NATZKE DEBUT IMPRESSIVE

Showing maturity and strength beyond his tender years, 15-year-old Hamilton schoolboy Josiah Natzke rocketed to victory in his first senior New Zealand Motocross Championships outing on Saturday.

The Waikato teenager, in a transitional phase of his racing career where he may contest selected senior events while still retaining his junior status, produced a stunner as he leapt into the lead and never looked back when the gates dropped for the day’s first 125cc class race at the four-round series opener at Pleasant Point, near Timaru, on Saturday.

The CMR Red Bull KTM Team rider disappeared over the dusty horizon, while fellow KTM rider Aaron Wiltshier, from Tauranga, fought through to take runner-up spot, with local favourite Courtney Duncan (Backflips Fox Yamaha YZ125) finishing third and the rider perhaps favoured to win the 125cc class, last season’s runner-up from Te Puke, Logan Blackburn, was forced to settle for fourth.

Altherm JCR Racing BikesportNZ.com Yamaha rider Blackburn bounced back to win the remaining two 125cc class races on Saturday, finishing ahead of Natzke in race two and ahead of Wiltshier (JT Racing BikesportNZ.com KTM 125) in race three, and he left Timaru with the championship lead … although he only one point clear of senior debutant Natzke as the riders now head to Tokoroa for round two in two weeks’ time.

Wiltshier is third overall after round one, just seven points behind Natzke, with Duncan four points further back.

Also impressive in this class was CMR Red Bull KTM Team rider Hadleigh Knight, the Atiamuri youngster finishing fifth overall, while Christchurch’s Dylan Walsh (Target Coaching BikesportNZ.com KTM 125) ended the weekend sixth overall.

“This is a big improvement for me from what I managed at the Woodville GP (at the end of January) and I’ll keep moving forward from here,” said Natzke afterwards.

“I knew I’d be able to battle with Logan (Blackburn) and congratulations to him for winning the day. But there are still three more rounds to go and I love racing at Tokoroa,” he warned.

Following the weekend’s racing at Timaru, the series heads to Tokoroa for round two on February 23. Round three follows in Pukekohe on March 9 and, finally, it all wraps up in Taupo on March 22.

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Full results can be found HERE