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From mxlarge.com: A report on Ben Townleys sensational podium ride:
Ben Townley lived up to his reputation as a good starter, and slotted into the top 10, whilst Tyla Rattray and Tanel Leok both had poor starts, behind the first 20 riders. Townley quickly disposed of a few riders ahead of him, and soon slotted into fourth position behind Ramon, Eggens and another title favourite, Marc de Reuver.
The three riders ahead of the seventeen year old New Zealander are all accomplished sand riders with a number of GP podium finishes ( and even victories in the case of Eggens) between them, and judging by past form one could have expected that they would have shaken Townley off before too long.
Tonwley, however, displayed a grim determination and continued to hound the leading trio. It soon became apparent that De Reuver was having problems keeping the Taupo Terrier at bay, and so it came to pass that the New Zealander slipped past his opponent to move into third spot.
Ramon and Eggens had by now opened up a slight gap at the front, and it seemed that the best that Townley could hope for, would be to fend off the attacks of KTM-mounted Australian Brett Metcalfe to claim third spot. His fun was not yet over, though. In the latter stages of the race, Tonwley seemed to gain a spurt of energy, and within the space of one lap, he closed the gap on Eggens.
A better line through the tricky rhythm section allowed the teenage sensation to pass his far more experienced rival, and he kept his cool for the next few laps. His only concession to his inner excitement during the race came when he pumped the air in jubilation as he catapulted over the final tabletop to claim a well-deserved second spot in a race that turned out to be a KTM fest.
Bernd Dietrich
