Solid performances at Summercross

Mount Maunganui’s Josiah Natzke is in a confident mood after celebrating his third major victory in his build-up to the 2020 New Zealand Motocross Championships.

The 20-year-old Transdiesel eni Lubricants Kawasaki Racing Team rider won the MX2 (250cc) class trophy during the senior phase of racing at the 48th annual Honda-sponsored Whakatane Summercross motocross event near Matata on Sunday, thrilled to be able to add that to the New Zealand Supercross Championships SX2 class title that he won in November.

Natzke had celebrated his debut ride for the Kawasaki team in New Zealand in October by winning the MX2 class at the annual MX Fest extravaganza in Taupo and this string of wins sets him up nicely for the 2020 New Zealand Motocross Championships that are set to kick off in Balclutha on February 1.

This latest result further enhances his glorious homecoming after a season of racing in the United Kingdom.

The MX2 class was the most fiercely-fought of all the categories at the Summercross event, with four or five riders all battling within a couple of bike lengths of one another, the handle-bar-to-handlebar racing starting at the drop of the start gate and lasting throughout each of Sunday’s five races for the class.

Visiting Belgian rider Jens Getteman (Kawasaki KX450F), on his way to winning the final MX1 class race of the weekend. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Eventual runner-up to Natzke was Taupo’s Wyatt Chase (Honda), with Motueka’s Josh Coppins (Yamaha), Taupo’s Brad Groombridge (Suzuki) and Palmerston North’s Luke Freemantle (Kawasaki) rounding out the top five.

The overall win was an “early birthday present” for Natzke, who will turn 21 later this week.

“I’m personally not a fan of the quick-fire, back-to-back, short-race format they use here and so I was never quite ready straight out of the gate, so whoever was out front fast had the advantage,” Natzke explained.

“I struggled a bit with that, but the last race was longer and I knew I had been faster all day, so it worked in my favour. It was a really good day for me in the end.

“The bike was awesome, stock standard, straight out of the manufacturer’s crate. I’m looking forward to the nationals now, with talent coming from overseas too and I’m excited about that.”

The 20-year-old Chase was naturally disappointed not to achieve the MX2 class win for himself after featuring at or near the front in all five of his races.

“I won two out of five races today and it was definitely hard racing on this track. It’s a build-up event for me and I have not felt 100 percent all week … lacking energy and just feeling weak, but I still showed I’m on the pace to win,” Chase concluded.

The MX1 class was more cut and dried after national MX1 champion Cody Cooper (Honda) decided the injury he had sustained during training on Friday was “too uncomfortable” for him to continue beyond the first lap of his warm-up at Summercross on Sunday morning, clearing the way for Hamilton’s Kayne Lamont and visiting Belgian rider Jens Getteman to take charge.

Lamont wins four races from five starts at Honda Summercross

Hamilton’s Kayne Lamont (Altherm JCR Yamaha YZ450F), who scored four wins from five starts on Sunday. Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com

Lamont (Yamaha) won the first four of five MX1 races on Sunday, with Kawasaki hero Getteman runner-up each time, but Getteman saved his best for last, taking his borrowed, stock-standard Kawasaki KX450F to win the longer-duration final MX1 race of the day.

It was Getteman’s first time in New Zealand and the track unfamiliar to him – although he did still qualify fastest – but his Grand Prix racing experience from Europe meant he was able to settle into a good pace in the longer final race of the weekend.

“It was good to win that final race,” Getteman agreed. “I struggled a bit with the first four races … the sprint races are something different to what we have in Europe. But overall it was fun. I knew in the longer last race I’d be better.

“I didn’t want to go home without having at least one race win,” he laughed.

“I hope I can come back and race here again.”

For Lamont, it was a great result after he’d suffered so much bad luck at Summercross in past years.

“I’m reasonably happy with how things went for me today. I just need to get time off work now to get deeper into my pre-nationals training,” said the 25-year-old apprentice builder.

“I have only had about five hours on the bike since Labour Weekend (in October).

“I tried for the holeshot in the last race again but he (Jens Getteman) got past me pretty quickly. I tried to chase him down but the track was pretty rough by the end of the day and so I just circulated to get the overall win.”

Other class winners from Summercross 2019 were Cambridge’s Damien King (veterans 35-44 years); Whakatane’s Darren Capill (veterans over-45 years); Hamilton’s Amie Roberts (women’s grade); Tauranga’s Madoc Dixon (youth grade); New Plymouth’s Mitch Rowe (vintage bikes, pre-96); Tauranga’s Danny Merriman (MX3); Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly (junior 250cc); Connolly (junior 15-16 years 125cc); Te Puke’s Kyan Loomans (junior 12-14 years 125cc); Waitoki’s Cole Davies (junior 12-16 years 85cc); Taupo’s Declan Connors (junior 8-11 years 85cc); Rotorua’s Ticayla Manson (junior women, under-12 years); Tauranga’s Levi Townley (junior 8-11 years, pro 65cc).