BT wins again

[Teava]

YESSSSSSSSS so happy right now:Punk:
if only sky got the SPEED channel all of our motorbike viewing needs would
be granted.
maybe we should ring sky and request it, is it possible that they would do that?
I mean i rather pay $13 just for the speed channel than for all 3 sports channel!!

[Motoworld Powersports]

Who needs Sky when you can go to motocross.com get live coverage for free. You will need jetstream. :rockon:

[Danger]

Who needs Sky when you can go to motocross.com get live coverage for free. You will need jetstream. :rockon:

Ha ha not exactly free then is it? Good for those with jetstream though.

[paturoa]

Red Bud Track & Trail, Buchanan Michigan.

[snarldom]

Looks like Bt might be out sick this race, missed most of saturday practice and they aren't sure of sunday raceday. Rumour is its his appendix!! bugger!

[Danger]

Damn! I see he came third in the first practice but did not complete the second practice. Wondered what happened.
Thanks for the news. Where did you hear the rumour?

[paturoa]

I've been looking for something too and can't find anything. 4th fastest on Sat practice is still OK.

[scott411]

one report out of states is he has appendicits, i am treying to find out more as well,

[paturoa]

cycle news online only has

"Villopoto’s teammate Ben Townley set the fourth-fastest time with a 2:36.123, which he posted during the first session. Unfortunately, shortly before the second practice, Townley began having severe stomach pains and headed to the hospital for evaluation."

from here http://www.cyclenews.com/ShowStory.asp?HeadlineID=11039

[denill]

cycle news online only has

"Villopoto’s teammate Ben Townley set the fourth-fastest time with a 2:36.123, which he posted during the first session. Unfortunately, shortly before the second practice, Townley began having severe stomach pains and headed to the hospital for evaluation."


Mmmm, that's a bugger!

Meanwhile Racer X wrote: "We’re pretty much positive Ben Townley is moving to Team Honda and a 450-outdoors, 250F-indoors deal for ’08, then full-time open class in ’09."

[telliman]

at least he's staying healthy, he dosnt need to win every race, the seasons only just started,he;s still got the upperhand on vp,keeping healthys the key, pressures on villipoto i say.

whoops,hope i havnt put the mockers on him!

[snarldom]

Danger - mototalk.com is good for up to-the-minute updates and rumours and general bollocks. Alot of them seem to have a bit of insider info, that said, they are well known for starting arse rumours.

[paturoa]

AMA Motocross ....

"After setting some very impressive lap times in Motocross Lites practice session one, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ben Townley made a trip to a local hospital. According to Team Manager Mitch Payton, Townley suffered severe abdominal pains before second practice and took a ride to the hospital. It was not known exactly what happened, but several mentioned “appendicitis”. It is not known at this time if BT will race on Sunday."

[Danger]

Again from amamotocross.com

Accordsing to his mechanic Craig Behl, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawsaki rider Ben Townley will attempt to race today. Townley was taken to the hospital late yesterday with severe stomach pain.

[snarldom]

looks like Bt finished 2nd to RV in moto 1

[denill]

looks like Bt finished 2nd to RV in moto 1

Latest is:

It was all green after the first motos at Red Bud as Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart took their Monster Energy Kawasaki’s to the moto wins. Ben Townley finished a strong second to Villopoto, while Makita Suzuki’s Ricky Carmichael did the same in the Motocross class. Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence was third the first Motocross Lites moto, with Red Bull KTM’s Mike Alessi taking the final podium spot in the Motocross class moto. Ryan Dungey is out for Red Bud. Dungey sufferred a concussion yesterday in a high speed crash.

[scott411]

2nd moto, BT holeshot, lead for 8 laps, then RV got him

results

1 RV
2 BT101
3 Josh Grant

[denill]

Date: 1 July 2007.
Press Release:

Ben Townley defies illness to finish on podium at Red Bud.

It was unsure if Ben Townley would make the starting line for round 5 of the AMA Toyota Motocross championship in Buchanen, Michigan this weekend. The 22-year-old New Zealander was hospitalized after complaining of nausea and further stomach cramps which may have been an allergic reaction to the anti-nausea medication administered by medical staff at the Red Bud circuit. ‘BT’ was later released from hospital around midnight on Saturday and given the green light to race after thorough medical examinations had ruled out suspected appendicitis or any other medical illness.


Townley put a sleepless night behind him and focused on putting together two strong and consistent results in front of over 29.000 enthusiastic spectators that had turned out under magnificent weather and track conditions.. Townley trailed fellow Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team-mate, Ryan Villopoto, in the first MX Lites moto but tried to turn the tables in the second moto. ‘BT’ grabbed the RACER-X hole-shot award and lead for the first half of the 30 minute race with Villopoto right on his back wheel. The crowd loved every moment of the duel between the two Kawasaki’s. Villopoto finally found his was past and managed to pull a small gap over Townley to take the win, with BT settling for second.


“Saturday was a tough ordeal but I don’t really think it had any effect on today’s racing” commented Townley. “I got two good starts and was second behind Ryan in the first moto but he managed to gap me again. I tried to close him down towards the end but it was too little too late. I was happier with moto 2. We had an awesome race and I felt really good on the Red Bud track - it was so much fun and I haven’t raced on circuit like that in a long time. I even started doing “Larocco’s Leap” in the second moto which is just wide open on a 250F.”


Townley holds a 20 point deficit over team-mate Villopoto but will be looking to bridge that gap in two weeks time when riders and race teams will head to the infamous Unadilla circuit in New Berlin, NY for round 6 of the 12 round series.

Race results:

Motocross Lites:

Pos. Pts. Moto 1 Moto 2 No. Rider name Bike

1 50 25 (1) 25 (1) 1 R. Villopoto Kawasaki KX250F

2 44 22 (2) 22 (2) 101 B. Townley Kawasaki KX250F

3 38 18 (4) 20 (3) 24 J. Grant Honda CRF250R

4 35 20 (3) 15 (6) 338 J. Lawrence Yamaha YZ250F

5 32 14 (7) 18 (4) 73 J. Weimer Honda CRF250R

6 30 16 (5) 14 (7) 52 T. Hahn Honda CRF250R

7 25 13 (8) 12 (9) 116 R. Morais Yamaha YZ250F

8 24 8 (13) 16 (5) 30 A. Mcfarlane Suzuki RM-Z250

9 21 11 (10) 10 (11) 102 C. Gosselaar Kawasaki KX250F

10 18 12 (9) 6 (15) 48 K. Chisholm Kawasaki KX250F

11 17 9 (12) 8 (13) 108 J. Rodrigues KTM 250SXF

12 16 3 (18) 13 (8) 54 R. Kiniry Kawasaki KX250F

13 15 15 (6) 0 (40) 58 J. Hill Yamaha YZ250F

14 13 2 (19) 11 (10) 630 M. Lemoine Yamaha YZ250F

15 12 5 (16) 7 (14) 76 T. Hibbert Kawasaki KX250F

Motocross Lites championship standings:

1 238 R. Villopoto

2 218 B. Townley

3 184 J. Grant

4 176 J. Lawrence

5 150 R. Dungey

6 110 J. Weimer

7 105 J. Hill

8 104 T. Hahn

9 86 B. Tickle

10 78 K. Chisholm

11 77 A. Mcfarlane

12 73 M. Goerke

13 68 R. Kiniry

14 47 M. Lemoine

15 44 R. Morais

[denill]

BT at RedBud:

[FlangMasterJ]

BT looking a little green around the gills.

[paturoa]

heads up BT at Unadilla Valley Sports Center, New Berlin, New York this weekend

[paturoa]

Sat practice BT is 2nd behind RV.

[denill]

Leading the way in the 250F class was Ryan Villopoto, with a time of 2:08.062 - a time that would have seeded him second in the 450 class.

Villopoto’s Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate, Ben Townley, was second-fastest in the division, with a time of 2:09.444, while Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey
(2:09.983), Sobe/No Fear/Samsung/Honda’s Josh Grant (2:09.995) and Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence (2:10.207) rounded out the top five

[paturoa]

BT won the first moto and RV was a DNF lap 5

[paturoa]

RV first and BT 3rd.

So BT closed the 20 point gap and now both RV and BT are on 263 points.

[FlangMasterJ]

BT won the first moto and RV was a DNF lap 5

Music to my ears.

[NordieBoy]

You don't get much closer than equal points :D

[denill]

Date: 15 July 2007.

Press release:

Ben Townley equalizes MX Lites championship after victory in Unadilla.


With a revamped Unadilla Sports Valley circuit welcoming riders after a week’s hiatus on the AMA Toyota Motocross calendar, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ben Townley is back in the Mx Lites championship hunt after winning with a 1-3 moto score this weekend.

Townley and championship rival Ryan Villoppotto, matched each other blow for blow in the Sunday qualification practice with both riders almost two seconds faster than the rest of the pack.

An excited crowd were expecting an epic battle between the two Kawasaki team-mates however it was Townley who got to the front of the pack in moto 1 and never looked back. Villopoto would go down early on and then retire with a broken radiator hose, leaving Townley to regain the MX Lites championship points lead.

The tables were turned in moto 2 when Townley rode into the back of a slower rider on the opening lap and went down. The resilient Kiwi remounted and charged through the pack to catch Ryan Dungey in second, on the last lap. ‘BT’ was all over the back of Dungey as he crossed the finish line in third to take the overall win.

“I got a good start in the first moto and was able to control the race pretty easily. I saw that ‘RV’ wasn’t out there so I just did what I had to do to bring it home. In moto 2 I ran into the back of someone in a tight rutted turn on the first lap and a whole bunch of guys got by me. I put my head down and tried to salvage as many points as possible and should have got by Dungey on the last lap but third was safe.” admitted Townley.

Townley and Villopoto are now tied on points as the championship has officially reached the halfway mark. With 6 rounds of the 12 round series remaining the two Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki racers will be going head to head at Lakewood Colorado next weekend.

Race results:

Motocross Lites (Moto Finish)

Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 1-3
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 2-2
Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 4-4
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 6-5
Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 9-7
Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 3-15
Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 37-1
Robert Kiniry, Lafayette, N.Y., Kawasaki, 11-9
Robert Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., Yamaha, 13-8
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Id., Honda, 7-14

Motocross Lites Point Standings:

Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 263
Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 263
Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 215
Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 212
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 194
Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 131
Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 121
Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 104
Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 103
Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 96

[denill]

Some Unadilla Pics:

[denill]

This report says:

In the Lites division, Ben Townley and Ryan Villopoto ended the day tied in the series points standings after a strange series of event.

In the first moto, Townley ran away with the win, while Villopoto DNFed when a rock knocked a hole in his radiator. Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey finished second with Team Yamaha’s Broc Hepler in third. Hepler was making a return to racing after sitting out a few months with a concussion.

In the second moto, Villopoto put his Monster Energy Kawasaki into the lead and never looked back, easily taking the win over Dungey, while his teammate Townely recovered from a first lap crash to finish third.

Townley and Villopoto head into to the next round in Denver tied in the series points lead after six rounds of the series.

“We are six races into this and here we are tied up, so it is like a six race championship,” said Townley. “Ryan having the DNF was a huge help for me in the points race. I have got to go back and keep working. I didn’t take any time off the last two weeks, I wanted to make sure I was better than I was at Red Bud. Obviously at Budds Creek I got a whipping and I tried to be better at Red Bud and it seemed that I was closer to Ryan. And then today, I felt like if we had got to square off we would have been pretty even, but we didn’t get to do that. I am just tying to work on little things and I want to win this championship. We are so close and I will need every point I can get.”

[FlangMasterJ]

Unadilla image directory:

http://stevebruhn.com/News07/MX06/index2.htm

[denill]

A <a href=http://www.cyclenews.com/poll/default.asp>Poll @ Cycle News. Com:</A>

[paturoa]

BT is up tonight at Thunder Valley MX in Colorado (2 ls??)

Anyway RV faastest on Saturday and BT right up his date less than 0.2 sec behind - Where have I seen that before?

Me thinks BT needs to go to the 8:45am - Chapel Service ???? WTF???

Sorry for those Christian types out there, but a Chapel Service, on the Official schedule, just isn't right.

So fingers crossed (pun intentional)

[Danger]

Villopoto 1st, Ben 2nd in the first Moto. Looks like Ben was leading early on then dropped several places, perhaps a crash. RV set the fastest lap time.

Race 2 is about to start.

[Danger]

RV leading Ben early on in Race 2. RV trying to ride away, Ben sticking with him.
Listen and race laps here.

http://live.motocross.com/thundervalley.php

[Danger]

Ben putting pressure on RV, RV is looking behind him and crashes into a haybale, Ben flys by into first by 7 seconds on lap 3.

[Danger]

RV under pressure is making mistakes and slips back to 3rd. Ben still leading.

[Danger]

RV up to 2nd but Ben leads by 13 seconds. And stretching his lead.

[NordieBoy]

Ben needs to know about that pic they're using :D

[NordieBoy]

Up by 18s now :D

[Danger]

Lap 8 and Ben leads RV. The webcast is garbage and can't see the splits. Bloody broadcasters don't give much info, keep harping on about RC, Bradshaw etc...
What about the race in front of you!!!

[Danger]

Dungey out by the sounds of it. only about 5mins plus 2 laps to go, Ben still leading.

[NordieBoy]

Sounds like Dungey's bike won't start.

[Danger]

3 laps to go and Ben has stretched out to 22 seconds.
Dungey can not start his 4 stroke and wishes he had a 2 stroke.

[Danger]

2 lap board is out and leads by 25 seconds.
These commentators sure talk alot of garbage.
Now out to 28 seconds. Go Ben!

[NordieBoy]

:woohoo: Ben!

[Danger]

Ben wins Moto 2 and the overall. Equal points with RV coming in 2nd (I guess because the commentry is so bad they don't even tell us who came in next.)
Just confirmed RV 2nd, Lawrence in 3rd.

Well done Ben!

[denill]

Thanks Danger :rockon:

[paturoa]

Brilliant!!!

What is the overall points and how many rounds to go - (amamotocross isn't responding at the moment)

[scott411]

points are tied, 5 rounds to go

[denill]

Date: 23 July 2007.



Press release:

Ben Townley wins Lakewood motocross scorcher.

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 imminent.

Race results:

Motocross Lites

Pos. Pts. Moto 1 Moto 2 No. Rider name Bike

1 47 22 (2) 25 (1) 101 B. Townley Kawasaki KX250F

2 47 25 (1) 22 (2) 1 R. Villopoto Kawasaki KX250F

3 38 20 (3) 18 (4) 24 J. Grant Honda CRF250R

4 34 14 (7) 20 (3) 338 J. Lawrence Yamaha YZ250F

5 32 16 (5) 16 (5) 123 B. Metcalfe Kawasaki KX250F

6 30 15 (6) 15 (6) 577 M. Davalos KTM 250SXF

7 25 11 (10) 14 (7) 102 C. Gosselaar Kawasaki KX250F

8 25 12 (9) 13 (8) 30 A. Mcfarlane Suzuki RM-Z250

9 25 13 (8) 12 (9) 52 T. Hahn Honda CRF250R

10 19 10 (11) 9 (12) 60 B. Hepler Yamaha YZ250F

11 18 18 (4) 0 (33) 62 R. Dungey Suzuki RM-Z250

12 17 9 (12) 8 (13) 48 K. Chisholm Kawasaki KX250F

13 11 0 (38) 11 (10) 33 M. Goerke Yamaha YZ250F

14 10 0 (37) 10 (11) 73 J. Weimer Honda CRF250R

15 10 5 (16) 5 (16) 54 R. Kiniry Kawasaki KX250F


Motocross Lites championship standings:

1 310 B. Townley

2 310 R. Villopoto

3 253 J. Grant

4 246 J. Lawrence

5 212 R. Dungey

6 141 J. Weimer

7 129 T. Hahn

8 128 A. Mcfarlane

9 121 J. Hill

10 111 K. Chisholm

11 105 M. Goerke

12 104 B. Tickle

13 100 R. Kiniry

14 78 C. Gosselaar

15 66 S. Boniface

[paturoa]

Just caught the last couple of minutes of what looked like round 2 and there is a replay at 7pm on Sky Sport 2

and....

on sky sport 1 at 7 is the Czech round of Moto GP


WHY oh WHY next to each other - the planet (Sky) is full of morons!!!

Well at least they are showing both.

[Danger]

Nothing seems to faze Ben Townley and this is why I think he will win the Championship. I reckon the pressure is going to get to RV.

From Racer X.

Tuesday Conversation: Ben Townley July 24, 2007
Story and photos by Steve Bruhn
Printer Friendly

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit teammates Ben Townley and Ryan Villopoto are locked in a dead heat for control of AMA Toyota Motocross Lites. The two seem to have no trouble checking out, and the motos become a contest of who will make the least mistakes. Townley fell once at Lakewood, and Villopoto fell twice, and that gave Townley the second moto win.
It was a hot and brutal day at high elevation, and the Pro Circuit bikes were eating the others up. Each of the four Pro Circuit bikes had the lead at least once in one of the motos! Ben took a few minutes after the press conference to go back over the day.

Racer X: Ben, how did you deal with this heat and elevation today?
Ben Townley: It was good. It’s like I said before, everyone is in the same boat. I didn’t think that I was going to struggle. I knew that it would be tough, but I knew it would be tough for everyone. I didn’t approach it any differently than any other race.

After two days worth of practice here, when you went for your motos, did you feel you were ready going in?
I didn’t think about that. I know what I did think about—and it would have been a screw-up if I hadn’t thought about it on the gate—was that you have to start in first gear this weekend. I actually thought everyone was joking with me. Saturday morning Ivan came into the truck and said “You know you have to start in first gear here?” and I was like “No way!” I went out there in practice and made sure I got that sorted. When the 30-second board comes up, you have to be really focused on that because you can’t kick up instead of down when it goes sideways. That was the only thing I was thinking about on the starting line – Don’t put it in second gear!

What happened to you and Ryan on the start in moto one?
I had terrible jumps today for some reason. My bike pulled really well up the hill. I managed to put my elbows down and squeeze in between people. I came out like 5th in the first one. I guess Ryan was behind me—I thought he was ahead of me. Then all of a sudden, we came up on something and I went wide and he went across. He came up the inside of me. I railed a berm and he took it, then two turns later I got him back. He came down the outside on the hill after the Red Bull there. We were going at it.

Did you think, Hey we are teammates, cool it!?
No. (It’s okay ) as long as neither one of us goes down.

Do you remember any of your pit boards?
Just my lap times. I always like to have my lap times on there, and the distance from the next guy. I just focused on doing my own race, especially when coming from behind. The same thing in the second moto: After Ryan had gone down I focused on that. I just did my own deal.
It is different when you are battling with someone that close. Then you are thinking where do you make you moves, where are you weak and where you're strong…

Do you feel that your best advantage is your second motos and can you plan for that?
I don’t know. There was a lot of water down in the first moto when we first came out, so I was really cautious in the beginning to not over ride it. Ryan was trying to pass me so I was thinking, Should I push or not? and then I made that mistake. So I don’t know. Second motos are a definitely strength of mine, yeah. But I think if I can get out cleaner in the beginning of the first race it will be a different story.

Did you see what happened to Ryan, the turn he fell twice on?
Yeah, I was right on his back wheel. When we came down that long downhill, I was on the outside of him. We were still really close together at that stage and he went down on the inside. I took a peek and he was still in second. Then next lap he was in third and I couldn’t work that out – so yeah, I just rode my own race after that.

At the podium you had mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and your aunt, and your girlfriend. Does it change much when so many are here with you?
Not at all. It’s great to have them here, no doubt about it. That is the hardest thing for me, is living away from home, without family. It seems to get harder as we go on. When I was 16, I couldn’t wait to get out. That was seven years ago.

After seven nationals, supercross and all, you have been here a while, do you feel like an American now?
No, not at all. I’m just trying to be Ben Townley!

[paturoa]

Racing again this weekend.

[FlangMasterJ]

Is their a 450 class this yeah? :zzzz:

[paturoa]

BT 3rd fastest in Sat practice and RV 1st.

[Danger]

First race at Washougal Ryan Villopoto is leading Ben Townley by 8 seconds on lap 8. This is RV's home track and he is motivated!

[Danger]

Lap 9 the lead is nine seconds.

[Danger]

Lap 10 identical times last 3 laps, RV by 9 seconds.

Listen here http://wmgllc.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/wmgllc/22838/300_wmgllc-ama_072907_070727.asx

Watch the lap progress here. javascript:syst_popup('http://www.amaproracing.com/live/atthewire.html', 825, 615, 1, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1)

Not sure if that will work, go to the AMA website and pick race results, then at the wire live at the top.

[Danger]

3 laps to go,same, Dungey is 3rd.
Lap 12 and the gap is almost 12 seconds to RV.

[Danger]

Two laps to go, 12 seconds gap. Doubt RV will make a mistake from here.

[Danger]

RV is a second a lap quicker on lap 14 its almost a 14 second gap to BT.

[Danger]

RV has won and I heard the comentators lighting up a doobie.

[Danger]

18 seconds and RV whoops ass!

[Danger]

Bummer for you dudes traveling to work and missing the first race eh?

I gotta go have breakfast during the MX class first race.

Be back for the 2nd lites race.

[young1]

Thanks for the updates, when is the second race?

[Danger]

Very soon, maybe 10 mins.

Better go do poo's now.

[Danger]

Well the latest rumour is that Bens deal with Honda may not be as sewn up as first thought. And he maybe going with Suzuki. Ben last week said that a two year deal had been done but would not confirm who it was with. Everyone has been expecting Honda, but I for one sure hope that the Suzuki rumour has some substance. I wonder why they do not announce who they are going with when they are all signed up?

[Danger]

Still waiting on the start. Wish they would hurry up, I got work to do!

[Danger]

I hear bikes so we must be close.

[Danger]

Parade lap under way. Starting soon.

[quackquack]

What site has it on

[Danger]

http://wmgllc.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/wmgllc/22838/300_wmgllc-ama_072907_070727.asx

[Danger]

They are off, Hepler, Dungey, Townley.

[Danger]

Townly in 2nd, no sign of RV. RV is out of top 20, back in 30th. Almost lands on a rider over table top trying to make ground.

[Danger]

RV up to 20th. Ben in 2nd behind Hepler. Dungey in 3rd after holeshoting.

[Danger]

Townley could take the points lead if RV does not get up to 2nd place.

[Danger]

RV up to 16th.

[quackquack]

Cheers mate good start BT bad for villa

[Danger]

Townley blows past Hepler and takes the lead, Hepler goes for the pass and almost gets back into the lead. Hepler is a fighter.

[Danger]

Townley goes big time sideways and almost goes down, Hepler smells blood, RV is 11 seconds back and moving up.

[Danger]

Dungey shows Hepler a wheel. RV up to 10th.

[Danger]

Its a close 3 way at the front, RV is on the move through the field, Ben can't pull away.

[quackquack]

Hopefully they can start moving away instead of fighting Villa 10th

[Danger]

Hepler right on Bens tail. Lap 4.

[Danger]

RV up to 8th but still 18 seconds back.

[Danger]

RV up to 7th. Ben still leads, just.

[Danger]

You can't seperate Ben and Hepler.

[Danger]

Hepler makes a mistake and falls back 2 seconds, and now has Dungey on his tail. Keep it on two wheels Ben!

[Danger]

RV up to 5th!

[Danger]

Hepler almost goes down on hitting a haybale.

[Danger]

Ben ahead by 2 seconds. RV still in 5th 15 seconds back.

[Danger]

RV pushing for 4th.

[Danger]

Ben still not pulling away from Hepler, RV up to 4th with massive crowd support. RV is running 2 seconds a lap quicker than the front guys.

[Danger]

RV is coming!

[Danger]

Ben, Hepler, Dungey, Villopoto, Grant, lap 7.

[Danger]

RV has a clear track in front to catch up to 3rd.

[Danger]

Dungey is battling with Hepler. Ben only 2.4 secs in front. Dungey makes the pass, Hepler almost gets him back. Hepler makes the pass again. Dungey gets Hepler back again.

[Danger]

No Hepler holds 2nd. RV is up to 12 seconds back and 3 seconds a lap quicker last lap.

[Danger]

Hepler and Dungey battling wheel to wheel, RV is in the same straight!

[Danger]

Ben pulls out to 5 seconds lead while 2nd and 3rd battle. RV is coming up!

[Danger]

RV is right behind Hepler, Dungey is 5 seconds behind Ben.

[Danger]

RV is only 8 seconds behind Ben and heaps faster a lap!

[Danger]

RV trying to pass Hepler, got him RV into 3rd!

[Danger]

RV pushing Dungey, RV goes down woo hoo!

[Danger]

RV swaps big time, rag dolls down the hill, big crash but keeps bike going and back up to 4th.

[quackquack]

Bike still running sounded big go BT run now run

[Danger]

RV 4 secs behind Hepler.

[Danger]

Lap 11, Ben and 7 seconds back to Dungey, then Hepler and RV.

[Danger]

RV is back to 23 seconds back from Ben and appears to have given up the chase. It was a big crash and I guess he has the fight knocked out of him.

[Danger]

Damn! Hepler crashes and RV up to 3rd. Heplers bike has been smoking and might have expired.

[Danger]

Ben pulls out to 10 secs over Dungey, RV is clearly the faster rider on this track pulling laps 2 secs faster than the other guys all race. Just got a terrible start.

[Danger]

A lap and a half to go and Ben might take the points lead. Just.

[Danger]

White flag lap. 12 seconds between Ben and Dungey. RV 18 seconds back.

[Danger]

RV is digging deep and 3 seconds behind Dungey. It could be all tied up again at the end of the race if he gets into 2nd.

[Danger]

Come on Dungey!!!!

[Danger]

RV right on Dungeys tail with a 1/4 lap to go!

[Danger]

Ben takes the overall, and the points lead, Dungey just holds out RV woo hoo!

[NordieBoy]

Damn!

:woohoo:

Good race :D

[NordieBoy]

Ben's leading the points now...

[Danger]

Ben wins by 2.4 seconds, Dungey 2nd, RV 3rd and only 3 seconds behind Ben.

[Danger]

Damn commentators saying Ben is from Europe!!! Grhhh!!!!

[quackquack]

Wow the points lead a great ride RV seems to be keeping BT in the chase.

[young1]

Great result!!

[denill]

BIG THANKS for the updates :yes::yes:

[NordieBoy]

Damn commentators saying Ben is from Europe!!! Grhhh!!!!

I liked that comment :D

Followed by the "You know what I mean" one...

[denill]

After the Australian Nationals Cody Cooper departs for the USA for six weeks where he will stay with Ben Townley and according to SsangYong's Russell Burling, Coops plans to compete in the last two rounds of the AMA. Russell has been arranging a CRF450 through Castrol Honda Racing's Clive Cooper-Smith that will be looked after by BT's team, Pro Circuit.


The American Motocross of the Nations will take place at Budds Creek, 22 & 23 September and the team has yet to be announced. Obviously Josh Coppins and Ben Townley are 'it' but with Daryl Hurley's shoulder injury and the fact that Coops is really riding well places him in a prime position for selection. Coops will return for the NZ Motocross Championship which is on:

[FlangMasterJ]

Thanks for the commentary Danger. Go Ben!

[denill]

Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF.

New Zealander Ben Townley claimed his fourth AMA Motocross Lites overall victory of the season aboard a Kawasaki.

Townley, who resides in Tallahassee, Fla., during the season, out dueled local hero and Kawasaki teammate Ryan Villopoto to claim his third consecutive win of the season with a 2-1 moto finish. After wining the first moto, Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., was in position for the overall win before a terrible start in moto two placed him at the back of the pack while Townley sprinted to the lead.

Villopoto (1-3) turned in an inspired ride but could never catch Townley and wound up finishing second overall. Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey, of Belle Plaine, Minn., finished third with a 3-2 moto finish. Townley now leads Villopoto by two points, 357 to 355, in the AMA Motocross Lites standings.

The AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF will break for one week before heading to Millville, Minn., for the Honda Spring Creek Pro National Presented by Unbound Energy and Scott USA, on August 11-12.

Motocross Lites (Moto Finish) Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-1 Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 1-3 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 3-2 Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 6-4 Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 5-5 Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 7-6 Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 8-11 Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 13-8 Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 4-35 Joaquim Rodrigues, Temecula, Calif., KTM, 15-10

Motocross Lites Point Standings Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 357 Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 355 Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 286 Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 258 Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 254 Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 162 Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 141 Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 132 Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 128 Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 127

[Danger]

Darn, I hate it when they break for a week!

[paturoa]

Darn, I hate it when they break for a week!

At least we have Josh on the 4th (fingers crossed)

[dammad1]

Danger I have to say what a awesome job you are doing of covering these races, as I read through all that I actually felt the tension build in anticapation of the final result.
Well done! Keep it up!

[denill]

Date: 29 July 2007.

Press release:

Townley takes over points lead after Washougal victory.

Kiwi motocross sensation, Ben Townley, has moved into the points lead of the AMA Toyota Motocross Lites championship after claiming his third successive overall victory (his fifth of the series) in front of over 26.0000 spectators in Washougal, WA.

The Washougal Motocross Park presented Townley with probably one of the most difficult tasks so far this season. With fellow Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team-mate Ryan Villopoto getting out front in moto 1, Townley did all he could to try and keep the Washington native honest and had to settle for second in front of Ryan Dungey.



Townley managed a top 3 start again in moto 2 and quickly found his way around Dungey and then Broc Hepler to take over the lead. Villopoto went down in the start, giving Townley the breathing space necessary to bring home his fifth overall victory of the season and a two point lead in the series.



“It’s been a tough day at the office” admitted Townley. “Ryan (Villopoto) was on fire and I was doing all I could to be where I was. I knew I had to get around Ryan Dungey pretty fast in the first moto if I was going to have any chance of keeping up with RV. He managed to gap me and I just rode that race out thinking about the next one. In the second moto I initially didn’t know that Ryan had gone down so I eventually managed to drop Broc Hepler and then bring it home. The track was probably the hardest one for me to master so far since I have been in the US. It’s just a tricky track to ride - so slippery and there is shade in a lot of places so you go from hard-dry into wet-tacky, shiny spots and that was tough for me to come to grips with. I am happy to get out of there with what I achieved. It has been an awesome day for me considering how I was riding.”



With round 9 of the 12 round series scheduled in Millville Minnesota on August 12-13, Townley will have a week’s break before heading to the Spring Creek Motocross Park to defend his Motocross Lites series points lead.

Race results:

Motocross Lites (Moto Finish)

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 2-1
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 1-3
3. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 3-2
4. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 6-4
5. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 5-5
6. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 7-6
7. Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 8-11
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 13-8
9. Broc Hepler, Kittanning, Pa., Yamaha, 4-35
10. Joaquim Rodrigues, Temecula, Calif., KTM, 15-10

Motocross Lites Point Standings

1. Ben Townley, Tallahassee, Fla., Kawasaki, 357
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 355
3. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 286
4. Jason Lawrence, Murrieta, Ga., Yamaha, 258
5. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 254
6. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Honda, 162
7. Thomas Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 141
8. Andrew McFarlane, Newport Beach, Calif., Suzuki, 132
9. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 128
10. Broc Tickle, Cary, N.C., Yamaha, 127

[Danger]

Danger I have to say what a awesome job you are doing of covering these races, as I read through all that I actually felt the tension build in anticapation of the final result.
Well done! Keep it up!

Thanks mate! I find the races damn exciting and I just have to share the excitement! Since I just got a cheap form of broadband its easier to keep up to date as the race progresses. I just hate it when the phone rings while the racing is on, and it sure gets the week off to a slow start.

[FlangMasterJ]

Washougal race images: http://stevebruhn.com/News07/MX08/index.htm

Also a post race recap vid: http://live.motocross.com/washougal_postshow.php Check out Villopoto's speed and style :gob:

[paturoa]

BT racing this weekend

August 11-12 Spring Creek Motocross Park
Wabasha Cty. Rd. 11
Millville, MN 55957
www.springcreekmx.com

[scott411]

qualifying for Milville, Bt is on fire

1. 101 Ben Townley Kawasaki KX250F 2:39.637 5 2:40.120 6
2. 123 Brett Metcalfe Kawasaki KX250F 2:41.719 7 2:45.636 3
3. 60 Broc D Hepler Yamaha YZ250F 2:42.108 5 2:42.299 2
4. 1 Ryan D Villopoto Kawasaki KX250F 2:42.274 4 2:43.435 5
5. 52 Thomas K Hahn Honda CRF250R 2:42.431 4 2:46.341 3
6. 140 Trey G Canard Honda CRF250R 2:44.469 3 2:45.091 4
7. 33 Matthew C Goerke Yamaha YZ250F 2:45.915 7 2:51.207 5
8. 47 Kelly D Smith Suzuki RM-Z250 2:46.028 6 2:54.357 4
9. 76 Tucker J Hibbert Kawasaki KX250F 2:46.568 3 2:51.652 2
10. 48 Kyle P Chisholm Kawasaki KX250F 2:47.433 5 2:53.199 3

[merv]

Is that final qualifying?

Go our boy!!

[scott411]

that is saturday qualifing, they have a qualifing for gate pick on sunday morning

[scott411]

1st moto

Ben Townely
Ryan Villapoto
Brett Metcalf,


Pro CIrcuit Kawasaki Podium Sweep,

[Danger]

Woo hoo Ben wins his first up Moto! I bet RV is going to come back hard in the 2nd Moto! This could be Bens wining of the Championship if he can hold him of to extend the points lead! Go Ben!

[Danger]

Not sure whats up with the feed, they seem to have finished the broadcast without racing Moto 2?

[Danger]

Found an audio here.

http://wmgllc.edgeboss.net/wmedia-live/wmgllc/22956/300_wmgllc-motorcross_millville_070808.asx

Gutted I missed the first Moto!

[Danger]

Ha ha the dope heads reckon in the first Moto that RV let BT by, yeah right!

[Danger]

Here is a map of the track.

[Danger]

Sounds like they are on the parade lap.

[Danger]

Well looks like they killed the audio!!!

[Danger]

No Audio but Ben leads lap 1, RV back in 5th.

[Danger]

RV almost 5 seconds back. Go Ben!

[Danger]

RV up to 4th, 5 seconds behind Ben, lap two.

[Danger]

Ben leads, Metcalfe 2nd 1.3 seconds back.

[Danger]

Canard 3rd 4.6 seconds back, RV in 4th still.

[Danger]

Everything is working very slow today and no audio sorry guys. Try to keep up with whats happening.

RV is up to 3rd.

See the laps here.

http://206.168.146.114/lps/index.html

[Danger]

Lost the feed but RV got up to 3rd. Getting it back now.

[Danger]

RV is closing the gap to 4 seconds.

[Danger]

Lap 4, Ben leads over RV in 3rd by 4 seconds, Metcalfe in 2nd at 2.4 seconds.

[Danger]

RV up to 2nd and only 2 seconds back from Ben!

[Danger]

Lap 5 and Ben leads RV by only 2.3 seconds! Go Ben!!!

[Danger]

RV pulled out a blinding 2.20 on lap 5 to close the gap!

[Danger]

RV on the tail of Ben with only a 1 second gap! RV is faster at this point! Come on Ben!!!

[Danger]

Track must be drying out. RV pulls out a 2.19 and Ben does his own 2.20!

[Danger]

RV passes Ben to take the lead!!!

[Danger]

And pulls out a 2.18, this kid is an animal!!!

[Danger]

Ben is 1.4 seconds back and pulls out another 2.20 on lap 7, RV still leads.

[Danger]

Ben pulls out a 2.18 as well and is 1.9 seconds behind RV! What a battle!

[Danger]

Lap 8 and RV and Ben are in a league of their own leaving Metcalfe behind by 13 seconds.

[Danger]

Both have slowed down by RV is faster and stretches the lead to 3.5 seconds on lap 9.

[Danger]

Ben is back to pulling 2.22 laps and RV is pulling 2.20's! RV leads.

[Danger]

Both doing laps of 2.23, the early pace is taking its toll. Ben closes the gap to 3.1 seconds. Ben should be stronger towards the end if he can keep in touch and pressure RV.

[Danger]

Metcalfe is miles back, 21 seconds behind Ben.

[Danger]

Lap 10, RV leads Ben by 3.1 seconds still.

[Danger]

Lap 11, RV does a 2.21 and extends the lead to 4.5 seconds, Ben is still doing 2.23 laps.

[Danger]

Ben pulls out a 2.21 and closes the gap to 4 seconds on lap 12. Come on Ben!!! Go for it!

[Danger]

Metcalfe a whopping 32 seconds back in 3rd!

[Danger]

Ben loses some time on lap 13 and its now a 4.7 second gap, both pulling 2.22.

[Danger]

Race must be getting near the end, RV leads Ben by 4.6 seconds, both pulling 2.23 laps.

[Danger]

I think this will be the last lap.

[Danger]

Looks like RV is going to win this race and the overall.

[Danger]

Lap 15 and the gap closes to 3 seconds, Ben pushing hard!

[Danger]

Or RV could have slowed over the finish line, not sure yet.

[dino3310]

bugga hoping rv would bin it

[Danger]

I think its over, RV wins by 3 seconds over Ben Townly. Ben leads the Championship by only 2 points.

[Danger]

RV's quickest time was .5 seconds quicker than Bens.

[dino3310]

awesome up dates bro, lets hope the little fella can extend his lead.

[dino3310]

any word on coppins

[quackquack]

Cheers Danger great updates mate was hoping he would come through after the good start in that race.

[Teava]

Hey Danger where are you geting all this info from?
Is there a live feed somewhere.

[Danger]

Coppins is out injured and didn't race.
I posted all the links above in my posts as I found them.
Its going to go to the wire. As long as Ben can win a race and not finish worse than 2nd in the other he should take the title. RV is faster, but its the first man over the line that comes away with the points.

[FlangMasterJ]

Here's the Washougal lites torrent: http://www.mininova.org/tor/833813

Just watching it, some great racing as always.

[Katoomer]

Check out these lap times :yes:
Lites
Pos. No. Best time Session Rider name Hometown Bike
1 101 02:17.437 Moto 1 Ben Townley Tallahassee, FL Kawasaki KX250F
2 1 02:18.176 Moto 2 Ryan D Villopoto Poulsbo, WA Kawasaki KX250F
3 52 02:21.227 Moto 1 Thomas K Hahn Decatur, TX Honda CRF250R
4 123 02:21.473 Moto 2 Brett Metcalfe Murrieta, CA Kawasaki KX250F
5 24 02:21.643 Moto 1 Joshua M Grant Riverside, CA Honda CRF250R

MX class

1 4 02:18.144 Moto 1 Ricky Carmichael Havana, FL Suzuki RMZ450
2 8 02:20.636 Moto 1 Grant Langston Clermont, FL Yamaha YZ450F
3 29 02:21.224 Moto 1 Andrew T Short Smithville, TX Honda CRF450R
4 14 02:21.512 Moto 1 Kevin W Windham Centreville, MS Honda CRF450R
5 800 02:22.107 Moto 2 Mike A Alessi Victorville, CA KTM 450SX

[Buddy L]

Faster then Carmicheal by half a secound. What a champ

[telliman]

how sick would an open class be for the final round or somthing,now that would be a race to watch! instaed of a two horse race in each class.

[Teava]

WOW :gob: thats impressive!
Cant wait until he finishes up his supercross lites season then moves on
to the 450cc, Hes the man:rockon:

[dammad1]

Good stuff Danger another good run down as always.

[Danger]

Thanks, will have to get out of bed earlier for the first race.

[dino3310]

cant wait to see him have a crack at Carmichael,
carmichael will see him coming and retire before getting dethroned by a kiwi

[Teava]

Carmichael has retired dude, hes signed on until 2009 but will only be
coaching and assisting. he's truly the GOAT .

[takitimu]

Driving up to Pittsburgh after work in a few hours, hope it's a great weekend for BT :).

[paturoa]

Driving up to Pittsburgh after work in a few hours, hope it's a great weekend for BT :).

I have taken on a very kawasaki green envy colour!

BT 3rd fastest in Saturday qualifying and RV was 6th.

EDIT:

Oh and get this......



AMA Racing announced today that Tim Ferry will replace James Stewart on the 2007 Monster AMA Team USA in this year’s Motocross of Nations (MXoN) scheduled for Sept. 22-23, at Budds Creek Motocross Raceway in Maryland.

Ferry will join Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto both of whom were named to the American team on Aug.1

James Stewart injured his left knee while competing in round eight of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF on July 28-29 at Washougal Motocross Park in Washougal, WA.

[takitimu]

I have taken on a very kawasaki green envy colour!

BT 3rd fastest in Saturday qualifying and RV was 6th.

No envy needed today, 30 miles in 3.5 hours due to road works, so instead of arriving at 1pm I got there @ 3:30 & missed the practise session for the lites / open, so just tried to find a good spot for tomorrow.
It's been wet & some pretty nasty ruts on the track, I did catch the last lap from Villipoto/BT & they were cruising.

[paturoa]

No envy needed...
Yes ENVY....let me see, go get some more firewood this afternoon, or go to a round of tha AMA - no contest.

Are those your photos? They are very good.

[Danger]

I'm gonna try and get up early tomorrow and not miss the first race. Gonna be hard, didn't get to bed until 3.30am last night and tonight is going to be a late one watching the Warriors on Prime, and Josh in MX1 if I can find some links to follow the racing.

[paturoa]

... and Josh in MX1 if I can find some links to follow the racing.

www.youthstream.org has a live lap chart that is normaly reliable.

[Danger]

Cool thanks, thats what I used to use but for some reason the pages always show gobledegook these days. Must be my browser settings or something. I can't view the Herald on this laptop either, and I just junked my PC.

[Danger]

Just checked it out and it all shows up fine. In fact I see Tony Cooksly just won the first Veterans race. What a legend that guy is. I used to look up to Tony when I was racing in the 80's. I used to think "that old guy sure is fast!" He was 27 at the time. Now he is over 50 I believe. And still smokin!:Punk:

[arj127]

BT 6th in first race at Steel city, three places behind Villopoto.
Hope he wins the next race

[Danger]

Yeah, missed the 1st race again but the track is a quagmire and RV came back from a 1st lap crash to 3rd and was something like 4 seconds a lap quicker than anyone else. Ben came back from 35th to 6th and now trails RV in the points.
A big pile up at the start, guess Ben was involved in that too. All three Pro Circuit guys were in that 1st turn crash I've just found out.
Next race lining up now.

[Danger]

uick report on moto 1s:

Lites:

A huge pileup first turn, looked like it started with Canard. Villopoto and Townley were at the bottom and got going nearly last. Villopoto charged a little harder and took the points lead. Hepler won the moto.

[Danger]

Pre race warm up lap under way.

[Danger]

Ben has the 1st gate pick due to setting the fastest practice times.

[Danger]

1st race Ben did not take a sighting lap. A mistake according to the commentators as the track is changing so much due to the conditions. He is doing a sighting lap for this race.

[Danger]

Ok lined up on the gate, ready for the start. Ben needs to beat RV to peg back some points for the Championship.

They are off, riders down, RV has the holeshot.

[Danger]

RV out front, Ben back about 6th I think.

[Danger]

Ben passes two riders in one corner and now in 4th, RV has checked out, Ben moves up to 3rd.

[Danger]

Ben battling Hepler back and fourth for 3rd. Ben goes down and is back in 11th.

[Danger]

RV is gone burger!

[Danger]

All the top runners are 1st, 2nd and 3rd, RV is way gone, Ben is back in 11th. RV is 9 seconds in front on lap 2.

[Danger]

Can't get the laps feed, Ben is in 9th.

[Danger]

RV's best time is 2.03, Bens is 2.18. Not a good day for the Kiwi's so far.

[Danger]

Ben pulls out a 2.09 and moves up to 8th. Pushing Lawrence but its not a good passing track with nasty ruts formed everywhere.

[Danger]

Lap 4, RV out front in by 12 seconds, BT all over the back of Lawrence looking for the pass back in 8th.

[Danger]

BT just got passed Lawrence, but its all ahead of him.

[Danger]

RV does a 2.08 out front on lap 5, BT pulls out a 2.06 and up to 6th.

[Danger]

Ben is getting quicker and pulls out a 2.05.

[Danger]

Ben 20 seconds behind RV, but lapping quicker now.

[Danger]

Ben still in 6th on lap 6 but now 19 seconds back from RV in the lead.

[Danger]

RV has a comfortable gap back to Hepler in 2nd by 13 seconds. BT pulling 2.05, RV 2.07.

[Danger]

Ben slowly closing the gap to 18 seconds. Race at the halfway point.

[Danger]

Ben moves up to 5th.

[Danger]

Ben up to 3rd! 17 seconds to RV.

[Danger]

BT needs to pass Hepler for 2nd. Hepler is gone down and over the bars, BT up in 2nd woo hoo!

[Danger]

Now got to catch RV, go Ben!!!

[Danger]

Lap 9, RV leads Ben Townley by 16 seconds. I don't think Ben has enough time unless RV bobbles.
RV starts to lap riders.

[Danger]

Ben is going to be five points behind RV in the series if this is how it ends. Ben can't see RV at this point.

[Danger]

Gap is down to 15 seconds but running out of time.

[Danger]

Metcalfe also went down in the 1st turn crash and is in 3rd. Lap 10.

[Danger]

RV is slowing down but under no pressure, Ben needs to pick up the pace.

[Danger]

Lap 11 and RV leads Ben by 15 seconds, Ben staying smart and taking the 2nd place points, Metcalfe back in 3rd, 7seconds behind Ben.

[Danger]

Ben closes the gap to 12 seconds, 2 seconds a lap quicker than RV at this point.

[Danger]

Lap 12 and 26 minutes in, RV leads BT by 12 seconds.

[Danger]

Lap 13 and the gap down to 11 seconds.

[Danger]

Lap 14 the race is winding down and Ben up to 9 seconds behind. Come on Ben go for it!

[Danger]

RV is slowing down to 2.10, Ben down to 2.07. This track is draining them.

[Danger]

RV now at 2.09, Ben at 2.10 and Ben looses ground for the first time this race and is now 10 secs back from RV.

[Danger]

2 laps to go, Tommy Hahn is laid out on the track.

[Danger]

Last lap and Ben is now 8 seconds back, no way is RV going to let him catch and pass from here.

[Danger]

Tommy Hahn is up on his feet and in the cart.

[Danger]

Its over, Ben finishes 4 seconds behind RV, RV takes the overall, not sure where Ben finishes up for the day but he will be 5 seconds back in the Championship and thats going to be hard to pull back on Ryan Villopoto.

[Danger]

Not a great weekend for BT after setting the fastest practice times. Looses 7 points to Ryan Villopoto.

[Danger]

Waiting to see if Ben gets to the overall podium or not with a 6-2.