Source: MXlarge.

New Zealand’s Ben Townley won’t be making a comeback to professional motocross fulltime despite upstaging many of the world’s best at Ernee, France, during last weekend’s Motocross of Nations.

The 30-year-old stunned with his 6-2 results overall at MXoN, leading Team NZ to eighth overall, displaying the world class talent that put him on the international radar over a decade earlier.

However he has dispelled speculation that the incredible result – and encouraging showing at Glen Helen’s USGP the week prior – will form the foundation of a regular return on the world stage in 2016.

“No, I’m still retired,” Townley told MXlarge. “I’ve been out of racing for two years after deciding to stop riding professionally. For a year, I just needed to get away from it, I just wasn’t interested in racing, full stop. I was really unhappy about all the injuries I had suffered.

“As for the MXoN, I thought I would do well if I could get comfortable with the bike. Dave Thorpe went over and above to get me a great bike for this event; it was good to come to the other side of the world and get this level of support.

“We didn’t really have any team targets at the MXoN. Cody [Cooper] rides awesome in New Zealand, but he seems to struggle internationally. I didn’t expect him to do as well as he did and, with me getting the eight points, I pretty much achieved everything I wanted to achieve this weekend.

“I had put in a solid three or four months of work leading up to the MXoN, right from the moment Motorcycling New Zealand told me I’d been selected for the squad and I dropped a lot of weight. The races I did during my build-up lacked intensity, but each time I raced I got better and better. I have not come out of retirement and I’ll go back home now to see the kids.”

Townley officially retired on the eve of the 2013 Australian motocross season, but has since contested a number of MX Nationals rounds in a guest role, including a storming victory at Coolum’s final round of this season in August.