Todd Waters finished second at Hervey Bay, further closing on MX1 leader Josh Coppins. Image: Dan McCallum.

Motul Pirelli Suzuki’s Todd Waters saw his confidence step up another level during Hervey Bay’s Monster Energy MX Nationals round on Sunday, despite missing out on the overall victory.

Waters picked up his fifth overall MX1 podium of the 2012 season with second position aboard the fuel-injected RM-Z450, closing to within 12 points of championship leader Josh Coppins.

The 21-year-old from Cairns was at his consistent best as the second half of this year’s series commenced, finishing the trio of gruelling motos with 3-4-2 results.

Waters worked his way into second during the final 30-minute moto when conditions were at their toughest, challenging for the lead before the chequered flag flew. Despite narrowly falling short of victory, he was satisfied with the runner-up slot.

“I was pushing hard out there, we made a few changes to the bike and they paid off,” Waters said. “I had a ball out there though, it was a tough track and it’s been positive weekend.

“I’m just going out there to race myself, ride my own races and the championship will look after itself. I just really want to thank Suzuki, Jay Foreman our team manager and all the team sponsors – it’s all paying off.”

The result now sees the Suzuki rider climb to within 12 points of the lead in the championship standings, continuing to close the gap on experienced former world number two Coppins.