Waters in action at Horsham's season opener. Image: Click28.

Motocross prodigy Todd Waters is determined to climb one step further up the podium at this weekend’s second round of the Rockstar Energy MX Nationals at Fairbairn Park in the nation’s capital, looking to improve his second place scored at Horsham’s season opener to a win on Sunday.

The 19-year-old from Cairns finished second in the series opener behind international rider Billy Mackenzie, which may prove the perfect stepping stone to securing a win for Cougar Bourbon Honda Thor Racing in Canberra this weekend.

Waters is ideally suited to the gruelling Sprint format, where riders must compete in four back-to-back 15-minute sprint motos, testing their physical and mental stamina.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out there this weekend, it’s a great track to ride on and it’s well suited to my style of riding,” Waters commented this week. “As an endurance rider, I’m really excited about this format. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out but racing in four 15-minute sprints suits me down to the ground. Bringing it home to finish strong is what I do best.

“I’m feeling positive coming in to round two. I’ve had a great two weeks of training and raced and won two rounds of the Queensland state titles. Beating Dean Ferris has given me a big confidence boost. He’s one of my main competitors in the MX Nationals, so that was a big deal.

“The team has been working really well together and I’m feeling really comfortable racing. It’s a great position to be in. This is also a great event for spectators, and at the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for- putting on a really good show.”

The 1.66km Majura track is similar to Horsham with a good mix of red clay and top soil, providing a surface Waters predicts will work well with his new model Honda CRF450R.

Teammate and reigning New Zealand MX2 champion Michael Phillips made his debut in round one of the Pro Lites class and achieved his goal of finishing in the top five.

“Since round one I have been training hard, focusing mainly on short races. I’m feeling good about this weekend,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to the new race format. I usually manage to get a good start, so with shorter back-to-back races I’ll have more chances to get quick starts.

“The sprints are going to be pretty tough, and considering it’s the first time a lot of us have competed in this style of race, it should be interesting to watch. I’m sure it’ll be a great weekend of racing.”

In round two, the Pro Lites class rides four back-to-back 12 minute sprints, with the bounty of 100 championship points up for grabs.

The Cougar Bourbon Honda Thor Racing team will be on the track for the second round of the 2010 MX Nationals on Sunday at the ACT Motorcycle Club.