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New Zealand MX star, Ben Townley has ridden to two superb victories at the eighth round of the MX1 Motocross series in Castiglione del Lago. In doing so the twenty year-old handed KTM their second ever MX1 GP win and is certain that there are more to come.
A technical uphill start saw Townley leaning over the front end of his factory KTM in order to get the best traction possible. The Kiwi prodigy didn’t have it all his own way from the start and had to fight his way through to third position in the opening laps. A spectacular battle ensued with GP veteran, Joel Smets however it was the younger Townley who muscled his way pass and set after leader Brian Jorgensen. Townley caught the Dane, made a quick passing manoeuvre and immediately pulled a comfortable gap. A small mistake almost cost BT the race when he ran off the track and lost his lead to Jorgensen and Smets. Townley’s superior speed soon put him in front of Smets and hot on the heels of Jorgensen for the second time. The Italian crowd loved every second of the tussle and with one lap to go Townley capitalized on a Jorgensen mechanical problem and deservedly took the chequered flag to draw first blood.
The second moto start was just as difficult however BT miraculously cut his way through the pack with surgical precision and appeared in second position, ready for a re-match with Jorgensen. The Dane didn’t last long this time as BT quickly passed him on the first lap and opened up a four second lead. With fifteen minutes gone Townley was experiencing clutch problems which enabled arch rival Stefan Everts to close the gap and take over the lead. Townley’s sheer determination would not let him be counted out just yet as he tailed Everts for and by the final lap he was breathing down the Belgian’s neck. Everts was pressured to make a hasty pass on a back marker and went down in the process - Townley punched the air as he took the chequered flag for a magnificent double victory.
Said Townley, ““It was an amazing day. They did a really great job with the track. It is hard to find such a place where there is traction everywhere and places to pass. I enjoyed it out there today and it was fun to ride. I had some luck in both races but it was my turn for some good fortune. I was angry with myself and that small mistake in the first moto. I used a lot of energy to get to the front and having to go back to third and do it all over again was difficult. I had problem with the clutch in the second moto and it kept coming and going. It is pretty tricky for me to ride third gear on my bike without the clutch especially in the tight corners. I was struggling when Stefan passed me but I stuck to his wheel as much as I could. I was lucky at the end of the race because my clutch came back and he also ran into some trouble with backmarkers. This race was the first time the Grand Prix has been live in New Zealand and it was cool to win for my family and friends watching back home. This is an awesome win for me. To sit here with Stefan and Joel either side of me I don’t know how many titles there are here! They are both people who have helped me with my career since I have been in Europe, beating both of them was like a dream come true.”
Townley takes a weekend off before he will travel to St Jean D’Angely, a track that he feels certain to produce a positive result on.
