Zach Osborne Clinches 250 Title at Budds Creek

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team headed to Mechanicsville, MD for the penultimate round of the 2017 Pro Motocross Championship and recorded a milestone day after Zach Osborne piloted his Husqvarna FC 250 to 8-1 moto finishes to clinch the 2017 250 Pro Motocross Championship! The title marked a career first for Zach, Husqvarna and his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team. Making the day even more special, Budds Creek Raceway, the site of Zach’s debut as a professional and his first career overall victory, sits just under 400 miles from his childhood home allowing for the monumental day to be shared with all his closest friends and family.

Osborne got caught up in a first-turn pileup at the start of the first 250 moto. He remounted near the back of the pack, and was up to 26th by the end of the first lap. He rocketed through the pack to make it up to 13th by lap seven, then into the top 10 in lap 10. He continued to push and finished a hard-fought eighth. He was third at the start of the second moto, and had the opportunity to solidify the 250 title with a good finish. He was riding strong in third, then made the pass on Jeremy Martin in the second lap to overtake second. He continued to push and made the pass for the lead in the ninth lap and never looked back. The 8-1 finish gave him second overall on the day, and clinches the title in the 250 class. Congratulations, Zach!

“It started off to be a really good day,” said Osborne. “I had a good timed practice and got the second position. Then I went down in the first turn of the first moto then had to give it everything I had. I put all my focus on that second start. I got out to a second or third place start and just dropped the hammer and never looked back.”

Dean Wilson started farther back in the pack in the first 450 moto. He was 15th by the end of the first lap and made passes to get into 12th by lap seven, then 11th in the 13th lap. He continued to move through the pack until he crashed hard after the finish line with two laps to go. He remounted and would eventually finish the race in 16th. He got a top-five start in the second 450 moto and held his ground in fifth by the end of lap two. He made it up to fourth around the halfway mark, then fell back to fifth in lap 10. He stayed consistent the remainder of the moto to finish fifth. The 16-5 finish gave him 10th overall on the day.

“The day started off well,” said Wilson. “I was fastest in my first qualifier. Then, unfortunately, it went a little downhill from there. I didn’t get the greatest start in the first moto, then I ran out of tear-offs so I couldn’t see—so I ended up falling in a turn. Then I made a big mistake in a rough section that sent me flying into the fence. It was disappointing. I bounced back in the second moto. I’m all in one piece and I’m looking forward to next weekend.”

Davalos was second at the start of the first 450 moto and quickly navigated his Husqvarna FC 450 into the lead. He moved to second by lap four but continued to charge. He went back to third in lap 13 and stayed steady to finish third. He was mid-pack at the start of the second moto and was 10th by the end of the first lap. He was riding consistent in 10th before going down around the halfway mark. The crash left him unable to finish the race, and he went 3-38 for 12th overall on the day.

“Today was good,” said Davalos, “until the second moto. My second motos are usually my strong point. I got third in the first moto and had decent lines. I was leading for a bit but Bogle had better lines and passed me. I ended up third. I was top-10 at the start of the second moto, then moved to ninth or eighth then made a silly mistake. My knee was acting kind of weird so I went to the doctor to get it checked out. I’m going home to regroup then will try and finish the season strong.”

The team will now make its way to the final round of the series, being held next Saturday at the Ironman National in Crawfordsville, Indiana.

Budds Creek National Results

450 CLASS OVERALL RESULTS
1. Justin Bogle, SUZ (1-3)
2. Marvin Musquin, KTM (2-4)
3. Eli Tomac, KAW (7-1)
4. Blake Baggett, KTM (5-2)
5. Cole Seely, HON (4-8)
6. Weston Peick, SUZ (8-6)
7. Cooper Webb, YAM (9-7)
8. Matthew Bisceglia, SUZ (6-10)
9. Christian Craig, HON (10-9)
10. Dean Wilson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (16-5)

250 CLASS OVERALL RESULTS
1. Adam Cianciarulo, KAW (1-2)
2. Zach Osborne, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (8-1)
3. Shane McElrath, KTM (4-3)
4. Jeremy Martin, HON (2-6)
5. Aaron Plessinger, YAM (5-4)
6. RJ Hampshire, HON (3-7)
7. Colt Nichols, YAM (7-5)
8. Chase Sexton, HON (9-9)
9. Kyle Cunningham, SUZ (6-12)
10. Mitchell Harrison, YAM (11-10)

450 CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Eli Tomac (439)
2. Blake Baggett (411)
3. Marvin Musquin (409)
4. Dean Wilson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (320)
5. Cole Seely (294)
6. Justin Bogle (286)
7. Martin Davalos, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (263)
8. Weston Peick (241)
9. Cooper Webb (237)
10. Jason Anderson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (216)

250 CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Zach Osborne, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (451) – CHAMP
2. Jeremy Martin (387)
3. Adam Cianciarulo (330)
4. Joey Savatgy (324)
5. Aaron Plessinger (319)
6. Dylan Ferrandis (305)
7. Alex Martin (296)
8. Colt Nichols (265)
9. Mitchell Harrison (250)
10. Shane McElrath (248)

Photo: Simon Cudby