Ben Townley

Ben Townley is a New Zealand athlete who has repeatedly proven his ability on the global stage. Townley has been making a name for himself on the professional riding circuit since heading to Europe on his own at the age of 16.

Winning the MX2 World Motocross Champion title in 2004 was the start of a succession of victories for Townley, who went on to win multiple MX1 GP titles and place third in the World Championships in 2005, and take out the AMA Supercross Lites East Coast title in 2007.

Townley narrowly missed out on claiming the AMA Motocross Lites title in 2007, with the decider coming down to the very last moto of the series and only three points between him and winner Ryan Villopoto.

Townley, or BT as he is known in racing circles, was born and raised in Taupo and began his motocross experience with the Taupo Motorcycle Club. BT is known on the international circuit as “The Taupo Tornado” and is loyal to his Taupo roots.

It’s not all smooth riding when aiming for the top; BT has encountered his share of injury setbacks over the past two and a half years. BT overcame several unfortunate setbacks during 2010 to finish fourth in the US outdoor series, and his successes at the US GP and the Motocross of Nations proved that he had the speed to run with the regular GP riders.

October 2010 saw BT announce his return to MX1 World Championship with Kawasaki Team CLS, with a one year contract with Pro Circuit and Kawasaki Team CLS to compete in the 2011 World Series, however his title aspiratoins were cut short when BT decided to leave the series after round 4 in Portugal.  The string of injuries sustained prior to the GP campaign had taken it´s toll both mentally and physically on the Kiwi and his decision to rebuild his racing platform was accpeted by his partners, friends and fans.

Fast forward to 2012 and Townley has signed with the Cartlon Dry Honda Thor racing team where he will contend the full Australian MX and SX series with some guests appearances in the USA outdoor championship.