Following a sub-par eighth overall MX1 finish at Murray Bridge’s round two of the Monster Energy MX Nationals, Cody Cooper is back in Newcastle this week searching for a solution in a bid to get his season back on track.

The Motul Pirelli Suzuki rider kicked off his day with a strong third place moto one finish on the tough South Australian circuit, which proved to challenge many riders physically.

As newly-crowned double New Zealand champion, Cooper was set to put together a solid overall performance before he faded back to a disappointing 16th place finish in moto two.

It was a puzzling performance from the Kiwi, unable to put a finger on the exact problem during the moto.

“My starts were good all day,” said Cooper. “The first moto went to plan, although I got a bit of arm-pump like most people seemed to, but then in the second race I just went backwards.”

Cooper is confident that he can iron out any issues during the week and put together a strong performance at this weekend’s Wonthaggi round.

“It was a difficult moto, but we’ll do some testing in Newcastle this week and try to come back stronger this weekend for round three.”

Motul Pirelli Suzuki team manager Jay Foreman is reassured by the team’s promising early-season form and looks forward to bouncing back this weekend.

“Both Cody and Matt [Moss] showed good speed,” Foreman said. “The second moto was tougher for both of the guys, but we will come back and do better next week. We’re looking forward to Wonthaggi.”

Cooper currently sits sixth overall in the MX1 points chase with eight rounds remaining on the 2013 Monster Energy MX Nationals schedule.