THE FIM MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS WITH THE FIRST OF TWENTY ROUNDS ORGANISED AT MATTERLEY BASIN IN THE UK.
FEBRUARY 28, 2020:
For the first time since 2015 the opening round of the world series will take place in Europe; Matterley Basin, which will host this first GP of the season, is one of the most popular tracks on the schedule and everyone will be excited to be behind the starting gate again.
The factory Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team has achieved good results in each of the pre-season races which they entered and both Belgium’s Clément Desalle and France’s Romain Febvre aim to bring back a host of trophies to the workshop this season; it has been several years since KRT lined up two established MXGP winners and both riders showed with podium results at Lacapelle Marival in France two weeks ago that they are fully recovered from their 2019 injuries.
Alongside the factory squad Kawasaki Motors Europe will also support three teams involved in the MX2, WMX and EMX250 classes. The Dutch-based team F&H will focus exclusively on the MX2 World Championship with a trio of young talented riders from all over Europe with current EMX250 champion Roan van de Moosdijk from the Netherlands, his predecessor Mathys Boisrame from France and Danish teenager Mikkel Haarup, each of whom enjoyed podium celebrations last season.
Reigning Women’s World Champion Courtney Duncan from New Zealand continues her successful relationship with the Dixon Racing Team which will also be involved in the MX2 class this year with Wilson Todd; the Australian champion will make his racing debut in Europe this weekend.
American Mitchell Harrison, who successfully absolved this baptism last year, will defend the colours of BUD Racing. The French team will be involved in three different classes this summer with Mitchell in MX2, young Frenchman Pierre Goupillon in EMX250 and French champion Amandine Verstappen in WMX; the Belgian girl, who recorded her maiden world victory at last year’s season-opener, will have a teammate this weekend as BUD will also support American Jordan Jarvis.
After this opening round in the UK the World Championship will visit sixteen further countries including Argentina, Indonesia and China throughout the summer. The MXGP and MX2 classes will compete at all twenty rounds of the series while the WMX will have six rounds and the EMX250 nine rounds on their programme.
Steve Guttridge – Kawasaki Racing Manager: “Once again we start the season full of optimism knowing that we have some of the finest motocross racers in the world competing at the MXGP series across several categories. Each Kawasaki team brings a wealth of experience and aims to provide the best platform possible for the riders to put their KX machinery on the podium regularly and very realistically aim for the championship titles in their respective categories too!”
Credit: Words and photo by Kawasaki Europe
BAY OF PLENTY’S JOSIAH NATZKE, THE RIDER WHO IS CURRENTLY LEADING THE MX2 CLASS AFTER THE NATIONAL SERIES OPENER.
FEBRUARY 20, 2020: The famous refrain “Go Well, Go Shell” could perhaps never be more appropriate than right now, particularly for a race team that’s already rocketing along like greased lightning.
One of the most go-ahead and high-profile teams on the New Zealand motocross scene – the TransDiesel-backed Kawasaki Racing Team – is absolutely pumping this year and it has just gained a little extra lubrication in its slick bid to capture a national title this season.
This weekend in Rotorua it is the second round of four in the New Zealand Motocross Championships and the men on the distinctive green Kawasaki bikes will show up on Sunday with their bikes and rig emblazoned with the Shell Advance colours, a rapid and smooth response to main sponsor TransDiesel having taken over the distribution rights for Shell Oil in New Zealand.
The Kawasaki team is already strongly positioned, with MX2 (250cc) class rider Josiah Natzke on top of that category after the national series opener at Balclutha three weeks ago, Mount Maunganui’s Natzke following on from his New Zealand Supercross Championships title win back in November and his overall MX2 class victory at the big annual Whakatane Summercross in late December.
His re-branded Shell Advance Kawasaki Racing Team will therefore arrive at the race venue this Sunday – off State Highway 30 at Horohoro, just outside Rotorua – in a confident mood.
The team’s MX1 class rider, Te Puke’s Tyler Steiner, is currently positioned at seventh overall in this 450cc capacity bike class and poised to move up.
Change can happen very quickly on the motocross scene and now it’s going to be even slicker and massively exciting at the same time for the Kawasaki men.
“TransDiesel have done well to secure the distribution of Shell Oil in New Zealand. We are fortunate enough to be part of the transition to Shell Oil becoming the Major Sponsor for the Kawasaki Race Team,” said Kawasaki New Zealand Race Team manager Shane Verhoeven.
“Moving forward, I am truly excited to introduce everybody to the Shell Advance Kawasaki Race Team and it couldn’t be more fitting having Josiah Natzke taking the leader’s red number plate into the second round, six points clear of second place.”
TransDiesel sees this latest association as a perfect fit and an ideal alliance.
“Here at TransDiesel, we’ve got your back. Which means we’re always looking to improve the products and services we offer our clients and customers,” said TransDiesel chief operating officer Paul Harris.
“We’re constantly evaluating everything within the TransDiesel stable to make sure it is the best that it can be, which is why we decided it was time for an oil change – for us and for the Kawasaki Race Team,” he said.
TransDiesel is now the official distributor of Shell motor oils and lubricants in New Zealand. Under the partnership agreement, TransDiesel will manage distribution of Shell’s complete range of products across the consumer, transport, industrial, agricultural and marine sectors in New Zealand.
“TransDiesel is thrilled to be the new distributor for Shell lubricants, and proud to introduce and unveil the newly-rebranded Shell Advance Kawasaki Racing Team, which will be competing this weekend.
“The Shell Advance Motorcycle Oil has a long history in motorcycle racing both in New Zealand and internationally, so TransDiesel is very pleased to be able to bring the brand back to the market which we will see increase in presence over the coming weeks and months.
“Shell has been the leading global supplier of lubricants for 13 years in a row, a testament to the quality of their products and their dedication to the pursuit of excellence. We know the team are constantly striving for excellence too, which is why we’re so excited to be continuing our sponsorship under the new brand,” Harris said.
“With the alignment of Kawasaki, Shell and TransDiesel and all three strong brands sharing the same passion for performance, the future looks bright for this partnership and we look forward to our continued support
“TransDiesel is a well-established, 100% New Zealand-owned business, with a commitment to ensuring the brands they represent are global industry leaders in their respective fields. The company has experienced a sustained period of growth and success and this latest partnership with Shell is further testament to key international brands trust in TransDiesel being the best sales and service organisation to represent them in NZ.”
TransDiesel will begin product distribution in New Zealand on March 1.
After the racing at Rotorua on Sunday, the New Zealand Motocross Championships next head to Hawke’s Bay for round three on March 1, with the fourth and final round in Taupo on Sunday, March 15.
Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
WOMEN’S MOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPION COURTNEY DUNCAN LEAVES NZ FOR WORLD TITLE DEFENCE
Courtney Duncan (24) flew out of Auckland for Europe on Wednesday to mount her 2019 Women’s Motocross World Championship title defence.
Dunedin’s Duncan has re-signed with the England-based Kawasaki Dixon Race Team for a further two years. After a summer of catching up with friends and family, she has knuckled down again – training hard on her 2020 Kawasaki KX250 towards bringing the winner’s silverware back home at the end of the six-round WMX season.
Kawasaki New Zealand Managing Director Shane Verhoeven says the Kiwi arm of the brand was proud to have Duncan representing ‘Team Green’ internationally.
“Courtney obviously gelled with Kawasaki and the Dixon Race Team last year and we are excited to see what that brings for her in 2020. She’s now familiar with the bike and team environment she’s in and she’ll be coming into the season confident. On behalf of Kawasaki New Zealand, we wish her all the best,” Verhoeven says.
Monster Energy has produced an mini-doco and accompanying media release below.
Kiwi motocross star Courtney Duncan has her eyes firmly set on securing a second consecutive Women’s Motocross World Championship as she looks to defend her crown, with the series kicking off later this month the UK.
Duncan travels to Europe today to reunite with her 2019 Championship winning team with the World Champ also dropping her latest global content piece ‘Girl on Fire’ in conjunction with major sponsor, Monster Energy.
The 24-year-old says the ‘Girl on Fire’ film, which has been launched to millions of fans worldwide through Monster Energy’s global channels, is a depiction of the journey and sacrifice that took Duncan to the top of the world in 2019.
“Girl on Fire represents my career I think, just all the setbacks, injuries and failures that I’ve had, and then to come back and finally win a world title last season, this video is a representation of that journey,” said Duncan.
“To win back-to-back world championships in 2020 with all the injuries I’ve had to endure would be really cool, it’s definitely the goal and why I’m packing the bags and heading back to Europe and I think I’ve got a good opportunity of achieving that goal.”
Duncan says the production was the biggest of her career to date and riding through fire and being part of a high-end production was an experience she’ll never forget.
“It was the first time I’d ever done a film like this and having the fire in this shoot made it really cool. Literally riding through the fire, I’m not going to lie, was pretty daunting at the start but in the end, it was really cool, I could literally feel how hot it was flying through the air and I’d definitely do another one of those.”
A championship win in 2020 will see Duncan equal Kiwi motocross legend Katherine Prumm who was a devastating force in 2006 and 2007 winning both year’s World Motocross titles.
“To equal Katherine Prumm’s record would be really cool, I grew up watching her race so it’d be cool to equal that but at the same time I’m not a big stats girl, I just want to focus on riding to the best of my ability and I know if I do that we’re gonna win titles,” Duncan added.
Round 1 of the 2020 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship kicks off on February 20 at Matterley Basin in Winchester, UK.
2020 FIM Women’s Motocross World Championships
20/02/2020 – Matterley Basin, UK
06/03/2020 – Valkenswaard, France
17/04/2020 – Intu Xanadú, Spain
15/05/2020 – Maggiora, Italy
04/09/2020 – Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
18/09/2020 – Imola, Italy
KAWASAKI RACING TEAM UNVEILED ITS OFFICIAL FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RIDER LINE-UP AND NINJA ZX-10RR
Kawasaki Racing Team unveiled its official FIM Superbike World Championship rider line-up and Ninja ZX-10RR race machines for 2020 at the team launch yesterday in Granollers, near Barcelona – the final step before the season gets underway at Phillip Island at the end of the month.
Five-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea will be joined for this season by exciting new signing, Alex Lowes. Both will compete on the latest race specification Ninja ZX-10RR in a race livery that has inspired the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R KRT Replica and Ninja ZX-10R Peformance Edition road bikes that are now available to order at Kawasaki dealers.
The team now packs up for the first of the 13-rounds that will make up the 2020 season with the first official WorldSBK test taking place at Phillip Island, on Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February. The race weekend in Australia will start on Friday 28 February and finish on Sunday, the first day of March.
2019 KRT Rider WorldSBK Statistics
Jonathan Rea: World Champion 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019
2019: Races 37, Wins 17, Podiums 34, Superpoles 7
Career Race Wins: 88 (73 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 168 (126 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 23 (19 for Kawasaki)
Alex Lowes:
2019: Races: 37, Wins 0, Podiums 9, Superpoles 0
Career Race Wins: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Podiums: 20 (0 for Kawasaki)
Career Poles: 1 (0 for Kawasaki)
7 x Riders’ Championships (Scott Russell 1993, Tom Sykes 2013, Rea 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019), 1 x EVO Riders’ Championship (David Salom 2014)
5 x Manufacturers’ Championships (Ninja ZX-10R 2015 & 2016, Ninja ZX-10RR 2017, 2018 & 2019)
5 x Teams’ Championships (KRT/Provec Racing 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 & 2019)
Kawasaki FIM Superbike World Championship Statistics
Total Kawasaki Race Wins: 146 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Podiums: 433 – second overall
Total Kawasaki Poles: 88 – second overall
#LetTheGoodTimesRoll #NinjaSpirit
MOUNT MAUNGANUI’S JOSIAH NATZKE - TOP RIDER IN THE FIERCE MX2 (250CC)
FEBRUARY 2, 2020: Bay of Plenty’s Josiah Natzke is just where he wants to be, on top of the points standings after the opening round of the nationals.
The 21-year-old Transdiesel Eni Lubricants Kawasaki Racing Team rider from Mount Maunganui followed on from his post-Christmas win at the big annual Whakatane Summercross by also winning the day in the MX2 (250cc) class at the first of four rounds in this year’s New Zealand Motocross Championships in south Otago at the weekend.
Natzke won the first of Saturday’s three MX2 class races at Balclutha, and then finished third, behind Oparau’s James Scott and Christchurch’s Dylan Walsh, in the next race, keeping Natzke top of the table and with a four-point advantage over nearest rival Scott with just one race remaining for the afternoon.
The third and final race of the day was a barnstormer, with virtually nothing to separate the leading five riders – Australian visitor Caleb Ward, Mangakino’s Maximus Purvis, Walsh, Scott, and Natzke – as they fought handlebar-to-handlebar around the twisting Balclutha circuit.
Natzke eventually found a way past Scott and settled for fourth in that race, enough to seal the Kawasaki man a six-point lead over Scott as the riders now head to round two in the series, near Rotorua in two weeks’ time.
“Man, what a day it was at round one. I’m so stoked to come away with the overall win. I felt like I let myself down with what I wanted to achieve in the last two races, but anyway it was a solid day of racing,” said Natzke.
“A massive thanks are due to the whole team on the day for doing everything to make my life easier.
“I struggled the previous weekend (at the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix at Woodville, where he settled for third overall). But at Balclutha I felt a lot more comfortable.
“I was the fastest rider on the track in both the first two races at Balclutha, but my energy reserves were all spent by race three. Even so, I’ve got the championship lead, so I can’t really complain.
“I love the track at Rotorua. It’s not far from my home, so I know that track well. The bike is perfect and suspension is dialled in, so I’m really happy with my situation at the moment.”
This is Natzke’s first season in New Zealand in about three years after spending time racing in Europe, and it is perhaps some of that European experience that has helped him into the position he’s now in.
Fresh after arriving home from the United Kingdom, Natzke made his debut for the Transdiesel Eni Lubricants Kawasaki team a glorious one in October when he won the MX2 class at the season-starting MX Fest event at Taupo. He then also won the 2019 New Zealand Supercross Championships in the SX2 class, that competition wrapping up in November, followed now by his success at the foot of the South Island at the weekend.
It seems Natzke is well attuned to the green bike and he’s certainly rated among the favourites to win again this summer.
Natzke is supported by Kawasaki NZ, Transdiesel Eni Lubricants, Mainstream, Bridgestone, Rekluse, Alpinestars, 100%, Un4Seen Graphics, Pro Circuit, Moto HQ, Polisport, Koromiko Engineering, RK Chains, CFX Seats, Goodbuzz, Renthal Handlebars and MTX Sprockets.
Credit: Words by Andy McGechan, www.BikesportNZ.com
Photos by ENI Kawasaki Race Team
Kawasaki's All-New TERYX KRX1000
Kawasaki’s all-new trail adventure Side x Side was built for high-adrenaline fun in the woods and on rock trails. Boasting the toughness, durability and reliability that TERYX models are renowned for, the KRX 1000 possesses the capability and confidence to tackle tough rock crawls, superb cornering and straight-line stability on rock/wood/desert trails, and superior comfort.
The powerful, high-torque 999 cm3 Parallel Twin engine is paired with a CVT transmission and centrifugal clutch, ensuring superb control for navigating tricky technical sections. The chassis, which features a high-rigidity frame with integrated ROPS, positions the wheels as far apart as possible, creating a sturdy platform. This is complemented by suspension with massive shock units and long wheel travel designed to overcome large obstacles and to soak up bumps on the trail. The roomy cabin with tall doors and adjustable high-back bucket seats delivers outstanding ride comfort, allowing driver and passenger to simply enjoy the ride.
The all-new TERYX KRX 1000 represents Kawasaki’s first challenge in the growing Sport Side x Side category, and an exciting new flavour for hard-core trail/adventure enthusiasts.
Let The Good Times Roll
Tyler Steiner joins the ENI Kawasaki Race Team
The ENI Kawasaki Race Team is excited to announce that Tyler Steiner will be on board the KX450 MX1 machine for the 2019/2020 season. Tyler is a very promising rider with some great results both here and abroad. With 2 years experience already in the MX1 class, the 20 year old from Te Puke is set for a great season ahead.
Some highlights include,
Competed Mini O’s in Florida 2014
2014 - Junior 125 nationals 2nd place
2016 - 125 junior and 250 junior nats 3rd place
2017 - MX1 labour weekend 5th place
2017 - China international 2nd place
2018 MX1 labour weekend 5th place
Welcome to the team Tyler, we’re excited to see what the season brings!
8 Oct 2019
NINJA H2 ORDER WINDOW NOW OPEN!
BECOME PART OF MOTORCYCLE HISTORY:
2020 Supercharged Ninja H2 order window is now open!
・Order period : 1st Oct, 2019 ～ 20th Dec, 2019
・Production period : Jan ～ May, 2020
The H2R, H2 Carbon, and H2 are works-of-art and not just anyone can walk into a dealership and get their hands on one. Each model is handbuilt and must be pre-ordered and the window to do so is now!
Street legal H2 models feature a beastly supercharged, 998cc, in-line four engine that produces 231 horsepower, while the H2R boast 300 horsepower and are closed-course only.
With great power, comes great responsibility, which is why all H2 models are outfitted with the latest Brembo Stylma Calipers, Ohlins TTX rear shock, KYB Racing front forks, and Kawasaki’s Cornering Management Function to ensure optimal control and confidence on the street or track.
Don’t wait too long to become part of this exclusive ‘supercharged’ club—orders must be placed before Dec. 20th!
#Kawasaki #Supercharged #H2R #H2 #H2Carbon
7 Oct 2019
