Team Suzuki World MXGP’s Ben Townley has left Thailand’s second round of the 2016 MXGP World Championship with a positive mindset after showcasing impressive form throughout the event.

Townley kicked off the event on a high with a heat race victory and pole position heading into the two scheduled 30 minute motos before a mistake saw the New Zealander forced to retire from moto one with mechanical issues.

“I blew it, I made a mistake that caught me out of the blue,” said Townley. “It was on the last roller and I was in the wrong gear, I was caught out by how slick it was and got ejected. I was up ready to salvage something but the radiator was damaged and I was lucky to make it back to the pits.”

In the second moto Townley was out to redeem himself, finishing the day with a determined second place ride behind defending champion Romain Febvre.

“In the second moto obviously the result was much better but it was tough, someone jumped the gate beside me so I was late off the line,” he explained. “I started in sixth and worked my way up; I think I had a bit more spark than the other boys. In the end I gave everything I had and I had to talk myself through to the end – it was a mission.”

Although disappointed about losing valuable points due to his moto one mistake, Townley and his Team Suzuki World MXGP crew have made noticeable progress with the bike in just two rounds of racing.

“Overall I’m not concerned about the podium but the 18 points that I threw away,” he added. “We are still working on the bike quite a lot, and have made progress every session since starting in Qatar, but there is still work to do on the engine and suspension especially – onto the next one.”

The 30-year-old now sits 10th overall in the MXGP standings, 50 points behind series leader Febvre.