Motorsport: Townley keen, fit - and back with vengeance

Ben Townley is campaigning with a Kawasaki KX450F. Photo / Andy McGechan

Former world MX2 motocross champion and American AMA East Coast Lites champion Kiwi Ben Townley is well and truly back on the road to recovery after a fraught time out with injury.

The 25-year-old is back to his winning ways, having convincingly won the opening round of the 2009 Bel Ray cross-country series, beating well-known local riders Chris Birch, Rory Mead, Jason Davis and Luke Ramsey.

More good news followed when it was announced this week that Townley has been snapped up by Team Troy Lee Designs to race a Honda CF450 in the US AMA Outdoor Motocross championships next year.

"Although the deals come through late, it's exactly what I wanted," said Townley. "I'm really happy about it because the equipment is pretty good and I'm using the suspension and engines I wanted to use. They're the same as I used in 2006 and '07 and I'm really comfortable with that. It'll make the transition of going back over there [America] really easy."

His injuries have fully repaired and it's now a matter of getting the laps in. Before he leaves New Zealand, Townley has a full schedule ahead of him as he ramps up his racing fitness.

He'll race a Kawasaki KX450F at various events around the country including the Whakatane Supercross, the New Zealand Motocross Grand Prix and the Auckland Motocross championships.

"I'm 100 per cent healthy again now.

"I had an operation done mid-2008 and that didn't work and I had a second one done this year and the rehab has gone really well," he said.

"I set a plan a couple of months ago that once I got riding again I wanted to be racing again by Christmas.

"There's six or seven races in the space of six weekends so it's going to be a great time for me to get back into the rhythm of things."

Townley is hoping to get even more race kilometres under his wheels before he arrives in America for the start of their motocross season in May. He's trying to put together a deal that'll allow him to contest the two opening rounds of the MX1 world motocross championships in Bulgaria and Italy in April next year.

"If I can pull it off that would be great preparation for me. It would be in my best interests to do that as far as looking at where my speed's at.

"I'll be able to gauge if I'm ready to go [race in America] and then it still gives me about five weeks before my championship starts on May 21," said Townley.

An added bonus for New Zealand is that if Townley remains fit and is back on the pace, he'll be able to join Josh Coppins - who's back for one more tilt at the world MX1 crown on an Aprillia - and Cody Cooper for the Motocross des Nations.

Coppins is a proven performer in the nation-versus-nation contest, Townley made a big impression when he last competed in 2006 and Cody's speed has been improving steadily.

"By next September for that event I want to really be on form. It's a dream for me to win that.

"All three of us have done it twice before but Cody wasn't at the level he is now and all three of us are at the point that if the stars and planets are aligned and the sun is in the right spot, we could probably do it that day."

BEN TOWNLEY

2001: Debut season in World.
2002: Won first GP in Sweden - Uddevalla.
2003: 11th overall 125cc World Championship.
2004: World Champion MX2. Dutch MX2 Champion.
2005: 3rd overall MX1 World Championship.
2006: 3rd overall AMA Motocross Lites, 2nd Overall MX 2 Motocross of Nations.
2007: AMA Supercross Lites East Coast Champion.