The New Zealand motocross season has only just begun, but already Waikato youngster Josiah Natzke is starting to gain frightening momentum.

And those who could be taking fright from this won’t be Natzke’s many friends, fans and supporters, or his CMR Red Bull KTM team crew for that matter, but his competition rivals as he flexes his muscles before the main order of business, the 2015 New Zealand Motocross Championships, set to kick off in Taranaki in early February.

Natzke entered two classes at the annual two-day Waikato Motocross Championships, on the outskirts of Te Kuiti at the weekend, the teenage national 125cc champion taking his new KTM 250F to romp to a healthy 10-point victory in the MX2 (250cc) class and then backing up that performance by rolling to the start line on a KTM 350F and finishing a remarkable third overall against the vastly-experienced MX1 class stars.

“It’s all about me building up my strength,” he said, the 15-year-old explaining why he’d chosen on Sunday to contest twice as many races as his opposition.

“It was hard work today and I’m shattered. I’ll sleep like a baby tonight,” he said.

“I was gaining ground on the MX1 class leaders but, once I got tired, it became a bit scary and so I just backed it down a bit.”

Natzke finished no worse than third all weekend, notching a 1-1-2 score-card in the MX2 class and scoring a hat-trick of third placings in the MX1 class.

Natzke is in hot form at the moment, having surprised everyone when he dominated the racing in his debut MX2 ride at the season-opening MX Fest event at Taupo over Labour Weekend, just one week earlier.

The next race for Natzke is to contest the Auckland Motocross Championships early next month, followed by the Whakatane Summercross on December 28 and the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville on January 25.

The four-round 2015 New Zealand Motocross Championships kick off near New Plymouth on February 8.

© Words and photo by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com

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