This is the factory Honda, equipped with Pirelli tyres, that Ben Townley will race in Australia next year.

Australia-bound former Motocross World Champion Ben Townley is confident that his initial testing with Carlton Dry Honda Thor Racing is going to plan.

The 27-year-old Kiwi will compete in Australian Motocross full time next season aboard Honda’s CRF450R, and already he’s enjoying his time with the Victorian-based team.

“I spent last week in Melbourne with the team to get my base set up sorted on the Honda and get some initial testing done,” Townley explained to MotoOnline.

“We spent three day’s doing that. We started off at Broadford and then spent two days at Frankston. It went really well and, after initialing working on getting the cockpit set up for me and making me comfortable in that area, we worked on the chassis and suspension.

“We made some big changes and gains for me in that area which was really good to see, we worked from the basis of a stock bike and that gave me a good baseline of where we would get to in the end, something I haven’t done in the past.

“Lastly we worked on an engine combination, which is a very good base for going forward. I will now spend the next two months riding and racing here in New Zealand on that set up and plan to test again in early February.”

The team is speculated, but not yet confirmed, to be switching to Pirelli tyres from Michelin in 2012, which can be spotted in the picture accompanying this story above.

Townley will make his official Australian Motocross debut at round one of the series in Queensland on 1 April.