Ben Townley won the MX2 title in 2004 , just three years after stepping onto European soil for the first time . He finished runner-up to Masterton ’ s Luke Burkhart ( 125cc ) at the NZ senior nationals in November 2000 , and then the call came from the fledgling German Phase Suzuki team seeking a young rider for the 2001 MX world championships . Burkhart turned down the offer , but the next man they approached , Townley , accepted and , as they say , the rest is history . Townley is pictured ( p48 , bottom right ) on the Phase Suzuki , chatting with his dad , Grant , at the Australian GP that year . It was a tough indoctrination for young Townley , but at least his talent had been recognised , racing the following season for the Vangani KTM factory satellite team and then the Champ KTM team . A year later on a full factory KTM he won the MX2 world title . He raced one season in Europe in MX1 , lining up on a factory KTM 450 alongside Coppins . The two finished behind the legendary Stefan Everts in 2005 , Coppins No . 2 and Townley No . 3 - shown here racing together ( Townley # 30 ) and Coppins # 5 ).
46 KIWI RIDER