Josiah Natzke has announced a quick return to racing after leaving British team Buildbase Honda at the end of May, but he is staying within the Honda family.
The talented New Zealander released the news that he would join KMP Honda Racing to compete in the German championship for the remainder of the season. “Stoked on this,” he exclaimed. “I’ve joined KMP Honda Racing for the rest of the season to race in the German championship. Can’t wait to get back into it!”
Natzke joins KMP as a replacement for the injured Nico Koch. “With Josiah, we have found someone who fits well with the team and is also on the level of rider we need for the team,” said Team Principal, Alexander Karg.
“He has a pretty spectacular style, especially for a junior rider ā an international professional is also a great sparring partner. I hope we can already show in Bielstein [next round of the ADAC series] what is possible.”
“I am very happy about the chance I’m getting here,” added Natzke. “Starting in this professional team with a great atmosphere in a high-calibre series is exactly what I want.
“My goal is definitely to win races. This may not work out at the first run, but I want to reach that goal by the end of the season.”
Natzke hasn’t wasted any time getting his leg over the KMP Honda. “I have already tested the KMP CRF250R and I am very satisfied with the bike. Due to the great experience of Alex, it is really easy to come to a good setup with him.”
Natzke has suffered a turbulent few months in Europe, the 19-year-old hadn’t even raced a lap for the team when he was involved in a brutal crash at Redsand hitting the dirt hard in the first turn of his first race. And after his body got over the beating it took, things just didn’t turn around for him.
“A lot of what happened there affected me more than I thought, in my head and my body,” Natzke exclusively told Dirt Bike Rider. “Nothing was broken but I had a haematoma, I got run over and my body was beat, so it takes time to heal.
“That was where it started and then things werenāt going right, things in my home life that I wasnāt happy with.”
You can read the full exclusive Josiah Natzke interview here. He opens up on why he split from Buildbase Honda and the struggles of building a racing career thousands of miles from home. It’s well worth a read.
Hopefully, this new deal gets Natzke heading back in the right direction.
