The Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross championship has moved to the East Coast for the first time for round 3 of the 12 round series. Ben Townley put in a strong performance on his Luca Oil – Troy Lee – Honda with mixed weather conditions putting the Kiwi to the test at the High Point Raceway in Mt Morris, Pennsylvania.
With 6th pick of the gate going into Moto 1, Townley grabbed a good start and was in a top 5 position when he was challenged by Tommy Hahn in the opening stages of the race. Townley took some time to regain his speed but then picked off Hahn and Alessi in the same lap before rain made the High Point circuit muddy and slick. He had left it too late to reel in fellow Honda Racer, Andrew Short, and had to settle for 4th spot.
The sun was welcomed for moto 2 as track conditions dried out however Townley could not get the start he needed and was way back in the pack with a mammoth task ahead. The Kiwi put in an amazing charge from outside the top twenty and within 3 laps had rocketed to 7th place before he stalled his machine and was relegated down the field again. Townley took the bit between his teeth and once again charged back into the top ten when another error saw him go down and lose valuable time and positions. Determined not to give up Townley remounted and put in some blistering laps to finally finish in 6th place, posting the second fastest lap of the race as he came through the field.
“I rode really tight in the first moto and could not find my groove at all so I was not too happy with my performance. Coming into the weekend, we made some changes to the bike which we thought would work better for this kind of track but I just didn’t feel accustomed with the settings at all. When it started to rain towards the end of the moto I felt much better. We changed up a lot of things on the bike for the second moto and instantly I felt more comfortable. My start let me down but I was running such good speed and gelled well with the bike. I made two mistakes which cost me a possible podium but one consolation is that my speed was good. Now I just need to work on consistency and putting two solid motos together. I really enjoy Budds Creek so look forward to improving on my results.” vowed Townley.
Round 4 will take place in Budds Creek, Maryland next weekend.
www.bentownleymx.com
Image: Shayne Rice
Race results:
Round 3 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (1-1)
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (6-3)
4. 4. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (7-5)
6. Matt Goerke, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (5-7)
7. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki (11-4)
8. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (2-24)
9. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (10-11)
10. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha (9-12)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 126
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 101
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 98
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 95
5. 5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 87
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 82
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 79
8. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 76
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 71
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 55
With 6th pick of the gate going into Moto 1, Townley grabbed a good start and was in a top 5 position when he was challenged by Tommy Hahn in the opening stages of the race. Townley took some time to regain his speed but then picked off Hahn and Alessi in the same lap before rain made the High Point circuit muddy and slick. He had left it too late to reel in fellow Honda Racer, Andrew Short, and had to settle for 4th spot.
The sun was welcomed for moto 2 as track conditions dried out however Townley could not get the start he needed and was way back in the pack with a mammoth task ahead. The Kiwi put in an amazing charge from outside the top twenty and within 3 laps had rocketed to 7th place before he stalled his machine and was relegated down the field again. Townley took the bit between his teeth and once again charged back into the top ten when another error saw him go down and lose valuable time and positions. Determined not to give up Townley remounted and put in some blistering laps to finally finish in 6th place, posting the second fastest lap of the race as he came through the field.
“I rode really tight in the first moto and could not find my groove at all so I was not too happy with my performance. Coming into the weekend, we made some changes to the bike which we thought would work better for this kind of track but I just didn’t feel accustomed with the settings at all. When it started to rain towards the end of the moto I felt much better. We changed up a lot of things on the bike for the second moto and instantly I felt more comfortable. My start let me down but I was running such good speed and gelled well with the bike. I made two mistakes which cost me a possible podium but one consolation is that my speed was good. Now I just need to work on consistency and putting two solid motos together. I really enjoy Budds Creek so look forward to improving on my results.” vowed Townley.
Round 4 will take place in Budds Creek, Maryland next weekend.
www.bentownleymx.com
Image: Shayne Rice
Race results:
Round 3 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki (1-1)
2. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda (3-2)
3. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda (6-3)
4. 4. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM (7-5)
6. Matt Goerke, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha (5-7)
7. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki (11-4)
8. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha (2-24)
9. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ky., Yamaha (10-11)
10. Kyle Cunningham, Fort Worth, Texas, Yamaha (9-12)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 126
2. Brett Metcalfe, Australia, Honda, 101
3. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., KTM, 98
4. Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 95
5. 5. Ben Townley, New Zealand, Honda, 87
6. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Yamaha, 82
7. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 79
8. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 76
9. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 71
10. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha, 55
6/16/2010 8:40am
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