Frid’Eh Update #23 | Josiah Natzke Interview | Brought to You by Dirt Care

Frid’Eh Update #23 | Josiah Natzke | Brought to You by Dirt Care

Week #23 belongs to Josiah Natzke from New Zealand and is brought to you by Dirt Care cleaners and lubricants.

By Billy Rainford

Welcome to Week #23 of the DMX Frid’Eh Update brought to you by Dirt Care cleaners and lubricants. As I write this edition, we’re all gathered in Calgary at the Hotel Blackfoot for the upcoming press conference that will get the 2026 Canadian Makita Triple Crown Series Motocross Nationals started.

This year, we’ve again got some big story lines to keep an eye on and discuss. I’ll break down my thoughts after the interview.

I just pulled into Calgary Thursday night at around 10:00pm. I say it every year but that drive doesn’t get shorter as the years go by. I went the USA route and took I-94 as far as I could before heading north and popping out in Alberta, south of Lethbridge.

At $3.49 in some places, gas is still less than it is north of the border, so it made sense to stay south as long as I could. Google tells me $3.49 equates to around $1.16/litre up here.

Josiah Natzke came to Canada a couple years ago and rode for the PRMX team on a 250. Then he got called up to the 450 class for the Red Bull KTM Canada team beside Jess Pettis. It made for some great racing because the 2 were very close in speed.

Jess ended up winning the 450 title in 2024 by 11 points over Josiah – Jess won 5, Josiah won 2, and Dylan Wright came back at the final round and took the win to finish 7th.

Josiah went back home at the end of the season and picked up his racing in New Zealand where he’s been a top 2 contender in their 450 Nationals the past couple years. He was 3rd in 2025 and just finished 2nd in their 2026 season.

There’s lots going on in Josiah’s life and we asked him about it when we got in touch with him for this week’s interview. Here’s what he had to say:

Direct Motocross: Hey, Josiah. We’ve lost touch with you over the last year, so let’s catch up on all the things that are new in your life. First off, you took 3rd in the 2025 MX1 Championship. Were you happy with this result? I have to be honest, I haven’t heard of the first 2 riders!

Josiah Natzke: Not really. I’d like to be winning, obviously, but I was just racing for fun more than all in at the time so that results kind of reflected the effort put in. Max and Hamish are both really good riders, but they have stayed local most of their racing. 

And in the 2026 series, you finished 2nd to Maximus Purvis who ran the table. How did this latest series go for you? How close were you to him? 

Not very close. I was off a lot on my bike set up so had a few issues with that. 

So, forget all that stuff…you guys had a baby boy in November – Charlie Natzke! How has this development changed the way you did things in this latest series?

Just less sleep really. Haha. It’s fun being a parent but more changes for mum, you know, and she has taken on that challenge for us in the biggest way. It’s hard to be a selfish moto racer when you have a child which has been a blessing in my life. 

So, what have you been doing with yourself when you’re not racing? Do you work a 9-5 when the series is off?

I have a job now doing civil contracting and really getting stuck into that to learn as much as I can about something other than racing. I still race for Honda but in our summer which means I get to still scratch the itch. 

I assume you enjoy all the time you can get at home with Charlie, but do you do any racing other than the outdoor series?

No racing other than that for me. 

Speaking of outdoor series, you’ve been pretty vocal about the payment plan from our Canadian series. What’s the issue and how is it going to be resolved?

The issue is I left the country and hadn’t been paid the full amount of prize money. After a lot of texts and calls I was able to get half of what I was owed, but there is still a few thousand left. I can only assume the organizers phones are broken because my messages go unanswered now. Haha. I know I’m not the only one so I’ll see what happens. 

I hate the thought that if anyone down there asks you about your time in Canada that there would be anything negative to say. Do you mix in how much you loved it out west?

Oh, for sure. I loved it and really enjoyed the west. There’s a lot of great memories travelling and racing around Canada. 

Do you think we’ll see any of the younger riders make the trip to Canada to give our series a go?

Nothing on the cards as of yet that I know about. They all have their eyes set on AMA or MXGP. And Australia is close so that’s an easier option, but I know that Canada is a great option. 

Do you have any youngsters you’re keeping an eye on that we should be aware of?

None than the obvious CD (Cole Davies) who just won the Supercross championship. There’s a few kids younger than him doing well but you can’t really tell until they get to big bikes, in my opinion.  

Have you given any thought to which way you’ll try to steer Charlie as far as sports go?

As far away from moto as possible… I’d like him to do something else but of course I’ll support whatever he wants to do. 

Do you keep in touch with anyone from back here in Canada?

Yea, I keep in touch with David (Gingras) from D-Spec a lot. I spent a lot of time with him and we have a great relationship outside of racing. 

OK, we’re about to get our series started Saturday at Wild Rose MX in Calgary. Does Jess Pettis beat Dylan Wright and how will Harri Kullas fit in the mix?

Man, I don’t even know. I’d just like to see some more drama. Haha. Would be cool to see my boy Jess beat Dylan though. I don’t think Harri will be as fast as the other two, but maybe playing his strengths he can get a few wins. 

Great to chat with you again, Josiah. Good luck building your family down there. It would be great to see you guys again some time.

Thanks, Billy.

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Let’s get to the breakdown of what we can expect in the 2026 season that starts at Wild Rose MX this weekend.

For starters, it’s been announced that we’ll be back in Calgary for another year in 2027, so that’s big news!

Let’s look at the 3 classes in a little more detail. (But not much detail because I’ve run out of time here.)

WMX:

• Jordan Jarvis was snagged by the Dusty Rocks MX Yamaha team and JJ is the clear favourite to take this title. Her only trouble will be when she is on zero sleep after racing the AMA WMX series the previous day, like she will be doing for Round 1 this weekend. However, she is the clear favourite.
• Jamie Astudillo was the heir apparent after Eve Brodeur stepped away. She should be the one to give Jordan a hard time from time to time. The biggest question for me will be finding out which Canadian has improved enough to show her a wheel or even beat her to take a shot at 2nd place behind Jordan.
• The question most of us are interested in knowing the answer to is who is going to finish 3rd in this series. We’ve got a lot of improving WMX talent right now and I don’t really know who has done the most homework in the this off-season. Let’s see who steps up on Sunday.

250:

• I think we can all agree that the champion in this 250 class will be from south of the border; it’s going to be an all-out attack on our riders, for sure.
• Preston Kilroy showed speed and a rare calmness taking the title the past couple years and should be in the mix again in 2026, but it’s just gotten a lot more difficult.
• I think when you are the top prospect in the A Class in the USA you automatically become the odds-on favourite up here and that’s what we’re dealing with in Vincent Wey. He’s been known to hit the dirt, but if he stays up and healthy he’s the guy who should be racking up the wins.
• Ryder Malinoski looks like he’s coming into his own with speed and consistency. Being there at the finish line every round is what he’s going to need to be in contention this summer.
• Kade Joshnson is another A class rider turning Pro in 2026 from the USA. He’s a good kid and will fit in very well up here. Oh, and he’s very fast too.
• Dylan Rempel is likely our biggest chance at the podium this summer. Sure, there are others who are hopefully still improving, but Dylan was 2nd last year and is looking very good on his Honda.

450:

• Once again, this should be the “Jess Pettis/Dylan Wright Show” all summer long, but if 2025 was any indication, you just never know what we’ll get once the gate drops and these two ultra-competitive 450 riders go bar to bar. When JSR raced, I always bet on him. Then it was Colton Facciotti‘s turn to have my confidence. Right now, I give the edge to Dylan. I think he’s got the ability to go to the next level that nobody else up here has. Can it bite him? You’re damn right it can! Jess is the one who I’d say is still on the steeper improvement curve, so he could and should be right there.
• Harria Kullas makes his entrance into this conversation all the way from Estonia. I’ve seen his race a bunch and he can be in the mix and should be the 3rd place guy week in, week out. However, maybe he even gets a wheel in this conversation on certain tracks and makes this even more interesting at the front.
• Sebastien Racine is going to impress you on a 450. If you haven’t seen it yet, just wait. He will be in the mix to grab the 3rd place spot along with a couple other riders.
• One of the other riders is Tanner Ward who finished 2nd to Phil Nicoletti last summer in a crazy battle. Tanner wants to show us all that he’s not to be left out of this debate, so watch for him to give it 110% in Calgary.
• Ryder McNabb is where I’m most confused. I’ve never seen him race a 450 but he’s got the talent and speed to be at the front with Dylan and Jess so I’m going to hold off on my prediction for him until I see him on Sunday. I think he’ll just keep getting closer and closer to their pace.
• Blake Davies has moved up and is on the AVL Husqvarna team. I think it should be fun to see how he does on the big bike along with returning rider and perennial top 5 rider Daniel Elmore.

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OK, that was a bit rushed, going through the 3 classes, because I’m currently getting interviews before the Press Conference here at the Hotel Blackfoot in Calgary. You can watch the PC live for FREE on the Ryde TV app or on their website on a computer.

This Sunday should give us the answers we’re all looking for, so I’ll see you then.

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