Queenslander Todd Waters has finished round two of the Internazionali d’Italia MX Series in Riola with ninth in MX1 and sixth in the Elite category as he builds up to the 2015 MXGP World Championship.

Fairing well on the technically demanding track, Waters battled his way from a mid-pack start to end the MX1 race in ninth. With the pace to improve on that result, Waters jumped up three places to end the Elite race in sixth.

“We made a lot of progress with both the bike and myself this weekend and I think it showed,” Waters explained. “On a track that was super difficult to pass on – it became very one lined due to the mud – I managed to fight my way from 13th to ninth in the MX1 race. The Elite race was another step forward and a better start resulted in a sixth place finish.”

The MX1 round was topped by David Philippaerts (Yamaha) over Max Nagl (Red Bull IceOne Husqvarna Factory Racing) and Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha), while Nagl won the Elite final from Tommy Searle (Red Bull KTM) and Philippaerts.

Meanwhile at the Hawkstone International in the UK, Rockstar Energy Suzuki teammates Kevin Strijbos and Clement Desalle went 1-2, while Dean Ferris (Wilvo Nestaan Husqvarna Factory Racing) finished sixth in race one and fifth in race two to claim fifth overall.

“Today was quite okay I’d say,” Ferris said. “I qualified seventh, but during the races I was a bit off the pace and I wasn’t feeling comfortable overall. The season has only just started so there is a long way to go. I still haven’t got that click that I had last year.

“It’s not that I’m scared, but more that I’ve been only riding my new bike for a month now. I am still finding my feet. I believe there is a lot more from me and still I haven’t reached that level I want to be at.”