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ZACH OSBORNE
250 MX / 5TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MPG
>> After winning the 250 East Coast Championship in dramatic come from behind fashion, without a doubt Zach Osborne was the hottest rider entering the 250 outdoor series. He had everything going for him and all the momentum in the world. So it was to no surprise that he dominated the opener in Hangtown with commanding 1-1 moto wins. He looked to be the man to beat but the next round at Glen Helen he struggled to find that same dominant speed. However, he remained fast and consistent enough to win the overall yet again with 4-2 moto scores. He brought a large points lead into Thunder Valley and looked to stretch it even more and demoralize the rest of the field. After the dust settled in qualifying practice, Osborne looked poised to indeed make it three wins in a row because he set the fastest lap time. He was ready to keep his train of momentum rolling in moto one.
The gate dropped in that opening moto and Osborne found himself right at the front of the pack. He was making moves towards the lead on that first lap when he pushed the front end and went down. His first big mistake of the year. He would be able to remount rather quickly preventing a big drop off in points. After one he was in sixteenth place. He made a quick flurry of passes and moved into eighth by the halfway point but he would lack the speed to move any further. The riders up front were pushing the pace and Osborne could not push it just a little bit further like he had at Hangtown. He’d end up finishing in eighth raring for redemption in moto two.
Osborne got off to a decent start in the second moto getting the green flag in eighth place. He made a few quick moves including passing Alex Martin to get up to fifth. Martin would have none of it and actually make the pass back on Osborne to send him back to sixth. Osborne tried staying on his rear wheel but throughout the moto eventu- ally lost a lot of ground. He would pick up a spot in the second half of the moto after working around Ferrandis but he could not get back within striking distance of Martin and the rest of the leaders. He’d ride home in fifth place. That would make it 8-5 on the day for fifth overall. Clearly his worst result this season but still relatively consistent. He still has the points lead and his closest competitors’ worst results have all been DNF’s so an 8-5 certainly will be accepted and he’ll move on and regroup for the next race at High Point.
40 GRITMOTO • JUNE 4, 2017