MXA INTERVIEW: BEN TOWNLEY “SPEED WAS NEVER MY PROBLEM”

Ben Townley says, “When you see the level and standard of where the sport is in America, it is very hard to achieve that back home in New Zealand.”

BY JIM KIMBALL

BEN, YOU RODE TO FAME AT THE MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS! Yes, it made a big impact because it had already been announced that I was going to race for Mitch Payton’s Monster Energy Kawasaki team the following year. Obviously, I was very competitive that day. I had raced a 450 all season, and originally I was going to drop down for that race because of injuries on the team. It was only a few days prior that I moved back to a 450.

 I was excited, as it was my last race in Europe before going to America. I rose to the occasion you could say. That race was just massive in my eyes. I had good starts and beat Kevin Windham. I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I am not a European. I am not American. I wanted to achieve a great result for New Zealand and for me personally as well. If you do well individually, you do well for your country. To me, that day was the highlight of my career, and I did not even win. I look back on that race fondly.

WAS THE KTM 450SXF YOU RACED IN 2006 ANTIQUATED? Does antiquated mean a piece of junk? No, that is the wrong term. The bike was not what it is today. It was probably a wrong decision for me to race a KTM in 450 MXGP back then. If I had gone to Yamaha or Suzuki at the time, I would have been more competitive; there is no doubt about it. When I later got on a Kawasaki for Pro Circuit, I was like, “Wow, what have I been missing out on?” KTM’s engines were great in the 125s and 250s, but they had not gotten to the point where the 450 was competitive. It was not the bike that won Supercross and motocross championships later.

YOU DIDN’T HAVE ALL THE TRAINING CAMPS AND PRACTICE TRACKS LIKE IN THE STATES, SO YOU JUST RACED A LOT? If you think about it, the practice facilities become races now, right? All these kids line up and are racing. That is why I think you have seen a big growth. Back in New Zealand and Australia. We just had races, and that is all we did. In the 1990s, we were so strong, especially in outdoor motocross, because we have always had what I call “proper” motocross tracks. Our tracks had big uphills and downhills, big ruts, and were rough. We used the land that we had to create tracks, and that is why in the 1990s we were so good.

” I FIRST RACED IN AMERICA IN 1998. I WENT TO PONCA CITY, AND I TOLD MY PARENTS THIS WAS WHAT I WANTED TO DO. WE WERE NOT IN THE POSITION WHERE THEY COULD JUST MOVE OVER HERE AND GIVE ME A SHOT AT IT.”

After racing for KTM, Kawasaki and Honda in the U.S., Ben decided to go home to heal up. He ended up staying home for three years.

HOW DID YOUR TRANSITION FROM NEW ZEALAND TO WORLD MOTOCROSS HAPPEN? Actually, I first raced in America in 1998. I went to Ponca City, and I told my parents this was what I wanted to do. We were not in the position where they could just move over here and give me a shot at it. Later, that opportunity came up in Europe. I did not even know anything about racing motocross in Europe at the time, as I was focused on America.

I got that opportunity, and I just took it. In my mind, I just wanted to make it racing motocross. I feared failure more than I wanted to win. I did not want to fail. I had motivation to continue that path with the opportunity I had, and it just went by so fast. In 2001, I was struggling to qualify. In 2002, I won a Grand Prix, and then later in 202 I raced the Unadilla National. If you think about it, it was identical to Ponca City in 1998, because in 2002, I was lining up beside James Stewart.

WEREN’T YOU ON A SUZUKI TEAM BUT QUICKLY MOVED TO A KTM-SUPPORTED TEAM? Yes, that is what happened. I was on a start-up Suzuki support team, but that team folded. KTM then signed me to a satellite team. But, they signed me to a long-term deal. That is what KTM does. Over in Europe, you show some potential and they lock you up. For me, that was fantastic, because I got that opportunity for pretty much five years with them while I was in Europe. KTM took me all the way through, from satellite team to full-on factory 125 team.

THIS WAS BEFORE KTM’S 250 FOUR-STROKE? Yes, but I tested the KTM 250SXF, which was a revolutionary bike at that time. That bike was like cheating. As soon as I rode it, I instantly knew it could win; however, it was very unreliable. Fortunately, I was able to make it work. Out of 36 motos that year, you would have to go back and look into it, but I won high into the 20s. I won a lot of the motos. In 2004, I won the 250 World Motocross Championship on it.

WHO WERE YOUR TEAMMATES BACK THEN? Mark de Reuver and Tyla Rattray. There was also Eric Eggens, who was part of the team but more involved in developing the 250SXF. Marc de Ruever and I were the title favorites going in that year.

Ben Townley could win on whatever bike he got on, but he couldn’t stop getting injured.

DIDN’T YOU AND DE REUVER HAVE SOME INTER-TEAM RIVALRY? Yes, but I probably did not see it as a rivalry in the same way he saw it. I was a young, fun-loving teenager at the time, and I used to think it was so funny to wind him up. He was like a spring-loaded…what do you call it? A pop gun! You could just fire him up, so I would steal his lunch. I did not do it for the rivalry. It was just for giggles. I guess what made it worse was that I could see that it affected him, so it amplified it. It was fun, and we get along well these days.

“I JUST KEPT GETTING INJURED. SPEED WAS NEVER MY PROBLEM. I WAS ALWAYS WELL INSIDE THE TOP FIVE, IF NOT ON THE PODIUM.”

IN 2006 YOU SIGNED TO RACE WITH PRO CIRCUIT KAWASAKI. WAS THAT THE PLAN ALL ALONG? No, I had initially signed a contract for HRC Honda Racing. I had talked to Mitch Payton before that, and out of respect, I called Mitch to tell him, “Hey, I am going to go with Honda.” I think if he could have, he would have stood up, reached through the phone, grabbed me and shook me by the neck. He was really upset, and he got Ricky Carmichael to call me and Ricky said, “Hey, you need to sign with Pro Circuit.” 

THEN WHAT HAPPENED? This was back in the days when they would fax a contract. So, I tore up my Honda contract and signed the Pro Circuit deal, just based on Mikael Pichon’s and Carmichael’s advice. I guess it was Ricky giving me brotherly advice.

AT PRO CIRCUIT, YOU AND RYAN VILLOPOTO HAD SOME EPIC BATTLES IN THE 250 NATIONALS. Yes, those were great battles. It was not that we were in a cutthroat rivalry where we hated each other. We just rode hard on the track. Obviously, since we were teammates, everyone on the team never let it get like that. To be honest, we were on identical engines, and our setups were very similar. All you had to do was ride to your potential, and may the best man win.

THAT’S A UNIQUE POSITION. It was a unique situation. In that sense, I would say maybe very similar to Chase Sexton and Jett Lawrence last year at Honda, but Chase did not do any winning (laughs). In that sense, it was pretty cool to be a part of it. What seems crazy about that summer of 2007 is that people talk about it more now than they did at the time. Even five years later, I was still bitter that he won the Championship, but now it is cool. He obviously is one of the all-time greats. I would have still liked to have beaten him, but life goes on.

BUT, EVENTUALLY, YOU ENDED UP AT HONDA. Starting with Pro Circuit was a great decision. I should have stayed for a third year with Mitch and Pro Circuit. He wanted me to stay with him through the 250 Supercross season and then go over to Honda for motocross.

I don’t like to talk about regrets, but it would have been much better for me to stay a third year with Mitch, especially as I lost the first year in 2006 with him due to a torn ACL.

I really wanted to race a 450 because I progressed to a 450 so quickly in Europe. I felt that I needed to be on a 450, and obviously more money came with going to Honda. So, in the year I began to work with Honda, I started there injured. I finished the Motocross des Nations at Budd’s Creek, where I injured my shoulder. Plus, I got injured on the first day of testing. Then I got injured before the outdoors, and it was just a disaster. I ended up having two surgeries on one shoulder.

Ben Townley (101) chased by Tim Ferry at the 2008 Glen Helen National. Ben was a contender all year.

WAS GOING TO HONDA A BIG MISTAKE? No. The biggest mistake I made in my entire career was when I got injured in 2008. I ended up going home for a long time. I went home because I thought that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence.

From that point on, I was always one foot in and one foot out of professional motocross. I still wanted to be a racer, but I had been away from home for nine years by that point. I really enjoyed my time at home. Subconsciously, wanting to be at home more was the problem. Take Chad Reed as an example. He immersed himself in American culture. He was committed to his career here. I was not completely committed to racing in the States.

YOU RETURNED TO A HONDA 450 BACKED BY TROY LEE DESIGNS. I had a great deal with them. Unfortunately, once again, I came in injured. I was unfit because I could not train, but I had a great bike. TLD Team Manager David Pingree went over and above for me. Honda helped with some parts, and we had a great season. I was competitive, but unfortunately Ryan Dungey gave us an absolute thrashing that year. 

THEN YOU DECIDED TO CALL IT QUITS? No, I still wanted to race. I could have stayed there and done that the following year for motocross only, but I got the opportunity to race in the GPs again.

Stefan Everts (right) gave Ben his last factory ride in 2016.

WAS THAT THE 2016 MXGP SEASON WHEN STEFAN EVERTS RAN THE SUZUKI TEAM? Yes. I feel I could have done well, but I just kept getting injured. Speed was never my problem. I was always well inside the top five, if not on the podium. Remember, I was racing in Australia and Chad Reed got injured, so Honda Australia agreed to let me out so I could replace Chad. I was in the best form of my career, but I got injured again.

AFTER RETIRING TO NEW ZEALAND, WERE YOU STILL INTERESTED IN RACING? New Zealand is so remote. They say the world is a small place these days with the way technology is, but we are in a remote part of the world. I’m still riding in some of the same areas that I did when I was younger. I really enjoy that. It is great. I am involved locally in the local club. My kids ride, and all my friends ride, sort of at a weekend-warrior level. It is worlds away from Supercross. But, at the end of the day, they have round wheels, the throttle is on the right, and the clutch is on the left. 

DON’T YOU WORK WITH YAMAHA AT SOME LEVEL? Yes, Josh Coppins runs the Yamaha Motorsport program in New Zealand, and he got me involved with Yamaha to really ramp up their junior program. That began when the new Yamaha YZ65 came out, and my son Levi was starting to race competitively. We shifted to Yamaha, and our adventure riding business is also involved with Yamaha. My boys ride Yamahas, and I do some events with Yamaha. We have a strong relationship with Yamaha.  

Ben Townley’s son, Levi, won the 85cc class at the 2024 FIM Junior World Championships in The Netherlands. 

YOU’VE COME FULL CIRCLE WITH YOUR SON LEVI RACING. It is great. It is very busy. I have three kids: 13, 11 and 9. It is the busiest time of my life. My two boys Levi and Jagger race. Obviously, I help my boys, but I also have my Method Moto coaching business where I coach riders from beginners to experts.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU IMPART TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT RACING? I tell them what I learned and the mistakes that I made. Unfortunately, mistakes and injuries are a part of it. If you look at someone like Eli Tomac, he has had only two major injuries that we have seen, and that is it. Ryan Dungey is a good example of a rider having a great career with very few serious injuries. I want my boys to achieve a healthy career.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOTOCROSS MEMORIES? It was at the 2015 Motocross Des Nations in Ernee, France. I was retired and not racing competitively internationally for a few years. Right then, I decided that I wanted to race the MXDN race for New Zealand. So, I formally submitted my name. They asked me why I wanted to do it, and I said, “I want to race at that level again, just for a period with Cody Cooper.” Do you remember him?

YES. CODY RACED IN AMERICA FOR JGR YAMAHA. Cody and I were both selected, and we had four months to prepare. We showed up at the Motocross des Nations with our suspension and raced. That was my most memorable race. I was competitive again. In the first moto, I finished somewhere around the top five. In the second moto, I battled with the World Champion, Romain Febvre. I finished second. But, it was not so much about the results, it was the entire process. Personally, finishing second in that moto to the World Champion was a real achievement for me. I had a lot of friends and family that came to watch. I must have been 34 years old at the time.

“I TELL THEM WHAT I LEARNED AND THE MISTAKES THAT I MADE. UNFORTUNATELY, MISTAKES AND INJURIES ARE A PART OF IT. IF YOU LOOK AT SOMEONE LIKE ELI TOMAC, HE HAS HAD ONLY TWO MAJOR INJURIES THAT WE HAVE SEEN, AND THAT IS IT. I WANT MY BOYS TO ACHIEVE A HEALTHY CAREER.”

ARE YOU IN A GOOD PLACE NOW? Right here and right now, with my boys racing and me supporting them for the foreseeable future, life is amazing. Obviously, you cannot be a professional motocross racer in our part of the world. So, if they want to be professionals, they need to be all in if they hope to get any kind of financial reward from it. I want to help them, if that is their goal and they want to go. That is probably my focus for the foreseeable future.

When you see the level and standard of where the sport is in America, it is very hard to achieve that back home in New Zealand—just purely based on population. So, you must make some commitment to race internationally to get more experience. Only then will you see if you are in the same league.

Editors note: Levi Townley, 14, won the 85cc Championship at the 2024 Junior Motocross World Championship at Circuit Kamperweg Heerde with his father by his side.