NZ Insider No.29: Josiah Natzke

Welcome to our weekly web-exclusive column, Transmoto‘s NZ Insider. Penned each week by Kiwi, Chris Ritchie, the NZ Insider will present the story-behind-the-stories on NZ-related dirt bike happenings across the globe. 

News finally broke last week that our current NZ National 125cc champion (and the youngest-ever rider to claim a national motocross title at 15 years old), Hamilton teenager, Josiah Natzke, has signed a five-year deal with KTM Racing. Yes, five years!

The deal had been rumoured since earlier this year when Natzke made the trek across to Europe to sample some European racing in the form of the high-profile EMX125 series, run in conjunction with a number of European MXGP rounds, as well as the Junior World Motocross Championship in Belgium. His first event in Europe at the Loket circuit in the Czech Republic where he finished fourth and third in the two motos earning him third on the podium was where he created the most attention.

Everyone was wondering who this kid from New Zealand was, and it was here that KTM Racing boss, Pit Beirer, and the legendary Stefan Everts realised they needed Josiah on their new KTM Racing Junior Team, to be headed by Everts.

Unfortunately for Natzke, he struggled with the deep Belgian sand at Lommel in the next round of the EMX series, but bounced back to claim seventh in the 125cc class at the World Champs, but had done enough to impress the KTM top brass. Since turning heads in Europe back in July, the long term deal has been in the pipeline, with all the finer contract details finalised only recently.

The deal will see Natzke return to Europe for a full campaign in the European EMX125 Championship in 2015, moving up to the EMX250 class in 2016, then possibly the MX2 class following that. Natzke, having recently made the switch from the 125SX to the 250SX-F for a crack at the NZ MX2 title, will be on double duty in the NZ MX Nationals beginning in February, competing in both the MX2 class, and the 125cc class in preparation for his European campaign.

Natzke is now working with none other than Ben Townley on all aspects of his riding, training and mental preparation ahead of the biggest move of his career to date. It just so happens that BT himself also left little old New Zealand at the tender age of 16 to chase his dream of becoming a World Motocross Champion, so this relationship will be key to Natzke’s success.

Natzke will fly to his new Belgian base immediately following the completion of the NZ Nationals series at Harrisville on March 15 and begin preparing for his first event with the team, the opening round of the European EMX125 series at Arco di Trento, Italy, on April 19.

We are also now merely ten days away from one of the biggest moto events of the year, Summercross, held at the famous Awakaponga circuit near Whakatane. After the absolute washout last year which turned the traditional Summercross into ‘Stormcross’, we are hoping for some better weather over the Bay of Plenty region this time around, in what promises to be another massive one with a star studded entry list from Mini through to Veteran classes to sign off 2014, looking ahead to 2015, which is now literally just around the corner!