Cameron Waters wants to go one better when he returns to Mount Panorama after a strong end to his 2020 campaign at the Bathurst 1000.

The Monster Energy Racing driver finished second in last year’s Great Race alongside experienced Supercars campaigner Will Davison.

The pair fell just shy of the win, Triple Eight Race Engineering drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander taking the ultimate scalp.

Nevertheless, the Tickford Racing driver is optimistic about his chances as he returns to The Mountain for a solo effort.

“Coming from Bathurst last year we were probably one of the quickest cars all weekend,” said Waters.

“It’s good to go back there without too many regulation changes. Looking to go to Bathurst with a pretty speedy car. Hopefully we can go one better going there this time.”

A strong end to the 2020 season saw Waters vault to second in the drivers’ championship.

That came after Jamie Whincup failed to finish the 161-lap epic, scoring no points and dropping to fourth in the championship.

With nine podium finishes in all, including a win at The Bend Motorsport Park late in the year, Waters is confident he can be a Repco Supercars Championship contender in 2021.

“I think if you look at the form from the end of last year, and obviously Bathurst, and finishing the championship in second, I think it proves that we can do it and be competitive,” he said.

“The team is going from strength to strength as well so I think we’ve got everything we need to fight for a championship.

“The team has definitely gotten stronger and stronger each year. At the end of last year they [Tickford Racing] were working well together and just continuing to improve the cars. That’s what you need to fight for a championship.

“Obviously they’ve won championships in the past. They know what to do and hopefully I know what to do and we can go and put our best foot forward and have a crack at it.”

The season-opening Repco Mount Panorama 500 is set for February 26-28.