Getting to grips with the hilly circuit in Noto, Sicily, the young Australian finished in a brilliant third place in the MX1 and Elite class races. Shadowing Waters but unable to get the better of his teammate, Tyla Rattray placed fourth in MX1 before ending the Elite race in fifth overall.
Sixth fastest in the morning’s qualification, Waters didn’t waste any time in putting himself towards the front of the field in the opening MX1 race. Feeling comfortable on the hard packed terrain, he ended lap one in third position. After a close battle with Davide Guarneri, the Australian moved up to second and held that position for the majority of the race. But as they entered the closing stages, Waters was unable to hold off a late charge from Jeremy Van Horebeek and had to settle for third.
Working his way inside the top five at the end of lap two, Rattray set about closing in on his teammate. Moving up to fourth with just five laps to go, the Husqvarna rider reduced the gap. But with Waters holding strong, Rattray crossed the line just one-second behind him in fourth.
With his confidence high, Waters set about claiming a repeat result in the combined MX1/MX2 Elite final. Rounding lap one in fourth, he quickly disposed of Samuel Zeni to take third. Engaged in a fierce battle for the final step of the podium with Davide Guarneri, the Husqvarna rider found a way back past his rival in the closing stages of the race to secure third. Delivering a determined ride, Rattray worked his way from seventh position on lap one to place fifth.
Todd Waters – Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing MX1: "It feels fantastic to come away with two podium results in Sicily. I’m happy for myself but also for the team – the hard work we’ve put in is beginning to show. The MX1 race went quite well. I got a good start and that made the difference for me. After a couple of laps I worked my way into second and even set the fastest lap of the race. But towards the end I made a couple of mistakes and slipped back to third. In the Elite race I got into third early on and set about putting a solid race together. To end the day with two third place results is great – I really enjoyed it.”
Tyla Rattray – Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing MX1: "I’m pretty pleased with the outcome of today. I would have liked a stronger finish in each race but on a track that was difficult to pass on I’m happy with fourth and fifth. The conditions were the complete opposite to last weekend – hard packed and fast – but my Husqvarna worked great. Overall it’s been a another important step forward in building towards the first GP of the season next month.”
Antti Pyrhönen (Team Manager) Red Bull Ice One Husqvarna Factory Racing: "I think the team can be proud of what we achieved today. Both riders rode great and put in some determined rides. It was great to see Todd secure a double podium – it’s really lifted his confidence. Coming to Europe and learning to race new tracks is not easy but he’s proved again that he’s more than up to the task. With the track the way it was, starts were key and Tyla suffered with his. It was tough to overtake so he rode smart and put in two good results.”
Results - Campionati Internazionali d’Italia Motocross, Rnd2
MX1
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 17 laps, 30:24.158; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 17 laps, 30:38.998; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 30:42.099; 4. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 17 laps, 30:43.721; 5. David Philippaerts (Yamaha) 17 laps, 31:28.086…
Elite
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 16 laps, 28:55.144; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 16 laps, 29:13.168; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 29:17.124; 4. Davide Guarneri (TM) 16 laps, 29:18.681; 5. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 16 laps, 29:34.678…
Championship Standings (After Rnd2)
MX1
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 240pts; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 180pts; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 135pts; 4. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 125pts…
Elite
1. Antonio Cairoli (KTM) 240pts; 2. Jeremy Van Horebeek (Yamaha) 200pts; 3. Todd Waters (Husqvarna) 125pts; 4. Tyla Rattray (Husqvarna) 125pts…
Photos: Todd Waters is #47 and Tyla Rattray is #28
