Source: Supplied.

Todd Waters has labelled the opening moto of the Bulgarian grand prix on Sunday as a disaster following a critical mistake on one of the challenging down hill sections of the Sevlievo circuit.

The Honda HRC rider explained he tucked to front-end, subsequently extending his leg out to stabilise himself, only to twist his knee in the process.

Despite being in immediate pain, the Australian favourite has since declared he’s okay, with no serious damage suspected as just three rounds remain in the MXGP World Championship.

“The first race was a bit of a disaster,” Waters commented. “I had a poor start and then on the first lap, at the bottom of one of the big hills, I tucked the front – I stuck my leg out and twisted my knee. I was in a bit of pain for a couple of laps and after that I simply couldn’t get up to speed and find the right flow, and as I got angrier the situation got worse.

“The start of race two was a lot better and I was around tenth place, but I still couldn’t find the right rhythm. I did what I could and finished 16th. It was unfortunate as I wanted to get a good result this weekend, but I just couldn’t make it happen. Still, thank you to the team because they worked flawlessly.”

Waters’ 19-16 scorecard granted him 18th overall, which places 24th in the championship standings after entering the series in June.