Posts
2826
Joined
7/1/2008
Location
Castle Rock, CO, USA
Edited Date/Time
1/26/2012 9:22pm
"One thing to take away from Bercy: I think Tony Cairoli should give himself another year before trying AMA Supercross as the extremely fast outdoor rider just didn't look comfortable out there, and Bercy is nothing like a real big American SX track like he would see at Anaheim or Atlanta. He could compete for an AMA outdoor title, no problem, but like past interlopers Greg Albertyn, Sebastien Tortelli, Ben Townley and Tyla Rattray, Supercross might be a real challenge for him"
Am I missing something or did Townely win a supercross championship his rookie season over here? Why does everybody think this guy can't ride supercross?!
Am I missing something or did Townely win a supercross championship his rookie season over here? Why does everybody think this guy can't ride supercross?!
Also when CP first came over for couple races,he did really well.
However,I believe he hurt his ankle.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
I'm not saying he's the best SX racer to ever line up but everyone in the media acts like the guy was a total bust when it came to sx. I don't get that when the only thing we have to base his sx skills on is the one sx series he raced where he happened to win the title.
kardy.. I've never heard anything in the media other than negative print , in one fashion or another , about BT's sx skills or lack there of. . Racerhead this week is just one example of many. If you can find me one example of the contrary other than a report back in 2007 I'd be amazed.
I will say i should of changed that sentence to read a lot of people in the media instead of everyone though.
Pit Row
Ben Townley
133
Ryan Morais
130
Darcy Lange
117
Branden Jesseman
103
Ryan Dungey
98
Billy Laninovich (Team AMSOIL)
85
Thomas Hahn
84
Mike Alessi
84
Matt Goerke
83
Justin Brayton
68
Ben Townley came from three points down to wrap up the Supercross Lites title on Saturday night at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. (Check the link at the top of the article for all the race coverage.) That made it a clean sweep for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki crew in ’07 Supercross Lites, taking the West title with Ryan Villopoto, and the East with Townley. Of course, it was also a pretty amazing comeback for Ben, after an injury-filled ’06, and a DNF in Atlanta to start this year’s Supercross campaign. We caught up with him after the race to find out how his day (and night) went.
Vital MX: What did it feel like coming into the weekend?
Ben Townley: it was just like always, just go out and do my job. I concentrated on Supercross this whole break we had and just tried to make sure I left nothing on the table tonight.
Coming out of the gate during the main event and looking around, what was going through your head?
I came out of the gate and I don’t know where I was coming into the first turn. I felt pretty good, but it was a sketchy first turn and I sort of got pushed high. I just took my time, and like always the first couple of turns were hairy. It took me a couple laps, and obviously I didn’t know that it was Morais that had stalled at that time. I didn’t know whether it was him or Goerke. About lap five I came over the finish line and sort of took a breath and looked at the leader board and realized that he wasn’t up there. At that stage I sort of knew I just had to finish the race out and make sure I didn’t do anything stupid.
I got barely halfway through and I just tried to ride it out from there.
Were you seeing any of your pit boards?
The only pit board I’ve seen all year from Craig was the very last lap. It’s so hard. I’m still learning Supercross and having to look at the pit boards is quite hard for me still. But I did look at the last lap and he said, “Go inside,” which I’d planned to do anyway.
It feels very gratifying after last year, and after coming out of Atlanta with no points.
Ben Townley
After the problem in Atlanta, what kind of chance did you give yourself for a title?
I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it at all. In Atlanta I was just so relieved when I was running in second and maybe had an opportunity at winning, I was like, ‘Man.’ I hadn’t even done a Supercross and all of a sudden I might be able to win, so I was pretty excited to know that I had the speed and I’d got one out of the way. As the championship went on and I was able to slowly creep back in there, I felt like I had a shot, maybe after Daytona. I was thinking, ‘I could get back into this thing.’ Then Orlando didn’t go that well, and I was like, ‘Man, I gave away some points there, that was kind of stupid.’ In Indy I got back on the podium, and won Dallas, and that brings us to here.
It’s been a great season to win three races and this championship in my first year of Supercross…it feels great.
What does this title mean to you?
Ah, it’s a dream come true. That side of it is very hard to put into words right now because of the emotion. As a New Zealander having to sacrifice so much when I was really young…as a lot of young people do… I don’t get to spend time at home, and being away from home all the time is tough. All of that makes tonight feel so good. All that sacrifice, and thinking that it was all worth it. I know they’re celebrating in New Zealand. Kiwis like to celebrate.
How long will this take to sink in?
It will take a while. I truly believe that when you achieve something that you’ve really gone after for a long time, you really have to soak it up and make sure you enjoy it. It’s a great, great achievement for me and my family and crew. After all those years, and especially after what happened last year. (When he spent most of the year sidelined with injuries.)
How much preparation have you had to get ready for the outdoor season?
Nothing. I rode Monday after Dallas, and rode my 450 outdoors back home and had quite a decent crash and I was like, ‘Man, I need to stick to the Supercross thing for the next three weeks.’ I’m glad I did, you know?
"the media" is not out to get Ben or anyone; I was just making a point that if Tony struggled in Bercy, he would probably really struggle at Anaheim, and that wouldn't do his standing as one of the very best MX riders in the world any good here. Given time, yes, he could learn it, but I ink he's more focused on Grand Prix titles.
I think SX practice and difficulty robbed Greg Albertyn of a lot of MX success here, as well as Sebastien Tortelli and even Tyla Rattray, but it's still early in his career here.
DC
MX SPorts
And who win the so Called Big Boy titles, the SX lites champs, has a 450 SX title ever been won won by a non SX 250 champion?
Post a reply to: RacerX Racerhead #48 - Townley