Ben Townley on coaching Liam Everts
A few winters ago, Stefan Everts sent his son Liam to New Zealand to train with Ben Townley. For Liam it became a great school of life and the experience took his riding to a new level. Ex-MX2 and AMA SX Lites champion Townley also enjoyed the experience.
It later became apparent that the winter of 2017 to 2018 was crucial for Liamski's development. In 2017 it was difficult for little Everts to assert himself in the 85cc. One year later he won bronze in the EMX85 final and won a round in the junior World Championships in Australia. Our editor Jonathan spoke about this with BT101.
Townley also gained satisfaction from coaching Liam. The ex-rival of Stefan Everts continues to closely follow the career of the young KTM rider. “I enjoyed the training I did with Liam! He was at a stage where I could really help him develop in some areas of riding. He was very motivated and enthusiastic to learn and really took what I advised him to heart,” Ben remembers.
“The collaboration was very interesting because Stefan wanted him to put in a lot of hours during the postseason he spent here. I completely dissected his technique to learn new habits. So I made it make the same bend over and over again until the new way was ingrained. When he got home, I think Stefan noticed the changes. I enjoy seeing how his career develops. On the other hand, I don't envy his position. Trying to go your own way while your father is the greatest World Cup rider of all time, must be tough sometimes.”
Upon his return to Europe, Liam himself said: “Ben helped me a lot with my corner speed, my technique and my starts. We have really made great strides there.”
See a video of Liam in NZ below:
Tekst: Jonathan McCready
Photos: Visual Videography
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