Ben Townley will not line-up for the Suzuki MXGP World Team following a practice crash.
By Hayden Gregory
The New Zealand rider injured his left wrist and ribs in preparation for his first competitive outing at Talavera.
“I went down today and hit my wrist, ribs and banged my head a bit,” Townley said. “I’ll need a few days off again. The wrist is not broken but the doctor told me I’d need to rest it and start some treatment. I will have to go day-by-day and see where I can get to. That’s all I know at the moment.”
With Townley ruled out, Kevin Strijbos will be the sole MXGP rider for the Suzuki team.
“I’ve had some good days riding and putting in the motos and I’m happy with the set-up on the bike for the harder tracks so the focus has been more on me and my work,” the Belgian said. “The important thing this weekend will be the starts because it is not so easy to pass at Talavera and I know I need to get out of the gate if I want a result.
“I will be putting everything into this for the motos because I know if I can start in the top-three then I can stay there. On the other side I’m sorry for the setback with Ben. We did some good riding in France during the week and it is a shame if he has to miss the race.”
The Grand Prix of Spain will mark the midpoint of the World Championship, with Strijobs currently placed seventh overall and Townley back in 13th.
