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Ben Townley - With his winning KTM 250SX:
Pic credit - Terry Stevenson:
By Terry Stevenson
Ben Townley is special. In only his fourth year on the world motocross circuit, he completely dominated the MX2 class in 2004 - perhaps the most competitive class of all. Youth can be an advantage in one of the world’s most rigorous sporting codes, the Taupo rider won his first world title as a teenager. He turned 20 last December. But his title campaign hasn’t always gone according to plan, in late 2002 Townley had a practice crash in California and suffered a broken wrist and liver injuries, which affected his pre-season build-up and much of his 2003 championship season.
Townley revealed plans to ride only one season in MX1 for 2005, before racing in the lucrative US Supercross and Motocross series in 2006.
TS: What’s the most enjoyable thing for you about being world champion?
BT: I’d have to say to get the motivation to go out to get another world title. It’s just given me a new outlook on my own racing. When I went training after I had won the championship, I was running down the street and I just felt like, “Man, I’ve got to do that again.” And that feeling when I crossed the finish line is something that you only experience being a world champion, and I guess that’s the biggest thing I get out of it.
TS: Now you are world champion, how do you manage your popularity at the race track and outside of racing?
BT: Generally it’s not too bad. I always try and make time for fans, especially the ones that I have in Europe because I’ve got a few pretty hard core ones, Josh and I do, that follow us to most of the racing and I always try and make time for them. You know the fans are what make our sport. It’s obviously different - New Zealand is more coming back to see family and friends really, but I can’t wait to get to a race just to see everyone again and catch up.
TS: How do you manage fans on race day?
BT: On race day we have a pre-set timetable. I do autograph sessions and then I make time after the race, but at least 40-50 minutes before the race I do my own thing.
TS: What are your hobbies outside of motocross?
BT: Anything with a motor. Jet skiing, water skiing, cars, mountain biking, mini bikes, trials bikes. I like anything that’s got a little bit of adrenalin involved.
TS: What training do you do to keep fit?
BT: I do a lot of mountain biking, cycling, in the gym, swimming. I like to do something generally involved with speed, something with endurance, a lot of different stuff because I get bored pretty easily. So I need something that is going to motivate me.
TS: Can you explain how you won so many races last season?
BT: Preparation. I think the key for this year is I went in fully prepared, mentally, physically, and in terms of my bike. You know, every time I go on to the track I am mentally pretty strong and I know what I want to do in each race, and my mental advantage was the biggest key this year. I want to try and maintain that every year, it’s a very important part of the racing game.
TS: What was your best race of last season?
BT: The second race in Ireland. I got my first ever hole shot and I just walked away from them. I just could have had one hand that race, it was unbelievable - lap times consistent all race and I just walked away. Another was in Spain in the mud, I started third, I had the lead after one straight-away and won by one minute and six seconds!
TS: The best race you didn’t win was…?
BT: None of them! I never have one of those races where I rode my arse off and I couldn’t have done better. I either crashed out, or I had a bike problem, or I won!
TS: Which two riders do you rate as your closest competition next season?
BT: Everts is going to be good, he’s always consistent. I put Everts and Pichon in the same basket really, I mean because they are fast, they are great riders and then there’s going to be Josh. I am not at Josh’s feet yet, and the work I am going to put in over the five month period before the first GP is what is going to make the difference up, and I plan to be at that level where Josh will be. I have no doubt that he is going to step it up from where he is because it is going to be a fight to who gets the biggest bedroom in our house! (Ben says, laughing.)
TS: Do you do your own bike set ups?
BT: Yes, I do everything. As far as the set up goes I basically call the shots. You know, they get a little bit pissed with me sometimes but I am very picky and meticulous about everything.
TS: What motivates you to go racing?
BT: The feeling of winning, and getting to ride the bike.
TS: Can you describe the feeling when you cross the line and get that flag?
BT: I don’t know, but to explain it to people it’s not all what it’s cracked up to be from the outside. I mean winning that race is awesome but there’s a whole lot of other stuff that comes with it. As you get more popular and win more and more, the pole comes with it, and that’s the hard part of it. I have learnt to love it now and you just have to get on with it.
TS: Who is your favourite all-time rider?
BT: Jean Michelle Bale. Jean B was the man on the bike. The first time I ever saw him, I’d seen him on videos, in magazines, just the style and the technique I just thought, that’s just awesome. The first time I ever saw him in person I walked into a stadium in Paris and he came into the stadium on a bike. He started about a fourth gear wheelie down the start straight and he went down the gears and into a coast in neutral, and basically came to a standstill on the back wheel and then dropped the front. It was cool.
TS: You said you’d like to go road racing. What sort of feelings did you get when you rode on the tarseal, for the first time on a road racer?
BT: Yeah, it was pretty scary at the beginning. I thought “What’s this all about?” and then once I started getting into it Casey taught me a few things - gave me a few pointers and then I started to enjoy it more. Basically it was great, the speed definitely was a scary factor, but you know it’s the same, it’s all in proportion and you have good safety gear and in the end I ended up enjoying it. Once I got some more skills it was great fun.
TS: Did you say you’d like to go Supermoto racing?
BT: Yes, definitely. I got a bike just before I came home. I’m going to get it converted over the winter and when I go back, I’m going to probably just ride it to the gym and just practice on to the streets to begin with. It’s an EXC450 enduro bike and I’ll put some Motard wheels on it and just go from there.
TS: Do you have a road bike?
BT: No, but I want a new Duke 990!
TS: Do you have a car and/or bike licence for NZ?
BT: I have a car licence but not a bike licence.
TS: KTM has gifted you the bike, where will you keep it?
BT: In Taupo. Basically I’m planning to have my own museum when I retire from racing with everything in it. I’ve got a whole lot of what my Dad says is junk but for me it’s like memorabilia of where I’ve been and what I’ve seen. Stuff from Stefan Everts’ gear, to my dirty race gear, all of my winning gear, and my bike obviously. I plan to have another few bikes from the championships, just all that sort of stuff. I might even open up a bar one day - that’s one of my plans, and have like a motor sport bar. I want to try and get stuff from the road racing and formula one dudes as well.
TS: Is there anything you would like to reflect on about your championship season?
BT: I don’t know, the whole year basically, my whole racing career right now, everything. You look back at everything you’ve done and it all comes together and all the fun and the hard times, injuries, all the races that we went away to, everything that came together to win that championship, it’s pretty cool.
TS: Are you getting a home coming when you go back home?
BT: Going back on that last question, I don’t look at it like a lot of people look at it. I just see myself as myself and I love to ride bikes. I’m always going to do that, whether it’s a road bike or a motor cross bike or a quad, or whatever it is, that’s why I don’t see myself any different. Sometimes that’s hard because all the people I’ve raced with over the years, I’m not saying all of them, but some people see me a little bit different and I really find that hard because I feel like just the same person. I want to go home to Taupo tomorrow and I can’t, I just want to go riding up at Digger McEwen’s track. I love trail riding and I’ve got a factory bike, and it’s probably going to go back after it’s been wrapped around about ten trees. And that’s what I’m about, I love to ride bikes.
TS: So you say that now some people treat you differently, because you are world champion?
BT: Not because I am world champion but just because I’ve been away from let’s say my peers over the last four years, and it gets hard - you know, I’m in a different world. Sometimes on the other side of the world they think that on the telephone I’m someone different, but really I’m not and that’s why I love coming back to NZ. Because that’s where I am from and that’s what I am about.
Townley is focused on next season, “I want to be consistent and win races. If I can be in the top three at the end of the year, it would be great.”
Ben Townley has an excellent future ahead of him on two wheels. He returned to Europe in January to begin preparation for an important year in the premier MX1 class, starting on Sunday in Belgium, and compete alongside fellow Kiwi and friend Josh Coppins. Townley on a factory KTM SXF450 and Coppins on a factory Honda CRF450. Neither rivals expect any problems at their European base - they have been sharing accommodation for several years and they will also continue to train together. But who gets the double bedroom remains to be seen.
Good luck Ben!
