Image: Foremost Media.

Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing’s Todd Waters has been cleared of major injury following a sizeable crash that resulted in a second moto non-finish at round six of the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship in Toowoomba.

After posting the ninth-fastest time in the top 10 shootout, Waters sliced his way forward in the opening moto, passing Kyle Webster (Boost Mobile Honda Racing), Kirk Gibbs (KTM Racing Team) and later capitalising on Aaron Tanti’s (CDR Yamaha Monster Energy) mistake to reach P3.

During the second moto, Waters was running fourth when he suffered the fall in the mid-stages, leaving him heavily winded as he limped his bike back to the pits. It was a disappointing blow for the FC 450 rider in contention for a solid overall result, but importantly, he has been cleared of injury following the incident.

“Just rattled myself a little bit – my lungs, I was coughing a bit of blood,” Waters told MotoOnline. “I had a big hit, I was winded for ages and by the time I got back to the pit-board area I had just started getting my breath back.

“I took a heavy hit, I went over the bars over the berm down the hill, so it was like going head first off a one-storey house. I was a bit devastated, these sort of conditions is not me, I’m not real good at it… In the first race, I came through and passed [Kyle] Webster and the boys and Gibbsy [Kirk Gibbs] on something that is not my forte, so I was stoked.”

Despite the second moto disappointment, Waters – both rider and team owner of  Raceline Husqvarna Berry Sweet Racing – is drawing positives from his performance at Echo Valley before the fall.

“We’ve had some time for everything to settle, the team is running good, we’ve just got everything sorted, we are comfortable and I’m back into being a racer no,” Waters added. “I am focusing on racing, and it sort of showed in the races today that I am getting back. I am a long way off where I should be, but I’m just starting to work out how to manage all of the stresses behind the scenes, managing the team, having a new baby.

“I’ve got the Raceline shop happening with Jase [Waters], there is a lot of stuff happening, we are starting to learn how to manage it. It excited me today because, like I said, it’s not my kind of track and even in the second moto, I was feeling pretty good, but yeah I just made a costly mistake.”

Waters is currently eighth in the MX1 standings as the 2023 Penrite ProMX Championship enters its final two rounds, with Queensland Moto Park (QMP) up next and marking the penultimate stop on this year’s calendar on 13 August. He is also slated to contest the Hattah Desert Race this weekend.