Motorsport: No shortcuts for Townley

His shoulder has been repaired, but champion New Zealand motocross rider Ben Townley is spending his time in rehabilitation reconstructing all aspects of his approach to his racing career.

An operation to repair a tendon tear and remove a bone spur in his right shoulder was performed in Belgium 10 weeks ago and Townley returned home to Mt Maunganui last month.

The surgery was performed by Belgian specialist Toon Claes who is renowned for his work on the elbows and shoulders of cyclists and motocross riders.

Claes earlier fixed a severe wrist injury which nearly ended Townley's career in 2003, and the Taupo rider went on to claim the world MX2 title the following year.

Townley, 24, agreed he would not know for sure whether Claes had succeeded again until he was able to exert full pressure in training.

"They told me they are very hopeful that what they went in to repair, which was missed in the first operation last year , will return to 100 per cent," said Townley.

"But in saying that, because I never regained full use of my arm and got back the full range of motion in my shoulder after the first operation, they are adamant that I have to work very hard and would need a checkup to see if I am headed in the right direction.

"If I am not, it needs to be reassessed and other options looked at, so, for the moment, they are hopeful that it will be good but at same time they are not counting their chickens until they hatch."

Asked where this placed him in terms of his racing future, Townley said: "I would not say the issue is clouded but there is still a question mark on it.

"The last operation was meant to be successful and it wasn't, so I'm just working off the fact that I'm being positive and working hard and hopefully see the benefits of that - it's pretty much a day at a time."

Townley finished third behind fellow New Zealander Josh Coppins in the world MX1 championship at his first attempt in 2005 and then crossed the Atlantic the following year to fulfil a dream of competing in the United States Supercross (indoor) and outdoor motocross series.

A bad knee injury blighted his debut year but he showed his class and won over the fanatical US fans in 2007 by winning the East Coast Supercross title and finishing runner-up in the national finals.

Since then, pre-season injuries - a broken foot last year and the shoulder this year - have seen Townley's racing log wither away.

With the operation out of the way, Townley is undergoing physiotherapy and following a regime that he hopes will see him coming back as good a rider as he has been, if not better.

"If everything goes to plan, and I won't be taking any short cuts, I'd only look at it at the end of September.

"I'd be a fool to put a date on when I can get back on the bike. I'll only know closer to the time.

"This whole rehabilitation period is all about getting totally healthy, not just in terms of the shoulder but my whole outlook on my going racing," he said.

- NZPA