Page 34 - Issue_67

ZACH OSBORNE
250 SX / 3RD
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Fresh off claiming the 250SX East Coast championship in wildly, dramatic fashion as well as a dominating 250 Outdoor Motocross championship, it was safe to say Zach Osborne was the favorite to win and defend his title here in 2018. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider has come so far in the past few seasons to emerge as one of, if not the most dominating rider in the 250 class. It has become a rare sight to see him get beat in a race even if he starts nowhere near the front. His tness and intensity are on another level and that can be accredited to all the work he has been putting in with Aldon Baker at the Baker Factory. After starting the cham- pionship with a convincing win at the opener last weekend in Arlington, he appeared better
than ever and ready to do it all again here in Tampa. Osborne managed to put down the fourth fastest time of the two qualifying practice sessions. His fast time was over a half second slower than the number one time set by Dylan Ferrandis. He did not have that raw, unbeatable speed we saw in our last race. But being the veteran that he is, Osborne would go back to the trailer to make the adjustments needed to get his time back up to the front before the races began. Os- borne kicked off the night of racing in his heat race by getting to the rst turn in second place. He would be slotted behind Florida native RJ Hampshire, but he would not be there for long. He easily maneuvered his way into the lead on lap two and the rest is history. He strung together a series of smooth, fast, and consistent laps as he walked away from the rest of the eld. After a slightly off tune qualifying performance, he appeared to reassert himself as the man to beat with the big heat race win. The main event began with Osborne and Ferrandis dicing right out of the gate. The two riders started third and fourth and endured a good battle during the opening lap before Osborne of cially secured third place on lap two. He would set his sights on Hampshire like he did in the heat race but would be unable to quickly get around this time. Hampshire was riding well but on lap ve, Osborne nally slid through to take the position away. Osborne was happy to nally pass him because Ferrandis had been all over him but Ferrandis also passed Hampshire when Osborne did and remained on his rear wheel. Osborne was trying to catch the leader, Austin Forkner, but Ferrandis would not leave his rear-view mirror. Osborne was forced to prioritize holding off Ferrandis instead of going after the lead. The two riders would engage
in a lengthy battle throughout the middle portion of the race that saw Osborne unsuccessfully thwart Ferrandis. He just could not shake the French rider and on lap twelve, Ferrandis nally made a pass. This sent Osborne back to third where he would watch Forkner and Ferrandis ght all the way to the checkered ag. He slowly lost touch with the two leaders and would n- ish a few seconds behind. This was certainly not the performance we have come to expect from Osborne so look for him to return next weekend in Atlanta red up and looking for redemption.
34 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 25, 2018