Todd Waters is using Cody Cooper’s recent form as motivation to improve his program as the Australian season opener nears. Image: Jeff Crow/Sport the Library.

Motorex KTM Racing team’s Todd Waters is using former teammate Cody Cooper’s current form as motivation to work harder as he prepares for his 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals MX1 campaign.

Waters battled it out with Cooper on multiple occasions throughout the New Zealand Motocross Championship, with Cooper coming out on top and taking home the MX1 championship.

But this has not dampened the Queenslander’s spirits as he uses the stiff competition from Cooper to further develop his all-new bike and fine tune his race craft.

“For me it was good, Coops is fast in New Zealand and the first couple of rounds he really put me to shame,” said Waters. “I came home, worked hard and obviously we were still developing the bike.

“We just came off Taupo and I got three seconds to him, but I had faster lap times than him and I lead the first moto before making a mistake and he got me.

“In the last moto on the weekend I made a pass on him as well and a lap later I washed the front end out, so he got me back. He’s not smoking me at the moment, so I’m really keen to race him.”

Waters makes it no secret that he is planning to make the move to Europe, and he feels that battling with a high calibre riders such as Cooper will be beneficial in speeding up that process.

“I think it’s going to be close racing with Coops and I this year and I’m excited about it,” he added. “He’s definitely got good form and that just makes me train harder, which is good.

“Coops has always been one of the faster guys and it’s just whether he puts it together for the whole day, and that’s what he’s starting to do. It’s exciting for me because it only just pushes me harder.

“My dream is to go over to Europe. I’m giving myself a couple of years and what better person to push myself against than Cooper. He’s a really nice guy, we’re ex-teammates and I got along really good with him. I’m pumped that he’s riding well and I’m excited to race with him back in Australia.”

Waters and Cooper will do battle on Australian soil for the first time in 2013 as the Monster Energy MX Nationals series kicks off on 14 April at Raymond Terrace.