Josiah Natzke has made the difficult decision to step away from the Buildbase Honda team and his UK commitments.
Natzke was involved in a brutal crash at Red Sand in Spain during the EMX250 championship and has struggled ever since.
It has been rumoured for the past week or so, and now the team and the 19-year-old New Zealander have confirmed the split. But Natzke has nothing but praise for the Buildbase Honda crew. “The team have been very supportive since my crash,” he said. “Itās a tough decision for me and not something I have taken lightly. I would like to thank Willy and the rest of the Buildbase crew for all their hard work.”
Team owner, Dave Thorpe said: “Josiahās a great kid and a very talented rider and I really feel for him,ā said team owner Dave Thorpe. āIt was a big crash that has badly affected him, Heās going to take time out with our full support and as a team we wish him well.”
Josh Gilbert will now step in from the satellite Honda Adventure Centre team, but the 20-year-old won’t feel any pressure following a blistering start to the season that has seen him bag two second overall finishes from three rounds of the Maxxis ACU British MX2 Motocross Championship.
“The plan is to keep going the way Iām going, stay focussed and keep getting the results,” said Josh. “The bike is the same and weāre all part of the same family so itās not a massive change for me.”
