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Contributor: Ian Miles.
He’s done it! Ben Townley has won the Grand Prix of Sweden.
The young motocross sensation from New Zealand took his first GP victory in just his second year at the world championships.
He fought through a high-class field to stand atop the 125 podium at Uddevalla north of Gothenberg this afternoon (Sunday European time).
“I’ve been working towards winning a grand prix and it feels so great,” commented the 17-year-old after the champagne corks had popped and a huge trophy was handed over. “I’m hungry for more wins now, I need to be consistent and keep scoring points in the championship."
Less than two years out of school and widely tipped as an emerging world champion, the Taupo tornado showed today why he has already been handed a contract to ride for the mighty KTM factory.
In the colours of the Belgian / South African KTM team Big Five Vangani Racing, Townley blew away KTM’s top 125 ace Steve Ramon of Belgium in the final laps of the rugged 40-minute event at the natural rock quarry of Glimminge Motorstadion.
“I got a shocking start, I think I was about 15th into the first corner,” Townley said after his fourth visit to the podium in eight events this year. “The first lap or two were pretty torrid but then it was just a matter of picking off the top four or five riders one by one. “Then I sat a distance behind Steve for a long time until he started to tire towards the end. “He made a mistake and I was able to close up, then I saw my chance and got by,” said the cool-headed youngster.
Townley powered away to win the grand prix comfortably and set out on a victory lap with a New Zealand flag handed over by an ecstatic trackside fan.
Ramon cruised in, [almost 5 seconds in arrears of Ben] clearly disappointed, ahead of the Husqvarna of former world champion Alex Puzar of Italy.
Townley’s win, the first by a New Zealander at a grand prix since Darryll King in Switzerland in April 1998, complemented the runner-up spot taken in today's earlier 250 grand prix by his mentor Josh Coppins, the Kiwi-born Honda rider who has suffered the indignity of a doping charge after taking a hay fever tablet.
The maximum 25 points propels Townley to 122 in the hunt for the title with four rounds remaining.
That’s good enough for sixth place and just 21 behind leader Mickael Maschio who managed fourth today on his Kawasaki.
Townley’s South African teammate Tyla Rattray is one place behind the expat Kiwi, but well back on 77 points after taking 12th position in Sweden.
The world championship season now takes a month’s holiday but there is no rest for Townley.
He carries the Vangani flag in a Dutch national event next weekend before flying to the US to represent the KTM factory at a big national motocross a week later.
World 125 championship:
1 Mickael Maschio (France) Kawasaki, 143 points; 2 Alex Puzar (Italy) Husqvarna, 140; 3 equal Steve Ramon (Belgium) KTM, 134; Patrick Caps (Belgium) KTM, 134; Philippe Dupasquier (Switzerland) KTM, 134; 6 Ben Townley (NZ) Big Five Vangani KTM 122; 7 Tyla Rattray (South Africa) Big Five Vangani KTM, 77.
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