It’s been a challenging start to life in Europe for reigning 85cc FIM Junior Motocross World Champion, Levi Townley, who has suffered a broken leg just two rounds into his EMX125 debut.
After completing his summer pre-season training in New Zealand and contesting the opening two rounds of the NZMX Championship, the Townley family packed up and relocated to Europe to base themselves near the MJC Yamaha team as Levi prepared for his first season in the EMX125 Championship.
His opening Grand Prix in Spain was an all-time mudder that threw the young Kiwi straight into unfamiliar territory, as torrential rain turned the event into a brutal survival race. Despite the tough conditions, he gained valuable experience in what was a true baptism of fire.
Round two saw the paddock head to the deep sand of Sardinia, where Townley impressed with strong starts and ran up front in both motos. While some crashes and minor bike issues held him back in the results, there were clear signs of progress, especially after he had outperformed several top EMX125 contenders in the Dutch Masters.
Unfortunately, that momentum came to an abrupt halt during qualifying in Italy. A rock lodged itself in the chain guide of his YZ125 just as Townley launched over one of the large tabletops. The rear wheel locked up mid-air, resulting in a heavy crash on landing.
“Not the way I wanted things to go,” Levi Townley explained on social media. “I crashed hard during qualifying when ending a qualifying lap. Right at the top of a jump face, a rock got jammed in my chain and sprocket, causing the rear wheel to lock up and sending me into an endo. At the last second, I tried to jump out of it, but there was not much I could do. I ended up breaking my leg.”
The result was a broken lower leg that, fortunately, won’t require surgery, but will sideline the Yamaha rider for an estimated six weeks while he recovers.
“He has had quite the welcome to Europe,” confirmed his father and former MX2 World Champion Ben Townley. “Racing in Europe isn’t easy and he has faced plenty of adversity since we landed here, but it makes you tough and he will learn from it.
“He is a tough kid and will stick at it, and I’m sure his luck will turn soon and he will be able to get the results we know he is capable of,” he concluded.
