5 Minutes with... Ben Townley
March 3, 2010, 6:16pm
By Geoff Meyer
After winning the 2004 World MX2 Championship and turning heads at the ’05 Motocross of Nations, Ben Townley signed with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and headed to America, where he picked up a Lites Supercross title and came close to beating Ryan Villopoto in the ’07 AMA 250cc Motocross Championship. BT101 then moved to Honda Red Bull Racing, but he also picked up a few injuries along the way, until his body was so badly damaged that he needed to take a year off and recover.
Now fully fit and with a new contract at Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda, Ben is returning to Europe to compete in the first few rounds of the FIM World MX Championship. We called him at his home in New Zealand, where he is busy packing for his return to Europe.
Ben Townley: I can’t put into words... I’m really excited. Everyone knows that I always wanted to race in America, but I raced in Europe for five years and made a lot of great friends, and I enjoyed riding there so much, and one day I hope to race in the world championship again in the future. I have raced at Bulgaria and also Valkenswaard [in the Netherlands], but Italy, I have never ridden there. I am really looking forward to Valkenswaard. It’s a place I have done well at and enjoyed it. Just riding a sand track and the European culture again.
So what’s your plan while you’re in Europe?
I’ll spend a couple of weeks in Italy before Bulgaria, living with Jimmy Albertson, then shift up to stay with Glen [Demspey] in Belgium for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be fun, just the relationships I still have in Europe. The European fans are so passionate and I still have a good fan base there.
Antonio Cairoli is the defending World MX1 Champion and a rider you know well. Can you beat him? Is that part of the plan?
I like to hope I can race Cairoli and hopefully beat him. I haven’t really raced the highest level since Budds Creek in 2007, at least not as a healthy athlete. I always had injuries. The motivation for me at the moment is that every time I throw a leg over my bike, it’s exciting and I’m loving it and I want to win. But I also have to be realistic. There is no reason with the steps I am taking that I won’t be up front again.
Did it interest you to see how Cairoli did in Mantova?
That was the only thing I was interested in from Mantova, to see if he would ride the 350cc and see how he would go. It’s a pretty big thing for the sport. KTM always have radical ideas, and it’s still pretty early. It will be interesting to see how he carries it on. He’s the defending world champion, and he will hope that everything is under control. I talked to them about riding it, maybe in America this season. It’s a big step to race a championship on a bike that is new. I had a lot of mechanical issues when we rode the 250cc four-stroke for the first time.
KTM did have contact with you as a possible rider for them in America. That didn’t happen, and they eventually went with Mike Alessi. Is that another reason to try and beat him, both in the GP and at the Nationals?
Not really. I was thinking long-term with KTM, something for the future. They pretty much told me it wasn’t going to happen, and then they signed Alessi, so it all got taken away. I was then offered a deal with Troy Lee, and I’m really happy it didn’t work out with KTM, because this has been the best thing that has happened for me in a long time, the deal I have now.
So no problem with the fact KTM went with another guy?
No, not at all. I am very happy with my setup now; it was a late thing, how it came about with Troy Lee Designs. We have a package that is perfect for me, and I’m using everything I want as far as suspension and engine and so on. There is no animosity against KTM.
Did Jimmy Albertson’s results from Mantova surprise you?
Hard for me to comment on that. I’m sure he’s on a good bike, and better than what he rode before. It’s good to see he did well. I’m not sure of the whole situation, and it’s good to see a guy who has come from a totally different culture and set up. It will be interesting to see how he does in the GPs.
It was close racing. One race, I had a small crash. I had seven races over five weekends and won six of the seven. Had a bit of a crash in one moto and didn’t win that one. Everything went to plan, really. It seems like, both in New Zealand and Australia, the supercross series are really taking off. Without a doubt. The Australian series is really strong with the way they have the supercross set up, the way they’re promoting it. It’s cool for the young Aussies, like Tye Simmons. I don’t know a lot of the other young kids, but it’s going to be a huge benefit. I hope some of the young Kiwis can also improve from it, especially the supercross. It’s becoming more about supercross the way the show is set up in Australia. Look at the guys who are riding in those Aussie series—people like Millsaps, McGrath, Hill, Reed, and also Roger DeCoster went over to look at some. It’s being noticed all around the world. The New Zealand series also made some good steps, and it has a long way to go, but it’s heading in the right direction. Also, having me involved helped, I hope. Supercross is the way forward.
It seems like a lot of circuits now are made with more technical sections, wave sections, and big jumps. Even in the world championships, at least in my opinion, the riders have improved from this. What do you think?
I think supercross has carried a lot over to motocross, and the technical sections and the intensity, you have to get out of the gate, do-or-die, and that carries into the motocross. I haven’t ridden in Europe since Matterly Basin for the ’06 MXoN, and that was pretty good. When I rode in Europe, the tracks were not the same as now, and they seem to have improved—they’re probably more fun to ride now. Then again, I also enjoyed the old GP circuits. I really liked them, and that was part of racing the world championship, racing on all different types of tracks. Too many obstacles aren’t good all the time.
So we will see you back full-time in Europe before you retire, but you first have to get an AMA Motocross Championship?
That is ultimately what I want to achieve. It’s my lifelong dream to achieve that. I’ve given myself a plan for the next six or seven years. I’m 25, and there’s no reason I can’t race the next five or so years in America and Europe and then maybe in Australia. I’m not looking past this year, really; I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse. Ultimately, I need to focus on this year.
After winning the 2004 World MX2 Championship and turning heads at the ’05 Motocross of Nations, Ben Townley signed with Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki and headed to America, where he picked up a Lites Supercross title and came close to beating Ryan Villopoto in the ’07 AMA 250cc Motocross Championship. BT101 then moved to Honda Red Bull Racing, but he also picked up a few injuries along the way, until his body was so badly damaged that he needed to take a year off and recover.
Now fully fit and with a new contract at Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda, Ben is returning to Europe to compete in the first few rounds of the FIM World MX Championship. We called him at his home in New Zealand, where he is busy packing for his return to Europe.
Ben Townley: I can’t put into words... I’m really excited. Everyone knows that I always wanted to race in America, but I raced in Europe for five years and made a lot of great friends, and I enjoyed riding there so much, and one day I hope to race in the world championship again in the future. I have raced at Bulgaria and also Valkenswaard [in the Netherlands], but Italy, I have never ridden there. I am really looking forward to Valkenswaard. It’s a place I have done well at and enjoyed it. Just riding a sand track and the European culture again.
So what’s your plan while you’re in Europe?
I’ll spend a couple of weeks in Italy before Bulgaria, living with Jimmy Albertson, then shift up to stay with Glen [Demspey] in Belgium for a couple of weeks. It’s going to be fun, just the relationships I still have in Europe. The European fans are so passionate and I still have a good fan base there.
Antonio Cairoli is the defending World MX1 Champion and a rider you know well. Can you beat him? Is that part of the plan?
I like to hope I can race Cairoli and hopefully beat him. I haven’t really raced the highest level since Budds Creek in 2007, at least not as a healthy athlete. I always had injuries. The motivation for me at the moment is that every time I throw a leg over my bike, it’s exciting and I’m loving it and I want to win. But I also have to be realistic. There is no reason with the steps I am taking that I won’t be up front again.
Did it interest you to see how Cairoli did in Mantova?
That was the only thing I was interested in from Mantova, to see if he would ride the 350cc and see how he would go. It’s a pretty big thing for the sport. KTM always have radical ideas, and it’s still pretty early. It will be interesting to see how he carries it on. He’s the defending world champion, and he will hope that everything is under control. I talked to them about riding it, maybe in America this season. It’s a big step to race a championship on a bike that is new. I had a lot of mechanical issues when we rode the 250cc four-stroke for the first time.
KTM did have contact with you as a possible rider for them in America. That didn’t happen, and they eventually went with Mike Alessi. Is that another reason to try and beat him, both in the GP and at the Nationals?
Not really. I was thinking long-term with KTM, something for the future. They pretty much told me it wasn’t going to happen, and then they signed Alessi, so it all got taken away. I was then offered a deal with Troy Lee, and I’m really happy it didn’t work out with KTM, because this has been the best thing that has happened for me in a long time, the deal I have now.
So no problem with the fact KTM went with another guy?
No, not at all. I am very happy with my setup now; it was a late thing, how it came about with Troy Lee Designs. We have a package that is perfect for me, and I’m using everything I want as far as suspension and engine and so on. There is no animosity against KTM.
Did Jimmy Albertson’s results from Mantova surprise you?
Hard for me to comment on that. I’m sure he’s on a good bike, and better than what he rode before. It’s good to see he did well. I’m not sure of the whole situation, and it’s good to see a guy who has come from a totally different culture and set up. It will be interesting to see how he does in the GPs.
It was close racing. One race, I had a small crash. I had seven races over five weekends and won six of the seven. Had a bit of a crash in one moto and didn’t win that one. Everything went to plan, really. It seems like, both in New Zealand and Australia, the supercross series are really taking off. Without a doubt. The Australian series is really strong with the way they have the supercross set up, the way they’re promoting it. It’s cool for the young Aussies, like Tye Simmons. I don’t know a lot of the other young kids, but it’s going to be a huge benefit. I hope some of the young Kiwis can also improve from it, especially the supercross. It’s becoming more about supercross the way the show is set up in Australia. Look at the guys who are riding in those Aussie series—people like Millsaps, McGrath, Hill, Reed, and also Roger DeCoster went over to look at some. It’s being noticed all around the world. The New Zealand series also made some good steps, and it has a long way to go, but it’s heading in the right direction. Also, having me involved helped, I hope. Supercross is the way forward.
It seems like a lot of circuits now are made with more technical sections, wave sections, and big jumps. Even in the world championships, at least in my opinion, the riders have improved from this. What do you think?
I think supercross has carried a lot over to motocross, and the technical sections and the intensity, you have to get out of the gate, do-or-die, and that carries into the motocross. I haven’t ridden in Europe since Matterly Basin for the ’06 MXoN, and that was pretty good. When I rode in Europe, the tracks were not the same as now, and they seem to have improved—they’re probably more fun to ride now. Then again, I also enjoyed the old GP circuits. I really liked them, and that was part of racing the world championship, racing on all different types of tracks. Too many obstacles aren’t good all the time.
So we will see you back full-time in Europe before you retire, but you first have to get an AMA Motocross Championship?
That is ultimately what I want to achieve. It’s my lifelong dream to achieve that. I’ve given myself a plan for the next six or seven years. I’m 25, and there’s no reason I can’t race the next five or so years in America and Europe and then maybe in Australia. I’m not looking past this year, really; I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse. Ultimately, I need to focus on this year.
