Page 20 - Issue_68

ZACH OSBORNE
250 SX / 2ND
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> The beginning of March is here, and in the mainstream sports world, that indicates that the NFL combine is upon us. Taking place at Lucas Oil stadium, where the tour will actually be in a few weeks, it’s a platform of the hottest upcoming talent in football, showcasing themselves in front of numerous coaches, scouts, and managers. It’s here, where they critique every move of the athletes, judging them in numerous scenarios, seeing just whom the most optimum pick for their program would be. The aura at the Atlanta Supercross is eerily similar; a place where the highest, most signi cant members
of the industry are in attendance, watching the stars of the 250 class, examining their every move.
As each rider makes their rounds, they are being magni ed through the scopes of the furthest up the chain of command. Zach Osborne acknowledges this, and thrives in it. He takes the pressure of man- agement with full stride, knowing that he does his best work under the bright lights of the stadiums. Performing his art with a serious sense of craftsmanship, he would wow all who watched throughout his practice sessions. Tripling over the far table-top, table-top section, each landing was caressed with a serious sense of precision. He was both light and aggressive on the throttle in times of need, his lap- times re ecting his efforts by the session’s conclusion. The rst main event would follow, and he would absolutely blister out of the hole, his tire tread etching into this red soil composition. Looking to move out to an early lead, his eyes were on the foreground, and foreground only. Davalos was out front,
but with enough pressure, the Kawasaki crumbled; the lead was Osborne’s. His footpeg would drag
on the right-hander, just prior to the small double before the big triple. Flicking the machine over the nish line double, he would then present a subtle glance over his shoulder; it was Ferrandis who would stalk him, but enough gap was suf cient; taking the win. Never backing down, his pace would rise to the occasion, scurrying down the start as if he were being chased in a life or death situation. Mistakes early on had him ghting to his return of rst moto victory, but with Forkner out front, the chase was on. He would close every lap, eventually so much, that he would actually clip the Kawasaki through the opening rhythm section; smashing his face and bars! On the verge of disaster, pushing the machine
to the brink on the last lap, he would rally, taking the third position into the second round. The engines would rev, the clutch would begin to slip, and the front brake would release, he dashed down the start straight. Looking to push his way around the inside of the rst corner, the eld would be all over the place in the ensuing sections. This track was a little tight, and he would be forced to make his moves with authority. After clipping a downed rider just before the triple, he would be forced to play catch-up. Inside, outside, he knew the win was at stake. So ghting around riders such as Jordon Smith, and
RJ Hampshire, could take little to zero time. But even with the dyer effort, his fth place nish as he crossed the line would merely be a tie with Austin; the breaker, being the better nish of the last moto. His fth would lose the ght, and unfortunately bring home second overall.
20 GRITMOTO • MARCH 4, 2018