Date:  5 September 2010

Townley sustains broken nose in Steel City.

The penultimate round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross series has dealt a painful blow to New Zealander Ben Townley.    The Lucas Oil – Troy Lee – Honda racer received a rock to the face in the opening  450 moto while chasing eventual overall winner and fellow Honda rider, Kevin Windham.  The painful incident did not keep the gutsy Kiwi from soldiering on to secure a well deserved podium finish as he had to fight back to third while keeping a charging Andrew Short at bay.

‘Lady Luck’ also deserted Townley in the second moto when he tangled and crashed with Australian Michael Byrne in the first turn.   BT could not continue the race due to a damaged motorcycle and had to return to the pits disappointed.

“I was right on Kevin when we hit the wall jump on the first lap and his back wheel spat out a rock that connected me right on the nose.    At first I thought of pulling out as the pain was that bad but the adrenalin must of taken over and I had to work my way back from around 6^th spot to 3rd.  It was really close racing with Short towards the end of the moto but I managed to hold on.  We patched up the nose for moto 2 but my race didn’t last very long with the first turn crash so it was a day to forget.  I’m looking forward to racing Pala next weekend.” commented Townley.   

Race results:

450 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda (1-2)
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (2-3)
3. Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, Yamaha (5-4)
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (4-5)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (7-7)
6. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (40-1)
7. Nick Paluzzi, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (10-8)
8. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha (14-6)
9. Robert Kiniry, Syracuse, N.Y., Suzuki (9-11)
10. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (3-37)

450 Class Championship Standings

1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 493
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 356
3. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 351
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 301
5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 291
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 260
7. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 238
8. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha, 211
9. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 204
10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., Kawasaki, 201
11. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 201

Date: 30 August 2010.

Ben Townley fights in Southwick sand.

The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross series entered one of its final stages with round 10 of 12 taking place in Southwick over the weekend.   Lucas Oil – Troy Lee Designs  - Honda racer,  Ben Townley ,  kick started the event as the man to beat as he posted the fastest qualifying times in both morning timed sessions.   

Rolling onto the start line for moto 1, Townley was determined to get his first moto win under his belt.  As the gate dropped,  ‘BT’ grabbed a good jump and hung tight in the first turn, narrowly missing out on the hole-shot  from  fellow Honda racer, Brett Metcalfe.   Townley was all over the back of Metcalfe in the opening lap and anxious to make a pass on the Australian.   On a fast downhill section, Townley tried to run up the inside of Metcalfe but touched his back wheel coming into the turn and went down.  He quickly remounted but collided with Andrew Short minutes later and had to re-start again from the back of the pack.   Townley put his head down and clawed his way through the field.  With 5 minutes remaining he rocketed into 7^th spot and was gaining on Chisholm and Regal when a technical problem forced the Kiwi to the sidelines.

Eager to make up for the disastrous outcome of the first moto,  Townley once again grabbed a solid start and this time he quickly made his way to the front of the pack.  With newly crowned champion Ryan Dungey hot on his heels, Townley settled into a race rhythm and tried to gap Dungey but could not shake off the American.   Dungey made his move on lap 6 while Townley latched on trying to keep up the pressure.    The two riders left the rest of the field behind however Dungey would also shake Townley to take a convincing win with Townley coming home in a well deserved second place.

“I had a shot of winning that first moto and blew it” stated Townley “ I was the fastest guy out there today but was just too eager and paid the price for it.  I put my heart into fighting back after Short hit me and then we had a problem with the water pump which shattered any chances of an overall podium but that’s racing I guess.  Ryan was really strong in the second moto and I didn’t have an answer for him which is frustrating but I also have to be realistic and focus on  improving my strength .”

Townley occupies 5^th in the points standings and will head to Steel City for round 11 next weekend.

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Race results:

450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 468
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 317
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 314
4. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 273
5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 271
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 260
7. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 216
8. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 204
9. Kyle Regal, Kemp, Texas, Honda, 201
10. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha, 194