WATERS ON WONTHAGGI PROMX PODIUM WITH THE HUSQVARNA RACING TEAM

Former national champion Todd Waters has started his 2022 campaign with Husqvarna Racing Team on the right track by featuring on the podium at the first round of the 2022 ProMX Championship in Wonthaggi, VIC, on Sunday.

Aboard the Husqvarna FC 450, Waters made his intentions clear early with a third-quickest qualifying time in the MX1 Top 10 Shootout, setting him up for an important day ahead.

Waters found himself in seventh position in the early stages of the opening MX1 race, but capitalised on mistakes from those in front of him to march his way into third and hold that position for more than half the race, before settling to fourth by the time he crossed the finish line.

In the second MX1 moto, Waters again found himself in seventh place early in the proceedings, but was able to put in one of his trademark charges and take further advantage of the mistakes of others to push himself into third place and finish the day on the podium with P3 overall.

Todd Waters: “It’s always good to start with a podium result and that’s our minimum goal at each round. From that side of things, we’re happy, but I did expect to win and I’m disappointed to not achieve that. The track was really challenging today, so we made some changes as the day progressed and we made some improvements. It feels like we haven’t raced each other for a long time, but now we know where we’re at and where we need to improve for Mackay. I’m excited about that round – I’ll be racing both the Australian Off-Road Championship and the ProMX over three days, but I'm fitter than I am fast at the moment and I can’t wait for the challenge.”

Over in the highly-competitive MX2 category, Husqvarna Racing Team recruit Dylan Wills finished the day in a credible eighth overall to open his account after a frantic day of racing.

In the first moto, Wills got a good jump out of the gate, but tangled bars with another rider down the straight and almost went down. He then found himself mid-pack and made some good moves early on, before a small crash saw him opt to rein the pace in and settle for points.

After making a few setting changes between races, Wills started well and powered into third position, but struggled to gel with the technical track and its range of challenging conditions. As a result, Wills rode tentatively to claim eighth in the moto and P8 overall for the day.

Dylan Wills: “Today I struggled to find a flow with the track and I chased my tail trying to find a bike set-up that suited the varying conditions of the track this weekend. There was probably a bit of rust from a lack of race time, just like everyone else, but I also know I rode too tentatively and didn’t feel like I could push as hard as I would’ve liked without making a mistake. At the same time, there’s a really good vibe at the team where we’re all motivated and eager to do better next time. I want to turn it around at Mackay and show just what I’m capable of.”

Next up in the 2022 ProMX Championship will be the second round to be held at Mackay in QLD on Sunday, 10 April.