FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 24 | Page 55

Ben Townley
If nothing else , 33-year-old Kiwi , Ben Townley , oozes passion when he talks about dirt bikes and motocross . It courses through his veins , and even though he ’ s now retired from professional racing - and the sport took a lot from him physically - he is , and always will be , a racer at heart .
It ’ s always a breath of fresh air to sit down with the Kiwi and hear his thoughts . He ’ s never afraid to call it like it is , and his blunt honesty is a refreshing change from the usual PR-speak we hear from professionals these days . Whether it ’ s a talking about the tough topics , fighting for championships , recovering from injuries – and there ’ ve been plenty of those – or starting a new venture , it ’ s not BT ’ s nature to meekly pussyfoot around . He ’ ll tackle every challenge head-on and with 100 % commitment .
After an incredible career that saw him claim two of the most prestigious championships on the planet and return multiple times from what should ’ ve been career-ending injuries to again compete at the top of the sport , Townley ’ s finally called time on professional racing . But that doesn ’ t mean he ’ s sitting around gathering dust . He ’ s started a whole new adventure as a tour guide and operator in the picturesque tourism Mecca of Rotorua , New Zealand - giving people the experience of a lifetime to ride some of the most amazing tracks and trails to ever grace this planet .
We caught up with Townley to have a chat about life and his new direction .
Cheers for the chat BT . For those new to moto or don ’ t know your background , give us a bit of a run-through of your international career .
When I turned 16 I got the opportunity to race for a privateer team in Germany - and I jumped at it , leaving my family behind and moving to Europe to pursue my dream as a professional motocross racer on the World Motocross Championship .
Six months in , things went pearshaped with that team and I picked up a ride with a KTM team for my second year . In that breakthrough year , I think I ended up on the MXGP podium five times and won a round . When that team dissolved at the end of the year I was shuffled across to the factory KTM team as a fourth rider for 2003 .
At that stage I was hell-bent on racing in America , so went there to race some supercross in the offseason and got injured quite badly , which put paid to that entire season , really .
I stayed with KTM for another two years : in 2004 I won the MX2 World Motocross Championship , then midway through that year I negotiated to stay with them and race the 450s for 2005 . I finished third in that MX1 world championship behind Stefan Everts and Josh Coppins .
But you still had your heart set on racing in the US , right ?
A hundred percent , and I negotiated a contract with Pro Circuit Kawasaki for 2006 and 2007 . 2006 was a bit of a write-off , really – I did my ACL in January , so I missed everything until midway through the motocross series , then the week before I was supposed to return , my bike locked up while practicing and I broke my collarbone .
The next season , 2007 , was my stand-out year in America . I won the 250 East Supercross and placed second in the outdoors behind Ryan Villopoto . We were really close all season , but towards the end he really stepped it up and I couldn ’ t stay with him .
Man , that was a fascinating battle , and from memory you then picked up a ride with the factory Honda team ?
Yeah I signed with them for 2008 and 2009 and that ’ s when it all started to unravel for me .
What happened ?
I had a shoulder injury , but the surgery was a botched job so I had to have another surgery on it . By that stage I was pretty devastated with the situation and my career . I ’ d spent about seven years overseas by myself at that stage , so I made the decision to come home for some time off . In hindsight , that was probably one of the worst decisions I ever made . u
.................................. I ’ m Ben Townley
HI , I ’ M : BEN TOWNLEY I ’ M : 33 I LIVE IN : Tauranga I RIDE A : Anything KTM I DRIVE A : Hyundai van I LISTEN TO : The Rock FM
AND THE LAST MOVIE I WATCHED WAS : S ** t , mate , I ’ ve got kids ; it was ages ago ! I honestly couldn ’ t tell you the last time I watched a move .
IF I ’ M NOT RIDING I ’ M : doing a bit of work and spending time with the kids who love mountain-biking , water sports , and playing footy in the front yard .
IF YOU SEE ME AT THE BAR , BUY ME : A gin and tonic . Lucy ’ s got me hooked on them at the moment .