Moving to the high altitude ‘Thunder Valley’ circuit in Lakewood Colorado, the 7th round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Lites championships has seen New Zealander, Ben Townley, take his fourth overall victory of the season.
Sweltering weather conditions would play an important part as the Motocross Lites riders rolled onto the starting line to battle for moto 1. Townley grabbed a reasonable start and was immediately hounded by fellow Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team-mate, Ryan Villopoto, before making an early mistake on lap two. BT went down at the back section of the circuit and had to rejoin the race out of the top ten as he fought his way back into a podium spot by closing down a 20 second gap to 11 seconds on Villopoto.
Certain not to make the same mistake again, Townley chased Villopoto right from the word go with Villopoto succumbing to the pressure on lap two. Townley took the opportunity handed to him by clocking the fastest time of the race as he controlled the lead with an astounding pace. While riders were dropping off the pace in the scorching heat, the Kiwi’s superior fitness carried him to a 17 second victory over Villopoto as he cruised to the finish line.
“I went off the track on the second lap of the first moto and hit a “Monster” hay bale. I didn’t get the start I wanted to and had to make sure that I was up front in the second moto racing with Ryan. I got out the gate better in the second moto and was right on Ryan and it was all set up for a thrilling race - I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately he went down and I was able to take the win. It’s really close out there and when we make little mistakes it costs us big time so I am happy to get the overall and leave here tied on points - it’s going to be fight all the way to the end. Ryan is a great competitor, we race hard but we race fair. The whole Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team treats us as equal and it’s just great to be a part of such an awesome team and championship fight. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I also want to say a big thanks to my whole family who are here this weekend. My mum and dad along with my grand parents and aunty. This is the first time they have seen me win an outdoor which was pretty cool.” smiled the Townley.
The points chase is still even with seven races of the twelve round series gone. BT will head to Washougal, WA next weekend where a battle with team Villopoto will be immanent.
“I went off the track on the second lap of the first moto and hit a “Monster” hay bale. I didn’t get the start I wanted to and had to make sure that I was up front in the second moto racing with Ryan. I got out the gate better in the second moto and was right on Ryan and it was all set up for a thrilling race - I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately he went down and I was able to take the win. It’s really close out there and when we make little mistakes it costs us big time so I am happy to get the overall and leave here tied on points - it’s going to be fight all the way to the end. Ryan is a great competitor, we race hard but we race fair. The whole Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team treats us as equal and it’s just great to be a part of such an awesome team and championship fight. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I also want to say a big thanks to my whole family who are here this weekend. My mum and dad along with my grand parents and aunty. This is the first time they have seen me win an outdoor which was pretty cool.” smiled the Townley.
The points chase is still even with seven races of the twelve round series gone. BT will head to Washougal, WA next weekend where a battle with team Villopoto will be immanent.
Motocross Lites: Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-1Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 1-2Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 3-4Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 7-3Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 5-5Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 6-6Chris Gosselaar, Victorville, Calif., Kawasaki, 10-7Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 9-8Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 8-9Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 11-12
Motocross Lites championship standings: 310Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 310Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki,Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 253Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 246Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 212Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 141Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 129Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 128Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 121Kyle Chisholm, Seminole, Fla., Kawasaki, 111