Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).

A bout of suspected food poisoning sidelined Australian ace Todd Waters at Saturday’s final round of the 2017 New Zealand Motocross Championship in Taupo, resulting in fifth overall for the season.

Waters has been signed by Crankt Protein Honda Racing to lead its factory MX1 assault alongside rookie Luke Clout in the Motul MX Nationals this year, which fires into life at Wonthaggi this Sunday.

The illness that struck Waters in NZ is expected to pass by the team he travels to Victoria later this week, which will be important as he sets his sights firmly upon a first-career Australian MX1 crown this season.

“I tried to ride on Saturday, but just had no energy and hadn’t been able to eat anything, so we just pulled out so I could preserve myself for the upcoming MX Nationals,” Waters explained. “It wasn’t a good round for us, but in the big picture we are shooting for the Australian championship. If that means choosing health over a smaller race, then that’s what we did.”

The pairing of Waters and the brand new CRF450R are among the favourites who are anticipated to vie for the Australian championship, as it’s defended by fellow former MXGP regular and longtime arch-rival Dean Ferris (CDR Yamaha) this season.