Australian Todd Waters says he’ll take an open-minded approach in his return to the MXGP World Championship this weekend in Latvia with Honda HRC.

Waters scored a guest role with the factory outfit in place of injured athlete Brian Bogers, granting him a rare opportunity to pilot the works CRF450RW for a selection of rounds.

The Queensland native’s last appearance in the world championship was in 2015, his second season of grand prix racing where he wound up ninth for the year with a podium to his credit.

“I’ve been away from MXGP for a couple of years now, so I don’t know where I fit in,” Waters explained. “The guys have obviously been on the gas as they are six GPs in and they’re well into the routine, so I’m going to Latvia pretty open minded – not result-based – and just focus on myself to get what Todd Waters can get out of the race.

“I just want to be consistent and then build from there. I’ve got everything I need – a great team behind me and a great bike, so it’s all about keeping our head down and seeing where we’re at.”

HRC general manager (MXGP) Marcus Pereira de Freitas shares a similar mindset ahead of the weekend, acknowledging Waters will face a steep learning curve as he reacquaints himself in the prestigious series.

“Todd’s last race in Latvia was in 2015 and he had some decent results,” Pereira de Freitas commented. “This will be the first race of the season as well as with us, so we’re aware that he’s got a lot to learn and momentum to build for the upcoming GPs. It’ll be interesting to see what he’ll be able to achieve.”

Waters was initially slated to contest the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship in a privately funded effort, however those plans have been put aside for the meantime as he capitalises on a special opportunity.