DEBUT RIDE A SENSATION

It was Josiah Natzke’s debut ride for the new-look CMR Red Bull KTM motocross team in Taupo at the weekend and it couldn’t have gone any better.

The Waikato teenager had collected his new KTM125 just a few days before the big annual Labour Weekend Motocross Extravaganza at Taupo’s Digger McEwen race circuit, but he was very quickly into his stride on the new machine.

He convincingly won all three of his Junior 12-14 years’ 125cc class races, as well as beating all the elder riders, many of them on 250cc bikes, in the all-in Champion of Champions feature race that wrapped up the junior programme on Saturday.

The 14-year-old Natzke, a year 10 student at Hamilton Boys’ High School, was seemingly untouchable.

“It was a perfect debut for my new team. It was awesome,” said the Hamilton rider.

“I holeshot every race in my 12-14 years’ 125cc class and led from start to finish each time. I didn’t get the holeshot in the feature race … I was about third around turn one … but I took the lead about four corners into the race. I pulled a bit of a gap on the bunch but I was kept honest and couldn’t afford to relax.

“I just tried to focus on what I was doing and rode my own race.

“As the track got rougher late in the day I had a few scary moments but I managed to keep it all together.”

Natzke finished the junior Champion of Champions feature race ahead of Taupo’s Cohen Chase and Ngatea’s Benjamin Broad.

Other junior riders to impress at the weekend included Tauranga’s Aaron Wiltshier, Christchurch’s Dylan Walsh, Onewhero’s Jayden Turnwald, Rotorua’s Nathan Henderson (who also rode a Kawasaki KX450F in the senior MX1 grade the following day), Otorohanga’s Aaron King, Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis, Oamaru’s Joel Meikle, Cambridge’s Trent Collins, Oparau’s James Scott and Taihape’s Hayden Smith, to name just a few.

CMR Red Bull KTM team manager Cannon Smith, of Auckland, was impressed by Natzke and by his other team riders, Atiamuri’s Hadleigh Knight, Takaka’s Hamish Harwood, these two in senior class action the following day.

“It was a great weekend for them all,” he said.

“Hadleigh (Knight) rode well … he just needs to work on his starts.”

Knight finished 2-2-1 for second overall, just behind Te Puke’s Logan Blackburn (Altherm JCR BikesportNZ.com Yamaha YZ125), in the Senior 125cc class on Sunday and these two riders now rate among the favourites to win that class when the four-round nationals kick off in the New Year.

“Hamish (Harwood) had had a month off since winning the Under-19 years’ Development title in Australia, but this event at Taupo was a chance for him to get warmed up again.”

Harwood finished fourth overall in the senior MX2 class on Sunday.

“This is a young team, but we are already seeing progress and we are now looking forward to the annual Summercross at Whakatane just after Christmas and the big annual New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville in January,” said Smith.