Kiwi Ben Townley will skip the United States and Brazilian rounds of the MX1 Motocross World Championship in a bid to regain full fitness following a frustrating comeback in the Netherlands last weekend.

Townley raced to 19th in moto one at Valkenswaard in his comeback ride from injury, however sat out the second moto in what was round two of the 2011 title chase.

Returning to GP Motocross and being far from 100 percent ready has been a tough pill to swallow for the Team CLS Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider, the result forcing Townley and his team to re-assess his comeback strategy.

“I expected my riding and results to be on a better level but it was a lot tougher than I anticipated and I need some more time to build up my body physically,” the former MX2 World Champion said. “I’m not the type of guy who can accept riding round in 19th position.

“I want to win, my sponsors want me to win, the team wants to win, my fans want to see me up front and that’s why we have decided to sit out Glen Helen and Indaiatuba to focus on building my stamina, race speed and overall bike setup.

“It’s a tough decision to make, but the people who know me, know that I want to succeed and this is the quickest way that we can be fighting for race wins.”

Townley is scheduled to return on 5 June at Saint Jean d’Angely in France.