Australia’s Chad Reed is confident that Ben Townley has what it takes to battle for the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with TwoTwo Motorsports.

Townley was this morning announced as Reed’s replacement at TwoTwo for the outdoors, with Reed currently sidelined after undergoing knee surgery following his crash in the Dallas round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.

“Prior to the supercross season I had been speaking to Ben about racing competitively in the U.S. again, and we’d spoken about the possibility of running a bike built by Mitch Payton from our truck for selected rounds,” Reed explained.

“After the injury, surgery and the initial realisation that I would be sidelined from competition for some time, I needed to consider the team’s ongoing development and if there was a rider that could step in and be competitive in the role.”

With Townley signed after being permitted by Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing in Australia, Reed says the New Zealand former world champion can grab the opportunity with both hands and battle for the 450 Class title.

“We believe in Ben’s talent and work ethic, and combined with the great crew we have at TwoTwo Motorsports, I feel we have the formula to not only represent our sponsors but also challenge, win races and compete for the number one plate,” Reed added.

“I’m excited and I know the whole team is looking forward to getting back racing and supporting Ben.”

The decision was made in consultation with various parties and sponsors, with Reed remaining committed to providing the most value possible to those that have supported his newly-established team.

“Our core sponsors – Bel-Ray, Honda Motorcycles, Shift, Etnies, Skullcandy and Fox – have stood behind us from the beginning and have been a big part of our success on and off track,” Reed continued.

“We’re not just going racing to have a presence at the events, we strongly believe Ben is a rider that can challenge for race wins and we will give Ben every opportunity at success and getting the Honda on the podium.

“He will have the same factory support that I did and we will begin testing in the coming weeks to ensure he is comfortable and prepared for the series.

“I would like to thank Honda Australia’s Tony Hinton and Yarrive Konsky for allowing Ben to pursue this opportunity.”

Townley is expected to travel to the U.S. next month after he contests the opening round of the Monster Energy MX Nationals in Australia for Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing.