Image: Andy McGechan (bikesportnz.com).

As the build-up to his Australian Motocross Championship return continues, Suzuki’s Todd Waters made further inroads on the RM-Z450 during last weekend’s second round of the New Zealand series at Manawatu.

Waters, 25, won the opening moto before trailing fellow ex-MXGP regular Dean Ferris in the final two for second overall, but takes confidence out of his performance at the halfway point of the series.

“I qualified fastest and felt good on the track, but I just couldn’t nail down the starts,” Waters said. “I won the first race and was all over Ferris in races two and three, but just couldn’t get past him or make it stick.

“My corner entry speed was faster than his, but I had to brake mid-corner to avoid hitting him and this meant I lost momentum again. It was pretty frustrating actually. It’s good that I’m up to second in the points, but I feel that I should be up front. It’s all good though because we’re really only racing this series to get tuned-up for our own nationals back home.”

After extending his advantage by a further point at round two of four, Ferris has a slender 14-point lead over Waters in the standings ahead of Rotorua’s penultimate round of 13 March.