With the 2019 Youth title tucked under his belt, twenty-one-year-old Hamish Macdonald (Sherco) moved up to the Junior class in 2020 and dominated the division to claim back-to-back FIM Enduro World Championship titles.
• All the 2020 FIM World champions
It was not, however, all plain sailing for the Kiwi who followed home fast Frenchman Theophile Espinasse (Sherco) on both days of the GP of France at Requista and trailed him again following the opening day’s competition one week later at the GP of Italy at Spoleto, but it would be his last defeat of the season.
Victory on day two with Espinasse placing third was just the shot in the arm Macdonald needed and he carried considerable momentum into the concluding two rounds, staged in November at Marco de Canaveses in Portugal.
A super-strong performance saw Macdonald secure his second win of the campaign on the opening day of round three and his title aspirations received a huge boost when Espinasse was unable to compete when his bike would not start at the beginning of the day. Obviously, Macdonald would have liked to have taken the series lead after a full day of fighting with his rival out on the course, but mechanical issues are all part of racing.
Espinasse was back for day two, though he could not get near to Macdonald who set a furious pace from the outset before cruising to victory.
With one hand on the championship trophy, Macdonald claimed a narrow win from Espinasse on day one of round four and then signed off on top on the final day to take the title by thirty-one points from the Frenchman.
PALMARES
FIM Youth Enduro World Champion: 2019
FIM Junior Enduro World Champion: 2020