BELGIUM THIS WEEKEND | Bikesportnz

It’s a long way from the mini motocross ranks in New Zealand to where he is today, but Waikato motocross ace Josiah Natzke is on the fast track to the top and, if he can maintain his momentum in Belgium this weekend, he’ll be at the pinnacle of his sport.

The 16-year-old Hamilton rider (pictured at left when he was just nine years old and dreaming of where he might end up) is currently second overall in the hotly-contested European 125cc Motocross Championships (EMX125) after six of eight rounds and he heads to the sand-based track at Lommel, in north-eastern Belgium, for round seven this weekend in a positive frame of mind.

Riding for the Red Bull KTM Juniors motocross race team and with Kiwi former world motocross champion Ben Townley, from Tauranga, and Belgium’s 10-time former world motocross champion Stefan Everts to guide him, Natzke has every reason to feel confident.

He has already secured several spectacular and memorable wins in the EMX125 Championships this season – scoring victories in Spain, Germany, France and Italy – and he is currently second in the championship standings, just 10 points behind French Yamaha rider Maxime Renaux and four points ahead of his own Red Bull KTM Juniors team-mate Jorge Prado, of Spain.

To some extent, Natzke believes he may even have exceeded his own expectations so far this year, his first full international campaign.

“The season didn’t start off how I wanted to, with me struggling with the tracks and adapting and I was quite a few points down. But I began to dig myself out of the hole and establish my place in the championship, taking race wins and even an overall, which was always the goal.

“The main thing that I have been working on has just been sand riding and I’ve been living in the sand since France. The sand races in the EMX125 championship will make or break my championship hopes, so I’ve been working my butt off doing all I can to be ready.

“And at the moment I am very pleased with how much improvement I’ve made. It’s not just Stefan and Ben, but also (Stefan’s former world champion father) Harry Everts who have all been helping me out so much in the sand.

“It’s hard to really put a finger on one thing in particular that I’ve learned this season, but I think I’ve learned what it takes to succeed at a high level.

“It’s not just training hard and going fast there are also a lot of other things that play a part … things like being organised and being on time.

“As a teenager, most people still live with their parents, so they have them to look after them. But, for me, that was something I had to learn and learn quickly. Stepping out of home and onto my own, out of my comfort zone, I had to be organised.”

He acknowledges that there is only one thing he needs to concentrate on … winning races.

“The sand races means there will be other riders in the mix, which could work to my favour. I just need to get good starts and that’ll put me in a good situation.”

The EMX125 championships will wrap up at Assen, in The Netherlands, on August 30.

Other photos by Ray Archer

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