Frid’Eh Update #23 | Josiah Natzke | Brought to You by RP Race Performance

Frid’Eh Update #23 | Josiah Natzke | Brought to You by RP Race Performance

Week #23 belongs to Red Bull KTM Canada rider Josiah Natzke from New Zealand and is brought to you by RP Race Performance.

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #23 of the DMX Frid’EH Update brought to you by RP Race performance. THis part of this week’s Update is being written from the back of the van on the side of the track at Temple Hill MX in Raymond, Alberta.

It was a hot one today, as the temperatures went up to around 28C after a long period of wind and some rain. The mosquitoes are out in force around here this evening, so I’ll likely not do much visiting in the pits tonight.

We’re here for the WCAN that will lead us into Round 2 of the Canadian Triple Crown Series MX Nationals on Sunday. We haven’t been here for a few years for the WCAN and not since like 2004 for the Pro riders.

I was standing chatting with Jay Burke as we waited for the Pro/Am moto to end the day, and he said he raced here that year and ended up breaking both his wrists. In true Jay fashion, he still drove the race vehicle home to Ontario in casts.

Racing in Alberta is tough. This place is so exposed on the hill and if the wind picks up, like it very often does, the track crew has a difficult task on their hands to keep the dust and the concrete, blue-groove to a minimum. There’s lots of sand in some of the soil, but the jump faces and some of the higher parts of the track dry out quickly.

Everyone I’ve spoken to says it’s a fun track. Even JSR said he liked it here when he raced back in the day.

As I was driving to the track from Fernie, BC, I learned that #711 Nick Collins had crashed and suffered a compound fracture to his femur. Ouch. That meant that the first Pro/Am race was shortened to 3 laps earlier today.

Then, when the Ladies first moto went out at around 5:30 there was a crash in the same spot and a rider ended up injuring herself. That meant the final race of the day, the Pro/Am was cancelled altogether. Not a great start for the top class (or the injured riders, of course).

I think they’ll be on the schedule 6th moto and last moto Friday (today). The question is whether or not the top riders will want to race this close to their Pro races on Sunday.

In the Ladies moto, #50 Viviana Contreras was the rider to beat asn she passed her way to the lead early and took the win. Behind her it was #3 Kaylie Kayer, #1 Eve brodeur, and #6 Annalyse Lopushinsky, all giving chase and having a nice battle.

I’ll be trackside all day Friday (today) so watch for updates throughout the day. If you’re ever looking for the LIVE TIMING LINK for these races and the Parts Canada Open races, you’ll find them at the bottom of the RESULTS page on the Triple Crown Series website like THIS.

New Zealand Red Bull KTM Canada rider #23 Josiah Natzke is the rider who we’re talking about and to for this week’s Update honouree.

Here’s what Josiah had to say when we contacted him this week:

Direct Motocross: OK, hello, Josiah. We’re here at Round 2 in Alberta. Let’s talk about last week at Round 1. There was a lot of talk going in. You looked like you had the speed. How would you sum up Calgary for everyone?

Josiah Natzke: Wild Rose was ok. My speed was pretty good but I had 2 terrible starts and that’s just not good enough for the standard I set for myself. And second moto I fell early first lap and it put me last with a lot of work to do. Overall, I took a lot of positives but I lost a lot of points. 

You made a lot of passes in moto 2. What is your key takeaway from Wild Rose MX that you’ll put to use this week?

Starts, Starts, Starts. If I want to win I need to be out front early.

You got to ride the track on Thursday for a few laps. What do you think of the Temple Hill MX track here in Raymond, AB?

It’s an awesome track and I think it’ll challenge all of us. Super fun layout with some cool jumps. I’m excited for Sunday there. 

It’s seems like it’s a tricky mix of soil here. Is tire choice and set-up difficult on a track like this?

Tire choice will play a role for sure. Maybe a switch between motos could be in the cards but we’ll just keep an eye the track throughout the day. 

Your races got shortened and then canceled on Thursday. Did you actually want to race on Friday, this close to Sunday? How did you do?

I’m not too worried, I’m fit enough that I can do a 15-minute moto on Friday and still be solid for Sunday. 

People always say BC is a lot like New Zealand. Would you agree with this statement? Are Canadians like New Zealanders in general?

I think that’s pretty true. I spent some time in Canmore and the vibe there is similar to home. Everybody is relaxed and friendly and just going about their day. I like the slower paced stuff. And the scenery in BC is close to the South Island with the mountains and lakes. 

Can you explain rugby to people here in Canada?

Similar to NFL but the game doesn’t stop – get the ball over the goal line and don’t get tackled. It’s full contact, pretty gnarly, no helmets. 

How are you liking being with the Red Bull KTM team so far?

It’s awesome, I couldn’t ask for more, honestly. The team works super good together and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.

Will they be cool with you lining up for the last 2 AMA Nationals at Budds Creek and Ironman? Is that something you’d be interested in doing?

I’d love to do the last 2 outdoors. We haven’t spoken about it yet with the team. My focus is the Canadian series so I’m 100% in on that and if the opportunity comes up to do some AMA races then I’ll jump on it for sure. 

I feel like we talked about this before, but will you try your hand at AMA Supercross again?

Never say never but I think that door is closed for me. I’m happy to leave my Supercross career in 2022. It’s gnarly and I need more years on it and learning so I’ll stick to what I know, Motorcoss. 

What bothers you about us Canadians?

Nothing really bothers me, let and let live. I think it’s kind of strange how friendly some of the riders are and the dynamics of people, but I do my own thing anyway. 

What’s the number 1 thing you miss about home? And you can’t say family.

I would say the beach, also meat pies. The culture too. Almost everything. I’m happy where I’m at though so I just enjoy what I’m doing for now because I know I can go back whenever.

I buy the St Hubert tortieres/meat pies. You’ve got your buddy Jonno here from home shooting video. Are you guys doing a long video for the end of the season or a bunch of edits throughout the season? It must be good to have a friend here from home, no?

We’ll do a bunch of stuff. He’s doing his thing with the Triple Crown guys but we will do stuff on the side. He’s got some sick ideas so we’ll see what comes of it. It’s definitely sick having another familiar face around and someone speaking my language. 

OK, good luck this weekend. 

Cheers

Josiah

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OK, it’s going to have to be short and sweet this week so I can get back to the action at the WCAN here in Raymond, Alberta. By all accounts, riders say they really enjoy riding this track, so we’ll see what kind of racing it provides us with on Sunday.

If the second Pro/Am moto is any indication, we should be in for a good one! The two factory KTM riders, #23 Josiah Natzke and #15 Jess Pettis pulled away from #80 Preston Kilroy and #109 Aaron Tanti as #26 Kaven Benoit continued to creep closer on his 250.

Head over to our Instagram page for more reporting on the racing from Temple Hill MX. Final day is tomorrow.

Have a great weekend.