Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Townley Captures Eastern regional AMA Supercross lites championship

DETROIT- Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ben Townley clinched the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites title with a second-place finish at Ford Field. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider James Stewart took the win in the AMA Supercross class, while teammate Timmy Ferry put in an impressive ride rounding out the podium in third.

Townley came into the final round in Detroit with a three-point deficit. In order to capture the title, he needed to put in a strong performance that would enable him to finish at least three points ahead of the series points’ leader. He did just that, grasping the runner-up position and winning the championship by a six-point margin. The championship is his first AMA Supercross Title.

“It was always my dream to be able to race over here (in America),” said Townley. “To win a championship like this, it feels really amazing. And to be able to dream about something as a kid and now today realize that your dream has come true, it is unspeakable.

“I have to thank my team, because they have been a huge part of my success and have worked so hard. Mitch (Payton, team owner) had to take me through some baby steps with a lot of things in America and for that I have to give extra thanks.”

Teammate Darcy Lange, who came to Ford Field sitting third in points, put in a solid 10th-place finish and secured the third position in the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites final standings.

In the AMA Supercross class, Stewart put in a dominating ride earning his 11th victory of the season, extending his points lead to 38 in AMA Supercross and 32 in the World GP standings.

“The track was pretty slippery and you had to be careful that you didn’t over ride the track,” said Stewart. “Fortunately, I got the holeshot and I knew that was the key to winning the race. And I knew that we are in a good position in the points and you definitely don’t want to get caught up in the back and have something happen.

“We have a really good lead in the points now and with two races left, I am looking forward to wrapping things up in Seattle. Hopefully, we can knock out both titles next weekend.”

Ferry continues to prove that he is a legitimate contender in the AMA Supercross division after winning his heat race and holding second nearly the entire 20-lap main event before taking home the third spot.

“I was happy with my speed tonight. It was really good,” said Ferry. “It felt awesome to keep James (Stewart) in site and Chad (Reed) behind me for so long. If you look back at Toronto or Vancouver, I wasn’t even nearly that close. Improvement wise, I think I have improved more than anybody.”

Cernic’s Kawasaki rider Paul Carpenter put in a solid finish in the AMA Supercross class with a ninth place in the main event, while teammate Jeff Gibson finished 12th.

MotoSport Kawasaki’s Matt Boni finished out his rookie season in the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites series with a strong ninth-place finish. Teammate Bobby Kiniry was close behind taking home the 11th place position in AMA Supercross Lites.