Townley won several GPs in the premier division in that rookie season, and was a consistent threat for the win by the end of the year.

Townley was superb, running faster than Kevin Windham, Mickael Pichon and Stefan Everts, and was only defeated by American champion Ricky Carmichael, who is widely considered the fastest rider in the world.

In 2006 Townley suffered a severe knee injury while preparing for the Supercross Lites East championship and subsequently sat out the majority of the 2006 season.

Due to breaking his foot while training for the 2008 Monster Energy AMA East Coast Supercross Lites series Ben was not able to compete.

Townley has since earned a reputation as a rider who is prone to injury and eventually announced his retirement from professional motocross competition in early 2013.