Ben Townley, 20, professional motocross rider
What bike will you be riding for the upcoming Motocross World Championships in Co Derry? I'll be riding a KTM 250 four-stroke. I'm looking forward to this event because I've never been to Ireland before. I've heard it's a tough track because the soil is loose and soft so the bikes will rip up the ground and make it very rough.
When did you start racing and how did you get involved in the sport? When I was six years old my dad got me involved in motocross in New Zealand. He was really interested in bikes himself. I've loved the sport ever since and really enjoy racing at competition level.
How do you keep fit for Motocross? It's such a demanding sport physically that you have to be very fit. I'm on the motocross bike for 40 minutes twice a day which is very demanding. I do lots of cycling on my mountain bike and I have a personal trainer I work out with in a gym where I'm based in Belgium.
Do you have a road bike? No, I don't like riding a motorcycle on the road.
Do you take an interest in any other motorsports? I love watching road racing and car rally driving.
Who is your biking hero? Since I was very young I've always admired Jeremy McGrath - he's an American motocross rider. He won seven titles in the US and I've always idolised him.
Ever had any accidents? I've had a good few injuries. It's a hard sport, so you're likely to have a lot of crashes. I've had plenty of crashes and have walked away from them. It's a highly demanding sport where man and machine are pitted against rough terrain.
What keeps you motivated? I have words of wisdom that I read each day and live by to keep me inspired and motivated. Miyazawa Kenji said: "We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."
What's your long-term ambition? My dream is to compete in the US. If I do really well over the next few years I believe I can achieve that.
What's next for you after the World Championships? Things have been going really well for me so far and I only need to score four points to win the title in Derry. So it shouldn't be too hard and I should do well. After this event I'm off to South Africa for the last round of the World Championships - then the Netherlands for the Motocross of Nations.
• The MX1 FIM Motocross World Championship Grand Prix of Ireland takes place at Ballykelly Motocross Park in Co Derry this week - from tomorrow to Saturday. Tickets are available at www.kwsmx.com