Rob Twyerould is confident that his rider can finish the season strong despite his injury issues. Image: Jeff Crow/Sport the Library.

Monster Energy MX Nationals Australian Motocross Championship MX1 series leader Todd Waters will race this weekend’s Appin round in hope of gaining selection for the 2013 Motocross of Nations at Teutschenthal in Germany.

Motorex KTM team manager Rob Twyerould has made it clear that a second MXoN appearance is near the top of Waters’ priority list at this stage of the season despite ongoing injury battles.

Waters his maiden MXoN appearance last year alongside Lawson Bopping and Luke Styke.

As previously reported, Waters is currently nursing a broken collarbone sustained just a fortnight ago, but Twyerould believes he will be good to go at Appin’s round six this weekend where he will work towards securing his position on the team.

“Todd’s been training hard and getting plenty of physio but he won’t ride until the weekend,” said Twyerould. “I think will be absolutely fine and continue where he left off.

“The indications are that his collarbone will be fine and he’ll be working towards securing selection for the Motocross of Nations, which will be announced soon.”

It’s no secret that Waters’ style and aggression lends itself to the softer terrain circuits, but the Queenslander has been improving his hard-pack skills of late which will be vital for a strong performance this weekend on the clay-based circuit.

“Todd is able to use his aggression more in the softer surfaces but he’s been working hard on his hard pack racing, and the moto wins that he took at Conondale and Broadford showed his speed is pretty good there,” Twyerould explained.

Following the six-week break Twyerould admits that this feels like a whole new beginning to the season. Although he is unsure where their competitors are at, both his riders Waters and Kirk Gibbs have exceeded his own expectations to date.

“It’s been a long break for us and now it’s time to reassess where everyone is at again,” he added. “It’s almost like a new start which is exciting. We’ll wait to see where everyone else is at but my two have performed better than I ever expected.”

Stay tuned to MotoOnline.com.au for updates on both Waters’ condition over the weekend and the 2013 MXoN team selection when it becomes available.