Suzuki World MXGP rider Ben Townley made his racing comeback with a hat-trick of wins at Thursday evening’s New Zealand Supercross Championship at Winton.

The former MX World Champion, who has now settled back in New Zealand with his young family after a year in Europe – and a season plagued with injuries – is now working as a brand ambassador for Suzuki New Zealand and only plans to race selected events through the summer.

But on Thursday evening, racing a borrowed RM-Z450 from Winton Motorcycles, the 31-year-old showed his class by winning all three races from NZ Motocross Champion Cody Cooper, former GP rider Josh Coppins and regular front-runner Rhys Carter.

Said Townley: “It was a great event. The weather was against the organisers all night, but we got racing started late in the afternoon and the crowd certainly seemed to enjoy it.

“Winton Motorcycles were amazing. They were so helpful. I’ve only been on a bike five or six times over the past few weeks, so my fitness is not at its best. I’m only going to be riding a few selected events this Summer,” he added; although winning them is also now a realistic prospect.

Words by Andy McGechan @ www.bikesportnz.com