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New Zealand's Ben Townley - Source: Photosport -
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Unconfirmed exclusive information out of the USA says that Kiwi
motocross star Ben Townley is heading home in three weeks.
His injuries have prevented him from getting back to full fitness
and he will take two years off to fully recover.
Townley won 12 NZ National Titles and headed to Europe at the
age of 16.
He was MX2 World Champion in 2004. In 2005 he was 3rd overall MX1
World Championship.
In the USA in 2007 he was AMA SX Lites East Coast Champion and AMA
MX Lites Vice Champion.
When Townley joined Honda Red Bull Racing in 2008, it seemed
like a dream come true. The squad included Davi Millsaps, Andrew
Short and Ivan Tedesco and the injured Ben Townley.
Unfortunately, 'Lady Luck' had other plans for the then
23-year-old.
"I had just started with Honda and I was doing some testing to
get ready for the East Coast Supercross series, said Townley.
"I came up a little short on a jump, really hurting my leg. I had
pretty extensive surgery on my heel, and the process just entailed
a real long rehab. I probably had a good three months off."
With his recovery complete, Townley expected to explode onto the scene as a serious contender in the outdoor Motocross season.
Once again, 'Lady Luck' would deal him a difficult hand.
"Right before the start of the Motocross season, and after
working so hard to get ready to make a comeback, I had a crash in
practice, really hurting my shoulder. I kept preparing and tried to
be ready for the opening round, but when I took to the track at
Glen Helen, I just felt I wasn't strong enough. In the practice
crash right before the opener, I did something to my wrist and I
was totally weak on my right side.
"After the first two rounds we decided I needed some time off the
bike to get healthy, and it had turned out that my shoulder injury
was quite extensive. I had to have it operated on."
Townley's dogged determination never flagged, but he needed some time to recharge. So he took a vacation to New Zealand, marrying longtime girlfriend Lucy and spending some quality time with his family.
