Natzke had led the series from the opening
round, but he lost that advantage at round three
in Hawke’s Bay when another rider slammed
into him at the start of one of his races, forcing
Natzke to battle back from nearly a lap behind.
In a stunning performance, he carved his way
through traffic and finished eighth in that fateful
race, his worst result of the series and one that
would ultimately cost him the title.
When 19-year-old Purvis finished runner-up
in both of the day’s first two races at Taupo,
while Natzke finished third in race one and then
won race two, it set up an intriguing scenario –
whomever of these two riders won the day’s final
MX2 race would take the title for 2020.
Purvis rocketed into the lead in that final race
and never looked back, although, if he had,
he would have seen Natzke on another furious
charge through traffic.
It was an inspiring performance from Natzke,
as he clawed his way to the No.2 spot, but
unfortunately, this was not quite enough and he
had to settle for the runner-up position overall
for the championships, finishing the series just
six points behind Purvis.
Third overall for the MX2 championship was
James Scott, who was never off the podium and
also won the battle-within-a-battle for Under-19
grade honours.
Natzke had consistently been one of the fastest
men all season, often eclipsing even the best
of the MX1 class riders (who were on 350cc and
450cc bikes), but outright speed does not always
translate into trophies, especially when you often
don’t have luck on your side.
“I needed a better start in that last race. Purvis
got in front at the start and broke away. I managed
to reel him in near the end, but it wasn’t enough,”
said Natzke.
“I should have won the championship, but I was
beaten fair and square today,” he graciously said.
For Purvis, the MX2 title win became a nice
book-end to the national 125cc title he won for
Yamaha in 2018 and a treasured addition to the
MX2 class title he won at the Honda New Zealand
Motocross Grand Prix in later January.
KIWI RIDER 31