Ben Townley Undergoes Surgery
Press Release | April 13, 2009
American Honda announced today that Honda Red Bull Racing rider Ben Townley has successfully undergone surgery in Europe to repair an ongoing complication in his right shoulder. Honda Red Bull Racing team manager Erik Kehoe said, “Ben elected to have the necessary surgery, which also confirms his decision not to race the outdoor nationals due to the difficulties he was experiencing with his shoulder. We support him in his decision and hope to see him back to full health and racing as soon as possible.”Townley flew to Belgium for the surgery, which was performed by Dr. Toon Claes. “It’s been an unfortunate two years in my career,” said the former MX2 World and SX East Coast Lites champion, “but the Honda Red Bull Racing team and all my sponsors have stuck by me. My shoulder was at the point where I could not commit to racing 100 percent and with further tests and medical opinions we were able to pinpoint the problem. Red Bull will be lending all their support through their athlete performance team and will help me focus on my rehab and getting back to full health. The next step after that will, of course, be getting back on the race track.”It is likely that Townley will remain in Belgium for up to three more weeks before returning to the USA to refine his rehabilitation program.
