Townley Endures Painful Hangtown Motocross Classic

Factory Red Bull Honda’s Ben Townley has experienced another setback in his 2008 AMA Motocross campaign. The 23-year-old New Zealander took a big tumble in one of the Saturday practice sessions at round two of the series near Sacramento, California.

Townley was diagnosed with a chipped right ankle bone but was cleared to ride two grueling 30 minute + 2 lap motos on Sunday after he put in a gutsy performance to qualify 12th.

Soaring temperatures and rough track conditions certainly put riders to the test as Moto 1 got underway with Townley grabbing a reasonable start and positioning himself in the top ten. ‘BT’ rode through the pain to claim 8th spot by the end of the moto.

A slightly better start in moto 2 saw the number 101 Red Bull Honda have to deal with a charging Tim Ferry and Mike Alessi in the opening stages. Townley slotted into his race rhythm, trying not to take any extra risks, as he chased fellow Honda team-mate Davi Millsaps and privateer Steve Boniface to the flag.

“This is not how I want to be racing but I have to deal with it and keep the ball rolling,” explained Townley. “The last few weeks have been really testing both physically and mentally but I’ve been able to overcome the setbacks and I’ll be looking forward to Texas and getting my body healed.”

Townley heads back to his home base in Tallahassee Florida to prepare for the 3rd round of the AMA Nationals at Freestone County Raceway in Wortham, Texas on the 7-8 June.

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Image: Frank Hoppen

Motocross (Moto Finish)

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 1-1

2. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-2

3. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 4-3

4. Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 3-5

5. Steve Boniface, Corona, Calif., Honda, 6-6

6. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 8-7

7. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 16-4

8. Michael Byrne, Newman, Geo., Suzuki, 9-10

9. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 11-9

10. Andrew Short, Smithville, Tex., Honda, 14-8

Motocross Class Point Standings

1. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Kawasaki, 100

2. Timmy Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 80

3. Davi Millsaps, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 76

4. Ivan Tedesco, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 68

5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 67

6. Steve Boniface, Corona, Calif., Honda, 49

7. Michael Byrne, Newman, Geo., Suzuki, 49

8. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Honda, 42

9. Jeff Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Honda, 40

10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., KTM, 40