Townley's MX1 comeback on hold after injury

New Zealand motocross rider Ben Townley's planned return to MX1 racing has been put on hold after suffering a painful training injury.

The former MX2 world champion and recently-crowned national supercross champion suffered the injury in New Zealand when his stomach slammed into his handlebars.

Doctors identified a small perforation to Townley's bowel which was repaired on Monday but is likely to see Townley sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

The 25-year-old will now miss the first three rounds of the MX1 championship. The first round is in Bulgaria on April 3-4 followed by grands prix in the Netherlands and Italy.

Townley has not raced at MX1 since 2005, when won four grands prix.

"This is definitely a bummer for me," Townley told website cyclenews.com.

"I was really looking forward to racing in Europe in April. Obviously, that isn't going to happen now."

He will return to California next month to begin preparation for the opening round of the US motocross championships that begin in Sacramento on May 22.

- NZPA