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Zach Osborne Explains His 2019 Atlanta Supercross Issues

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INSTAGRAM | @zacho_16

The 2019 race season has not gone to plan for Zach Osborne. After showing impressive speed at two offseason Supercross races in Europe and at the test track, expectations were high for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider ahead of his rookie season in the 450 class. But before the calendar page flipped from 2018 to 2019, Osborne had suffered a crash that left him with a broken collarbone which required surgery and put him on the sidelines through the opening rounds of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Series. After a month of recovery and a second separate crash that pushed his return to racing back another week, Osborne got on the track at the 2019 Arlington Supercross.

It was clear during qualifying in Texas that Osborne could be competitive, as he was fourth overall on the lap sheets, but a slight mistake in the whoops during the Main Event sent him out of control, over the backside of a tall banked turn, and out for the rest of the race. His second attempt one week later in Detroit was equally mixed; he was ranked thirteenth in the timed qualifying results but strung together 11-8-10 finishes in the Triple Crown format for tenth overall.

His third race of the season this past weekend was more like Arlington than Detroit; Osborne clocked the fastest time of the 450 A Group Free Practice on the very last lap of the session, then backed it up with what was eventually the sixth-fastest lap overall in 450 qualifying. The day was not quite perfect, however, as he went down while attempting a tricky three-three jump combination in the second practice session. “I was fastest in free practice and in the second practice I cased the three-three and it was a pretty good one, but I was fine. In the last practice I was fifth overall, so that was pretty good. It was my best day so far, even with the crash,” he told me at the end of the evening.

Unfortunately for Osborne, the actual racing in Atlanta was marred by first-turn crashes and mechanical setbacks. “During the night show I went down in the first turn in the Heat Race and came back to sixth, which I was pretty happy with; I made some good passes,” he told me later. Osborne wasn’t the only rider involved in the first-turn crash (it started when Cooper Webb closed off the turn and Osborne ran into Webb’s rear wheel, which then took down H.E.P. Motorsports Suzuki teammates Alex Ray and Adam Enticknap), but Osborne was able to click off the fifth-fastest lap time of the short race as he worked his way through the field.

Another first-turn melee shuffled Osborne back the running order and by his account was, “dead, dead last,” but by the midway point in the moto had reached fourteenth place. It was then the issue with the bike, a broken subframe and damaged seat mount, forced him into the work area. “It was just downhill from there,” he expressed in our post-race chat. Ever the optimist, he pointed out positive takeaways by saying “It’s a disappointing result but my riding is coming around and my fitness is coming around. Hopefully, in the next couple of rounds I can get decent results and make something happen.”

Sure, the results sheets aren’t stellar but there’s no sense of panic from Osborne or the Husqvarna team, as the Atlanta mechanical issue was out of his control and the Arlington crash was nothing too gnarly. “This was my third race. I have two DNF’s and got tenth last weekend. Even though we are not panicking or freaking out, it’s one of those deals,” he explained. “I’m still working my butt off during the week and to have some sort of decent result to show for that would make things a little easier. At the same time, I know it’s a building process and they know that. They know the level that I was at in the offseason and we will keep plugging away and try to get there.”

There are eight rounds remaining in the series, which gives Osborne plenty of time to put in a finish that is reflective of his qualifying speed. “Speed-wise, I’m getting closer by the day. And the overall package bike wise, we are finding some race trim. It’s coming around. It’s just a matter of time.”

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Michael Antonovich

Michael Antonovich has a wealth of experience with over 10 years of moto-journalism under his belt. A lifelong racing enthusiast and rider, Anton is the Editor of Swapmoto Live and lives to be at the race track.

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