bike. I might also get the opportunity to race the odd race in the United States or in Europe later this year, but that all depends upon me getting a few things worked out.”