In racing and media, the Macdonald brothers of Hamish and Angus have travelled halfway around the world to pursue the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship…
Spend time in the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship paddock and you’ll quickly unearth a wealth of stories, characters and connections. From riders to team personnel, organisers, sponsors and media, everyone is passionate about enduro, drawn to EnduroGP and has a story to tell.
One of the furthest travelled riders to EnduroGP is Sherco Racing Factory’s Hamish Macdonald. Born and bred in New Zealand, he’s a long way from home.
Since 2018, he’s cut his own path, and seen it pay off with both the FIM Youth Enduro World Championship and FIM Junior Enduro World Championship titles to his name. Currently leading the FIM Enduro3 World Championship, 2025 may well prove to be his best yet.
But how does a then 18-year-old find himself living in Europe on the other side of the world, chasing a dream? And more recently, how has his brother Angus come to join him, pursuing a media career in EnduroGP as MCD Media?
“I kind of found EnduroGP by chance,” tells Hamish. “It was being broadcast on Sky Sports at home and I watched Jack Edmondson in the Youth class going over some rocks, and I thought, “I could have a go at that!”
“At the time, Sherco didn’t have a 125, so I bought a YZ 125 for 1,500 bucks, and rode that at home. When Sherco released a bike, we paid our way to come over to race and things rolled from there. All of a sudden, I was 18 years old, racing EnduroGP in Europe with Sherco. It happened fast!”
New Zealand is well-known for its adventure and action sports lifestyle, but yet, enduro seems less well known. Growing up, Hamish describes his introduction to dirt bikes as low-key fun, centred around doing hill climbs with his two brothers, exploring the mountains, and simply having a good time. A mix of influences also saw him dabble in hard enduro, and even Red Bull Romaniacs, before EnduroGP took hold.
“We always raced enduro at home, but New Zealand has a hard enduro championship too,” continues Hamish. “With Chris Birch, the hard enduro influence is strong. A lot of people go to race Red Bull Romaniacs, so we followed that path as kids. I raced it in 2016, I was third in the silver class and Angus beat me!”
For Angus, that’s an accolade he likes to remind his brother of from time to time. But a video camera is now his passion, capturing the moments of EnduroGP. With Hamish racing in Europe, he took a chance during Covid, left everything behind and followed him over.
“The breaking point actually came during Covid,” says Angus. “New Zealand was in total lockdown, but Italy and Europe were kind of open compared to home. So I booked a one-way ticket and left. I quarantined, and two weeks later was filming.
“During the first year I had no contacts, so I just worked for Hamish and uploaded videos to my YouTube channel, MCD Media, which had a decent following. It grew from there, and now, four years on, we’re still doing it.
“My focus is EnduroGP, I follow the full championship but also cover the UCI Downhill MTB. It’s about 14 races total, staying in Europe from March to October – four months at home, eight months abroad. I would love to travel home more often, but it’s a 48-hour commute!”
It’s easy to underestimate their difficulties of living so far away from home. With the majority of the paddock only ever a short plane ride or drive from family, the Macdonald brothers don’t have that luxury. For Hamish, it’s something he’s learned to adjust to over time.
“Yeah, the distance from home can be tough,” he explains. “I leave home in January and don’t go back until the end of October. As soon as I get off the plane from New Zealand, it feels like work mode seven days a week because you can’t just nip home.
“Where most European riders can go on family holidays or out to town with friends, we don’t really have that option. So that’s why it’s good to have Angus here too. But I love what I do, and over the years have found my rhythm for what works for me.”
With a 12-point lead in the Enduro3 class, it’s clear that Hamish has found his form in 2025. The next three rounds in Wales, Italy and Germany will determine if that elusive top step of a senior podium can be conquered.
2025 Information
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2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship
Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April
Round 2: GP of Spain – Oliana – 2-4 May
Round 3: GP of Sweden – Skövde – 23-25 May
Round 4: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August
Round 5: GP of Portugal – Vila de Rei – 12-14 September
Round 6: GP of Italy – Darfo Boario Terme – 26-28 September
Round 7: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October
2025 Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship
Round 1: GP of Portugal – Fafe – 4-6 April
Round 2: GP of Wales – Rhayader – 1-3 August
Round 3: GP of Portugal – Vila de Rei – 12-14 September
Round 4: GP of Germany – Zschopau – 17-19 October
