Image: MXN.

Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki racer Todd Waters was visibly frustrated on Sunday afternoon at round six of the Motul MX Nationals after a derailed chain robbed him the opportunity of a race podium finish at Nowra Motoplex.

Waters was circulating in third during the closing stages of moto one when the rare mechanical fault happened, however he was able to leverage the chain back on to cross the line fifth. Fourth in moto two resulted in fifth overall.

“It was a bit of a disappointing day for me,” Waters admitted. “In the first race we were riding well and I’d moved from seventh in to third and was battling with [Dean] Ferris when my chain came off – I actually managed to get it back on though and I salvaged fifth.

“In the second race I just wasn’t up there. I’ve been doing the work, but my starts weren’t great today, even though I had the speed to be on the podium. We have a weekend off this weekend, so we just need to go back as a team and get everything sorted so we can move forward at the next round.”

The final four rounds of the championship will be critical for Waters and his Wilson Coolair Motul Factory Suzuki squad, currently ranked third and 21 points outside of current title-leader, defending number one plate holder Kirk Gibbs.