Polisport EnduroGP of Spain marks return to winning speed for Hamish Macdonald

In every race paddock there are competitors who transcend the divide and everyone roots for. In the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald is that guy.

When the New Zealander crossed the finish line of the final Polisport Extreme Test on Saturday to win the Enduro2 category, well wishes and congratulations carried on long past the podium celebrations and into the evening.

Social media was also flooded with praise. Everyone was pumped to see Hamish win, and judging from his own outpouring of emotion, it was clear he needed that victory too.

“I think everyone saw me struggle in Italy. But people knew it wasn’t from my side and that I’m a better rider than what I showed. They saw me come back and that I was myself again,” tells Hamish in context to the flood of well-wishes.

“In racing there’s a lot of highs and lows. Winning Saturday was the high, maybe that’s where the emotion came from. I won a lot last year and became world champion, but it’s in the winter when you realise that you need to cherish those moments and to enjoy them when they happen again.”

As the 2025 FIM Enduro3 World Champion switched to the Enduro2 class for 2026, it marked a tough off-season of adaptation for Hamish. A move from a 300cc two-stroke, a motorcycle he knew inside-out, to four-stroke machinery, delivered a challenging winter.

At round one for the GP of Italy, a 10-15 scorecard in EnduroGP showed things were yet to click into place for the Sherco rider. With two more weeks of work under his belt, he arrived at the Polisport GP of Spain a different rider.

“To come back to the four-stroke from when I last raced one has been a shock to adapt to. It’s a completely different bike – new frame and new engine. In training, it can be easy to ride it fast because you get a feel for the track and the changes you make, but in a racing environment, it’s completely different.

“It’s all new because you don’t know where you are going, so getting the confidence in myself and the bike to push on when I’m uncomfortable is what’s been building here. I always believe in myself, but everything still needs to fall into place and that’s what happened on Saturday.”

With the Polisport GP of Spain now behind us, the focus is already on the GP of Finland in two weeks. Having fought his way up to third in the Enduro2 championship standings, Hamish will be targeting another strong performance in Scandinavia.

“In 2023, I finished on the podium both days in Finland. I like the place, it’ll be a real enduro race,” he concludes with a smile.

The Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship continues with round three in Vierumäki, Salpausselkä, Finland, from 22-24 May.

2026 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship

Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Finland – Vierumäki, Salpausselkä – 22-24 May
Round 4: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 5: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 6: GP of France – Saint-Agrève – 17-19 July
Round 7: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August

2026 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Round 1: GP of Italy – Custonaci, Sicily – 10-12 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 1-3 May
Round 3: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 12-14 June
Round 4: GP of Portugal II – Fafe – 19-21 June
Round 5: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 7-9 August