Over the years, we’ve been blessed to have had several riders from New Zealand travel to Canada to compete in the Triple Crown Series. Josiah Natzke is the latest Kiwi to come over, and since he arrived two years ago, he’s had a lot of success, winning multiple races and challenging for a 250 Championship. For 2024, Josiah is now a KTM Canada Red Bull Racing Team member; for the first time, he will be lining up in the 450 class. We caught up with the likable rider from New Zealand as he and the team are getting ready to head west for the opening round this weekend in Calgary.
MXP: Hey Josiah! Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. With only days to go before the opening round, this must be a busy week for you.
JN: No worries! Yes, the opening round is finally here, and I cannot wait to go racing. The last two years, I did a lot of racing before the first Triple Crown Series race, so this year has felt a little different.
Two years ago you were racing the opening rounds of the Pro Motocross Championships before coming up here, and then last year you raced the entire 250SX East Series. So, you definitely had some more gate drops under your belt.
I’m not too concerned about it because I’ve been riding a lot with my teammates, and I also did a couple of races back in New Zealand during the off-season. They were more like fun races, but they were still gate drops. I don’t know. I’m just a guy who loves to race, and I’ve always found that I’m able to work on certain things in a race as opposed to practicing.
That makes sense. There is something to be said for racing as much as you can, as it allows a rider to perfect their racecraft. On the other side of it, though, do you think that this year you might be fresher come July, when, let’s face it, the championship battle really begins?
Yes, I suppose so! To be honest, I haven’t thought about that side of it, but you make a good point. We’ll have to wait and see how I feel later in the summer. In years past, by the time you get to July/August, you’ve already been grinding for months, so you’re certainly not fresh. But that is a good way to look at it, and yes, I probably will feel better later in the summer, when things matter the most.
It’s just a thought, as sometimes there are multiple ways to look at things. So, I saw you and your teammates at GPF in March, and all three of you looked good. How did the training with the team down south go?
It was great! We spent about a month there riding and training and getting our bikes set up. GPF is a great facility and we enjoyed our time there. After that, we all went to ClubMX to train for a few weeks before heading back to Quebec. It was pretty cool, especially for a New Zealander like me who used to sit back home and dream about riding at some of these famous places.
It must be cool for you and your mates back home to talk about what it is like over here in North America. I’m sure almost every Kiwi rider wants to come over and ride the tracks they see on TV.
For sure! Everyone watches the races and reads about what goes on over here, especially in the USA. So, when I told them I would be riding at GPF and ClubMX, they were all excited for me. To be honest, I was super excited!
You mentioned your teammates, Kaven Benoit and Jess Pettis. It was cool to see you three not just chasing each other around on the track at GPF but also going for bicycle rides together and hitting the gym together. Even though this is mostly an individual sport, the vibe and team chemistry appear high with your crew.
Yes, my teammates and I are very close, and it was great to spend time with them down south. Some days, I was the fastest; other days, it was Jess or Kaven. It was cool because we all get along, but there is still that feeling of competition between us where we all want to be the best. Hopefully, it remains like that all summer, as sometimes things change once we start racing. Jess and I will be battling in the 450 class, so that should be fun. I feel lucky to be part of such a great team and want to make the most of it.
Even when we spoke back in November after you had signed with the KTM Canada Red Bull Racing Team, I got a sense that you were extremely happy and felt very fortunate to be back with KTM.
Definitely! It’s been a long road, and finally, getting back with a KTM Factory-backed team feels great. I messed up the first time I was with them over in Europe, so now I’m determined to make the most of it!
Your journey is a very interesting one in that you’ve experienced many ups and downs. At 25 years old, you must feel a lot more prepared to handle the responsibility of having a ride like this compared to when you were a few years younger.
There is no question that I just wasn’t mentally or physically prepared when I went over to Europe. Up until that point in my career, everything had come easy and I didn’t really know how to work at training and riding. Looking back now though, I learned a lot and I’m glad I went through some adversity. It has made me a better rider and a better person.
That is great to hear! And now you’re ready to race and ready to challenge for a 450 title this summer. You and your team had a race two weeks ago in Quebec; how did it go?
It didn’t go exactly the way I wanted it to, but that is why we went. I rode tight and got a little arm pump, which I didn’t expect. Like we spoke about earlier, nothing compares to lining up behind a starting gate and racing. You feel different, the bike feels different, you know, it’s just different. So, I’m glad we did it. It gave us a reality check and some things to work on these past couple of weeks leading up to Calgary.
What is your plan this week as well as next week?
We fly out to Calgary on Friday, and then after the weekend, we will stay out west until after Lethbridge. We’ll do some sightseeing, as that part of Canada is amazing, and then I’ll most likely end up racing a couple of motos at the WCAN. That is it! Like everyone, I’m excited to get this series going, and I think we have a really strong team.
Yes, it’s an exciting time for sure. Well, safe travels out west and we’ll see you in Calgary.
Sounds good! Thank you for calling.
