Image: Foremost Media.

New Zealand has announced its team to compete in the 2022 Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at RedBud, consisting of Hamish Harwood, Brodie Connolly and Josiah Natzke.

Harwood won last year’s New Zealand Motocross Championship and will represent in MX1, but notably had a sizeable crash at the start of the season which fractured his T6 vertebra, hip socket and hand.

The KTM rider has MXoN experience at RedBud, having competed in the prestigious event on four occasions, the latest being in 2018 at the iconic American venue.

Connolly will compete in MX2 after completing the opening two rounds of the 2022 Penrite ProMX Championship with WBR Yamaha as a fill-in for Levi Rogers. The number 88 was 10th overall at Wonthaggi and improved to P9 at Mackay.

Set to line up in Open is Natzke who is currently 17th in 250MX following the first four rounds of the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Like Harwood, Natzke has also represented at MxON previously, most recently in 2016 at Maggiora. Filling the reserve role for 2022 is Rhys Carter.

“We are delighted to be able to support these riders and the management through this campaign after such an absence through global challenges,” said general manager of Motorcycling New Zealand Mike Kerrisk. “The team shows a great blend of youth, experience and obvious ability, we wish them all the very best and know they will represent well.”

This year’s MXoN will be contested on 24-25 September, with more countries expected to announce their lineups in the coming weeks.