Frid’Eh Update #23 | Josiah Natzke | Brought to You by Dirt Care
Week #23 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update belongs to Josiah Natzke from New Zealand and is brought to you by Dirt Care
By Billy Rainford
Brought to you by Dirt CareWeek #23 belongs to Josiah Natzke from New Zealand. | Bigwave photo
Welcome to Week #23 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care. I’m currently sitting in that Smitty’s restaurant you see on the left side when you drive from Calgary into the Rocky Mountains. I’ve always looked at it and thought, “Smitty’s, eh?” So this time I figured I’d stop in for breakfast.
Smitty’s reminds me of being a little kid and going out for dinner with my mom when my dad was out of town on business. I think I would either have the burger and fries or a hot hamburger sandwich. Both were delicious and I can still smell them both right now if I try.
No, it’s not as thrifty as grabbing a quick Farmer’s Wrap or Bacon Biscuit Sandwich and a Dark Roast Regular at Tim Hortons, but they would have to charge higher prices here for this view! It will also be the last look I get at the mountains for yet another year. No, there are no mountains in Edmonton or northeast of Edmonton where we’re going this weekend.
I decided to do the recap videos for the Canadian Triple Crown Series Motocross Nationals again this year. Sure, there are lots of video edits out there but I know a lot of people want to see what happened in a recap format as opposed to slow motion. From the comments on YouTube, Il’l up the voice audio a bit more for this week’s edition at Cold Lake MX.
My goal is to get as much information in there as I can, so I don’t get all excited and voice it over like I’m watching it live. Some people like to comment that it could use more excitement. I’m sure there’s a happy medium that I will try to get closer to as the series moves forward. These things could easily end up being 20 minutes long, so I do the best I can to squeeze as much fast-talking information in there as I can.
Anyway, if you haven’t checked it out, here it is:
While I’m pumping the Round 1 content, here’s the Race Tech Walk and Talk from after the racing in Calgary:
And, the very unsuccessful MTB loop of the track after the racing:
I didn’t do an official Photo Report of the racing action, but I posted a Faces at the Races column where I spoke about a lot of it. It’s pretty extensive. Check that out below:
Faces at the Races | 2025 Calgary MX National
Let’s have a closer look at the faces that were at the races this past weekend at Wild Rose MX in Calgary for Round 1 of the 2025 Canadian Triple Crown SeriesMotocross Nationals. I hope you packed a lunch…
I know, Kevin Tyler, I’m getting to this column as fast as I can!The weekend started off with the Press Conference at the Hotel Blackfoot. WLTN Kawasaki’s Brett Lee was the MC for the proceedings.A few WMX West riders took to the stage first.Then the expected key players in the 250 Pro Am class took the stage and fielded questions.Next it was the 450 class.Team owners/managers got their chance, too.New dad Tanner Ward.In case anyone was wondering, this is why I rounded 3rd base and went for home on the play…Wyatt Kerr kept his knee injury a pretty good secret heading into Round 1. At this point, there was still a chance he raced in Calgary.You can always count on Ben showing up at any race, anywhere, anytime.Team Canada MXON’s Kourtney Lloyd absolutely loves public speaking.She did great, talking about what she has in store for fundraising for the team this season.Kyle Thompson wears a lot of different hats at the races these days.Dylan and Jade Wright probably looking at what DMX posted most recently…I can honestly say that every WMX rider we interview for our ‘Out of the Blue’ column from the west mentions Danika White’s input to the health of women’s racing n Canada.Don’t work too hard, Palms.It’s always great to see my old friend John Meaney in Calgary and wherever else he decides to show up.Paul Puky will work for and defend Wild Rose to the end, I can tell you that!Julien Cerny. He missed qualifying by just one spot so he loaded everything into his panel van only to find out Charlie Johnson wasn’t going to race due to bike troubles. He off loaded everything and away he wet to the gate. He’s scored 26-DNF. He just told me this: “I sat out the second moto for a few reasons- track was very demanding and technical quite slick with the watering which gave me enough excitement for the day and my brother kept telling me about this great battle between Pettis and Dylan so I wanted to see it for myself and boy they did not disappoint!”#31 Gavin Brough from Nevada (left) and #397 Dakota Bender from California. 8-7 put Gavin 7th but it wasn’t a banner year at the Bender house… (Google it, Bowker!) 30-DNF.#35 Clayton Schmucki (left) had a good day, going 9-9 for 9th in the 250 class. His little bro, #315 Trey Schmucki, finished 4-6 for 4th on his Supermini in the Premix class.Wyatt will rest up that busted knee cap and come back swinging at Ste Julie.His 250 Priority MX teammate #93 Cole Pranger had a solid debut, going 13-11 for 11th.It’s great to have #28 Sam Gaynor and his dad, Jeff Gaynor, back at the races in the big boy class. Sam had a solid 2nd moto and was 10th overall (13-9).Seth Hughes was just here to hang out. He’s busy getting ready to head to Loretta Lynn’s.#10 Hannah Cole from Nova Scotia was just off the podium in 4th with 4-4 motos. She definitely wants to step onto the box.WLTN Kawasaki’s Crew Chief (I don’t know what fancy name they’ve whipped up, to be honest), Steve Simms. I’ve heard things like Team Principle (pal?) thrown around.Over the years, I’ve found Americans to be extremely open to chatting when you’re one on one. #55 Nicolas Inman’s dad was in this category. Tough one for Nick though, going 25-28 for 29th in the 450 class.With at least 2 fractures in his back on May 10th in Salt Lake City, it’s remarkable how fast #54 Dylan Walsh was in Calgary. He looks like someone and I’ll figure it out…#6 Ryder McNabb really put on a show at the front and this should be a long, tough summer for him against Preston Kilroy.That’s Travis Gibbs helping out his big brother #22 Tyler Gibbs. Tyler made more passes than just about anyone on Sunday. 7-7 put him 7th.Ulf Viney is a guy you want to sit and have a beer with. Originally from Ottawa, they call Murrieta, California, home now.If he sees this in time, I wonder if he can bring us some meat to Cold Lake. Word has it Papa Schmucki is a world-renowned butcher!Justin Roney slid over from KTM Canada to take charge of the Priority GasGas team.There were some new faces for me this week. That’s #318 Seth Crotty from Vancouver, WA. That’s basically where Washougal is.He finished 20-20 for 21st.#74 Alex gatt from Penticton, BC finished 17th (18-17). More on the Gatt family later…#975 Corentin Dietz barely made it to the line this week after motor issues. Unfortunately……he had some more.Score the first victory to #80 Preston Kilroy over teammate #12 Sebastien Racine.Sebastien finished 4-6 for 5th.1-1 put Preston, you guessed it, 1st. Look for some red and blue in Cold Lake.#58 Liam Dodds is from Revelstoke, BC. 14-15 put him 14th.I really didn’t think we’d see the Ufimzeffs at the races yet. Zach isn’t quite himself yet, but 11-10 is a step in the right direction for him, that’s for sure.Tough start for #700 Bobby Gravel. He crashed hard on lap 1 of moto 1 and headed back to the pits. He came back and was 13th which pushed him all the way up to 16th overall.Don’t look now but we’ve got another videographer on the scene! That’s young Dexter Seitz getting the shots.#574 Charles Charlton made it to the races thanks to the help of the Gatt family. There are a lot of good people in our sport. Charles is scored 32-29 for 29th.#828 is Jadon Lehtonen from Tiny, Ontario. I’d have to Google that. He was 23rd (22-21).And #615 is Damon McGuigan from Rocky Mountain House. 27th for Damon.That’s not Jared Stock. That’s Josh McBride from Enumclaw, WA in 31st.#277 Seth Unrau from Stanley, MB was 26th.When Jim Frederickson looks at you like this before a race, you go out and give it 100%. That meant 16-14 for 15th for #120 Jacob Frederickson.#317 Matthew Stokes is one “tall drink of water” as someone said. 18th for Matthew out of Manitoba.Always great to see Lee Jenkinson. You won’t find many people with more “stoke” than him.Anticipation and nerves will make you yawn. It can also be for another reason, but I’m hoping that’s not you right now…Sure, I put my helmet on one strap at a time but when I do it I go out and lead pro motos. (SNL skit bastardization)#29 Phil Nicoletti was not a huge fan of the track prep for moto 1.One of the hardest-working men in Pro Motocross, #18 Parker Eales. He’s already back at day 2 of work as you read this after going 7-8 for 8th.Not sure what Gavin’s plans are but I hope we see him more this summer.Dakota needs some redemption after Round 1.#737 Tee Perrott was finished 15-20 for 19th.#121 is Kale Cuthbertson. He finished 22nd.#84 Tanner Ward hit the ground 3 times in moto 1 for 9th. He came back and rode with some anger, finishing up in 5th place for 6th overall.Watch for #107 Lars Van Berkel from The Netherlands to keep moving up in the standings. He finished 6-12 for 9th.#14 Quinn Amyotte is such a great addition to the 450 class. He looked comfortable out there taking 4th with 4-6 motos.Sam came out swinging in moto 2. He finished 13-9 for 10th.It’s also good to see #482 Teren Gerber back and in the 450 class. 14-14 for 14th.We should be talking about #377 Daniel Elmore in the top 5 but a chain issue took him out of moto 2. 5-DNF for 13th.#292 Payton “Moon Unit” Morningstar grew up spending his time racing down south so it’s great to see him racing our series. 17-15 for 16th.#44 Noah Porter is quietly getting faster. 11-13 put him 12th.One of my top stories of the weekend was the return of #102 Jared Allison (left) with his brother Bryton Allison by his side.Watching Hangtown from the MX101 pits on Saturday.Saturday was Amateur Day. There’s a reason people sometimes refer to Edmonton as “Edmonchuk.” Lots of eastern European families immigrated to the Alberta region. My uncle’s last name is Swiergosz and he’s from Poland. He went to Kirkland Lake, ON but most of his family is in Alberta.There was some concern that the first tunnel jump was a little narrower than it should be. Paul Kingsley pulled out the measuring tape, and you know what? It was.Saturday night, the wind really kicked up and did some damage in the pits. I know the AVL team lost their awning and Red Bull KTM suffered EZ Up damage too. This brings us to Sunday…“Have you tried the Boston Calder?!” Boston is back from his stint in Europe and started his own suspension company called Devco. And yes, that’s Shawn Maffenbeier keeping an eye on Keylan Meston out on the track.I enjoy our witty back and forth banter, so I’m going to call #50 Crayden Dillon a sandbagger for racing the PreMix class. He seems happy though.Kourtney will be set up with her MXON tent selling merch that will help fund Team Canada at Ironman MX this fall. Be sure to check it out.You can win this cool Jess Pettis muffler too!$#591 Rylan Pozdnekoff moved his way forward in the PreMix class and found himself on the podium in 3rd.The class is an interesting juxtaposition of riders. That’s young hotshot #226 Jonathan Bergeron who got 2nd.And who knew Alec “Hell Ya!” Belyea was an on-air personality?!Jim Scott is helping out Crayden Dillon.Tanner Scott has his own guy now but was still there to cheer his buddy on.Premix podium: Crayden Dillon, Jonathan Bergeron, Rylan Pozdnekoff.#3 Kaylie Kayer dislocated her hip 6 weeks ago so she isn’t exactly where she’d like to be as this WMX West series gets underway. She was pretty upset at not winning but watch for her to be even stronger this weekend at the double-header in Cold Lake.Tea Ferguson crashed and sat out this race. She took over as official Ferguson Photographer, making her the busiest of the day!Her sister #4 Katrine Ferguson took the Round 1 win. Here’s her Fox Racing Canada sponsor JC Seitz congratulating her on the 1-1 motos.I think I was most impressed with the improvements made bu #17 Destiny Slingerland. She was in the mix all day and took 2nd.You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a Ferguson!The Slingerlands lost young Jason Slingerland in 2023. Destiny was racing for him.Who knew that both Stacey and I were born in North Bay?!Strong work, Hell Ya! And thank you for still making sure I got my results printouts at the end of the day. What a guy! 1-1 for “Kitty” at Round 1. She should be difficult to beat until Kayer is up to strength.I really like this. That’s an Eve Brodeur jersey Kitty sits beneath for inspiration. I don’t know who took this photo but Sylvain Brodeur sent it to me.WMX Round 1 podium: Katrine Ferguson, Destiny Slingerland, Kaylie Kayer.Team Ferguson.And look who was in the house! That’s Candice and Trever Cerny of the Devil’s Lake Team fame. Can you believe it’s been since 2015?! They told me they were going to have Josh Clark on the line for them THIS year but Josh just had a baby!Colton “Six Time” Facciotti in the Team Canada area closing merch deals.It sounds like the closing of the facility is just a formality now, but it wasn’t for lack of trying by the supporters of the Wild Rose MX track.Preston signing some plastic for a fan.They were actually discussing how the face of the 2nd tunnel jump was watered before the moto.Doug Pettis is always quick with a smile…followed by a witty quip of some sort.1-1 gets a hug from KT.250 podium: Preston Kilroy, Ryder McNabb, Dylan Walsh.Still one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, and definitely the nicest realtor, Chris Pawlitsky and his wife.Jade Wright.Nice to see Cal and Lenette Nowicki. I’m told he’s a former 1990 Canadian 80cc minibike champ!That’s Paul Lavoie from LRX. I bet he’s been busy the past few weeks.Let’s see how long these 2 can stay friendly this summer.Jess wasn’t thrilled to see that win slip away, even though they are tied in points heading into round 2.A last lap pass had Dylan dancing around behind the podium with a big smile on his face.Jess and Phil after moto 2.Dylan talks to a pretty good crowd.One heck of a mullet!450 podium: Dylan Wright, Jess Pettis, Phil Nicoletti.Phil has definitely brought more eyes to our series from below the border. He stayed late signing autographs for his Canadian fans.I think we’ll let Jared say it this week. Please say hello to Lori for me. “See you at the races...”
Sorry you had to scroll down so far to get to our guest of honour’s interview this week. I’m actually now sitting on a bench outside Hatt Automotive in Calgary. I really don’t want to spend any more money on this old van, but I just can’t drive across the prairies without cruise control again!
These guys are amazing and always open their doors to moto people who are travelling across the country. If you ever find yourself in need of some vehicle repairs or maintenance, you should definitely come see them.
#518 Parker Hatt is at another Loretta Lynn’s Regional at Washougal this weekend. | Bigwave photo
Young #518 Parker Hatt and his dad, Brad Hatt, are currently down at Washougal for another Loretta Lynn’s Regional this week. He made it in one class last week in Pala, California, and will be going for his second class this week. Good luck, Parker.
That took us way too long to get to Josiah Natzke. | Bigwave photo
OK, #23 is Josiah Natzke from New Zealand. He definitely takes the record for farthest from home when racing our series. Josiah was up here in Canada racing for the Partzilla PRMX team and then for the Red Bull KTM team last season. Without him in the class in 2024 it would have been a pretty simple win for Jess Pettis. However, with him here, the two went head-to-head every moto.
Here’s a look at Josiah’s season last year. I’ll leave Jess’s in there too so you can see the battle:
He was a great addition to our series the past couple years, but he’s back home in NZ where he rides for Honda NZ and just finished his national championship.
I grabbed him for a chat to see how everything went. Here’s what he had to say:
Direct Motocross: Hey, Josiah, great to chat with you again! I guess we need to touch briefly on your time here in Canada last summer. That battle between you and eventual winner Jess Pettis was a lot of fun for us. Now that some time has passed, can you sum up that battle?
Josiah Natzke: The battle was really fun, I’ve never experienced that kind of sensation of the racing being so tense. Sucks I didn’t come out on top but I really enjoyed the whole experience battling for wins. After that last race it felt kind of euphoric because of the relief it was over.
Josiah and Jess Pettis were about this close the entire season last year. | Bigwave photo
Is there anything you can pinpoint that you would do differently to hopefully come out on top in that fight?
I needed to be fitter was the main thing that let me down. I could be faster than Jess most of the time but I didn’t have the mana (strength in Maori) in my arms to hang on to the beast for 30+2. I learnt a lot the first 2-3 rounds about my bike set up and once that was dialled I could really turn up my riding.
Were you guys able to keep things friendly and do you keep in touch now?
Yea, we kept it friendly, lucky for Jess I’m a good dude. Definitely a few mind games, especially since we would be sitting in the truck just in our underwear between motos not talking. Lol. But we still talk and now I’m rooting for him for the title.
Josiah with his guy, D-Spec. | Bigwave photo
Now it looks like he’s got another long summer ahead of him trying to defend the title against Dylan Wright. That has to make for a very long summer, no?
It’ll be fun to watch. It seems mellow between the boys now but I’m sure it’s gonna get tense. Excited to see them out east when everyone knows the tracks. Friendship comes second to trying to be the champ, don’t be fooled by Tiktok…
Can you give us a highlight of your adventures criss-crossing Canada?
It was really fun and I loved sharing it with my wife and good friend David (D-Spec). Travelling out west was a highlight staying in some amazing places and then spending the summer in Quebec drinking coffee, pounding laps and hanging out at David’s shop.
What did you get up to after Canada and before you got going with the New Zealand Championship series?
A bit of soul searching really. Just exploring what my next move was and if I wanted to go back overseas or not. I got into a bit of digger operating and fencing which was cool, my father-in-law does a bit of that so I was learning from him.
Josiah finished 3rd in the 2025 New Zealand MX Championship just now. | Bigwave photo
It looks like your MX1/450 title came down to a pretty good 3-man battle with you ending up 3rd place. Were you happy with your riding?
I wasn’t happy with it but everything considered it was fine. I wasn’t anywhere near 100% and had a crash early on that delayed any testing and riding before our nationals. Just kind jumped on a bike and raced. The two that beat me aren’t slow and are top tier riders so I would need to be at my best to be able to win.
How is your series compared to ours? Similar? Much different?
Pretty similar but there’s a bit more money in Canada, but similar vibe and people around. The guys here in NZ are really fast and no one in Canada would come over here and just win. Our tracks are a lot harder to ride than Canada. We have a lot of ‘G-outs’ and square-edged bumps that make setting up a bike really tricky.
Now that you’re at a very safe distance, what is something you think we could do to make our series better in Canada?
There’s a thing there that a lot of guys complain and are entitled when things don’t go their way, someone at some point needs to tell the riders and personnel to shut up and it is what it is and get on with it. The MRC guys copped it pretty hard from my memory from people in the paddock.
We first met Josiah when he raced for the Canadian Partzilla PRMX team. | Bigwave photo
You ride a Honda back home. For argument’s sake, would you have won up here on that new bike?
Yes, I would… no, but seriously, like I said earlier the thing that let me down was myself and fitness. Not a bike.
What’s next for you?
Well, I’ve done a deal to race for Honda NZ for the next two years. They are an awesome team and are really looking after me. I’m building up my coaching business right now and looking to help the next generation of racers, but also the everyday rider. I also have a little one on the way so that will be my biggest challenge yet I’m sure.
No way! Congratulations! Did you bring any Canadian quirks home to NZ with you?
Well, I wish I had more maple syrup. I brought some home and it disappeared pretty quickly. Me and Tayla also speak little bits of Quebequo French to each other. Haha.
Do you ever see yourself venturing over to North America again or has that one been checked off your list?
The door is never completely closed. It would be awesome to do another season for the right reason, but time will tell.
The Natzkes are expecting their first child and he says “the door is never completely closed” when asked about a possible return to North America. | Bigwave photo
Be honest, you miss Tim Hortons and poutine, don’t you?!
It was definitely a go to on the road, but never my first choice. Haha.
OK, I’ll stop it there. Congratulations on your 3rd back home. I like to think I have a place to stay if I were ever to venture to New Zealand. It was great getting to know you guys. Good luck in the future and who would you like to thank?
Just David from D-Spec, he was the biggest part of my journey in Canada, being my mechanic and a real one. Also Matt Deroy for the opportunity to live a dream.
I hate that Preston Masciangelo from Brantford, Ontario, making the motos at Hangtown ended up as an afterthought here in Canada. With so much action going on over the weekend, I wasn’t able to give Preston the attention he deserved for making his first motos at an AMA Pro Motocross Championship race. Sorry, Preston.
Here’s a look at how his day went:
250 Combined qualifying: 34th
Moto 1: 32nd
Moto 2: 30th
Overall: 32nd
Here’s how he summed it up on his Instagram page:
-HANGTOWN- probably the two gnarliest motos I’ve ever been apart of, ever. Riding back at home just does not compare to that heat. Was sitting 26th in both motos, just faded really bad towards the end.. ended up going 32-30 for 32nd overall. Still not where I want to be, but getting closer.
Next up for #PMAS is a motocross school at Gore Road MX in London. I think I’ll see if I can’t head over with the Jeff McConkey YZ 250 2-stroke and get me some lessons. I’d better ask first…
Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Well, now I’ve moved over to a Starbucks near Hatt Automotive. It looks like I also need a new wheel bearin gin that same wheel where the ABS sensor crapped out. It makes sense though. After that wheel blew up a few years ago in Cornwall, I went without a fender liner until this spring so everything was exposed to the elements for far too long. Just when I thought I’d spent the last few dollars on this thing…
Another time, Dylan Kaelin. | Bigwave 2013 photo
It will put me a little behind schedule getting to Cold Lake, but I’ll get there! It will also quash the opportunity for me to cycle with Dylan Kaelin this afternoon somewhere sort of close to Cold Lake. He’s actually a big off-road racer now and looks like the rider to beat in the SOR Enduro Racing series that Jared Stock is in charge of.
WMX West Round 1
The WMX West players. | Bigwave photo
We’re now 1 round into the 3-round 2025 WMX West series. We’ll have a double-header this week on Saturday and Sunday in Cold Lake to determine the western champ.
With Eve Brodeur finally stepping down as Queen, the throne will have a new occupant when the checkered flag waves on Sunday.
#3 Kaylie Kayer dislocated her hip 6 weeks ago. | Bigwave photo
Going into Calgary, I figured this was going to be #3 Kaylie Kayer‘s title to lose. However, I hadn’t taken into consideration that she’d dislocated her hip 6 weeks ago and was coming in behind where she would like to be.
She pushed as hard as she could but came up a little short, for her, going 2-3 for 3rd.
#17 Destiny Slingerland went 3-2 to take 2nd. | Bigwave photo
I was most impressed with the speed shown from #17 Destiny Slingerland. I have to be honest and say I didn’t have her factored into the podium before the gate dropped. She’s obviously put in the work and goes very well at this track.
She got great starts and ran up front both motos. She split 3-2/2-3 with Kaylie to take 2nd on the day. It will be interesting to see how she does this weekend but the 3 of them looked like they were in a class of their own in Calgary.
Katrine Ferguson finished 1-1 for the win at Round 1. | Bigwave photo
#4 Katrine Ferguson went to Robbie Reynard’s Training Facility in Oklahoma over the winter by herself and put in the work. And it showed! She ended up going 1-1 on the day and was ecstatic. She revved her bike all the way from the finish line to the stage. I’m not sure how thrilled her dad or whoever it is doing the engine work felt about that, but we appreciated the enthusiasm.
There’s a strong field in WMX West so let’s see who steps up in Cold Lake. | Bigwave photo
It’s Military Appreciation Day on Sunday at Cold Lake. I didn’t really prepare but I did bring some camo cargo shorts!
It looks like I’m almost ready to hit the road. It’s still a 6-hour drive from Calgary to Cold Lake, so someone leave a light on for me. Actually, with how far north we are, it’ll likely be light until after 11!
Triple Crown Round 2 at Cold Lake:
9am Moto 1 FXR Premix / WMX
(Moto 1 not streamed Live )
12pm Moto 2 FXR Premix / WMX
3pm Moto 1 – 250 Pro
4pm Moto 1 – 450 Pro
5pm Moto 2 – 250 Pro
6pm Moto 2 – 450 Pro
Have a great weekend and enjoy the 2 days of non-stop motocross action!
It’s Yamaha vs. Honda, MX101 vs. GDR. Let’s see who’s smiling Sunday at 7pm. “See you at the races…” | Bigwave photoBe sure to follow Dirt Care on Instagram and to ask for it at your local shop!
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