Osborne Finishes Fourth in 250 Class
DAYTONA BEACH , FL – March 11, 2018 – (Motor Sports Newswire) – The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team rolled into the historic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida for the 10th round of Supercross on Saturday. Jason Anderson fought hard to maintain his red plate status in the 450 class. Also fighting through the night was 250SX East rider Zach Osborne who finished fourth in the class after starting in the back of the pack. Dean Wilson had his best qualifying session of the season and finished eighth in the 450 class. Teammate Michael Mosiman started the night strong with a holeshot and a second place finish in his heat race, but was unable to finish the 250SX East Main Event after a big crash early in the race.
Zach Osborne was top-three at the start of his heat, navigated his way into the lead before the end of the first lap, and held strong to take the win after the red flag forced a shortened race. His victory gave him a direct transfer to the 250SX East Main Event. He started in the back of the pack in the Main after getting caught behind a pack of riders and worked hard to charge into the eighth-place spot before the end of the second lap. He was on the move and navigated into seventh the following lap. Showing amazing speed and determination, he put his head down and put on an impressive ride to get into fifth with eight minutes plus a lap remaining in the race. He made a quick pass on Martin Davalos to inherit fourth, and set his sights on a podium spot. He inched closer third-place rider Austin Forkner and chased him all the way to end but was just out of reach. He finished fourth, and is currently tied for the lead in 250SX East rider point standings.
“It was a decent weekend,” said Osborne. “I started in the back of the pack in the Main, but came all the way up to fourth which is great. I was really close to the top-three but I just ran out of time. I’m just going to keep plugging away.”
Jason Anderson was top-10 at the start of his heat, but went down after a tuff block bounced off another rider and popped out right in front of him shortly after the start. He remounted in the back of the pack, but put in an amazing charge and worked his way through the riders to finish ninth and transfer to the 450 Main Event. He was mid-pack at the start of the Main and came out of the first lap in 14th. He was charging through the field, but went down in the third lap before remounting in 15th. He put in some great laps to make it up to 10th by the sixth lap, and put in a charge to finish seventh. He holds on to the red plate and maintains his lead in the 450 championship by 40 points.
“I had great qualifying sessions,” said Anderson. “I fell down in the heat race after getting hit with a tuff block, but came back to ninth to qualify for the Main. I didn’t have the best gate pick in the Main, but I made my way through the pack and ended up falling down. I was able to finish seventh. My points are still good, so I’m just going to move onto next week and keep the train rolling.”
Dean Wilson had his best qualifying session of the season in Daytona and was looking to carry the momentum into the night program. He was top-10 at the start of his heat and quickly navigated into fifth a few turns later. He made an impressive pass by Chad Reed for fourth in the fourth lap, then made the pass for second after the top two riders went down together. He held on to finish second and transfer to the 450 Main Event. He started in the top-10 in the 450 Main and was sixth by the end of the first lap. He moved into fifth the following lap, went back to sixth a few laps later, then navigated back into fifth after Musquin went down in the fifth lap. He put in some hard laps and stayed in the top-10 to finish eighth. He is currently 12th in 450 rider point standings.
“I had a more positive weekend,” said Wilson. “I qualified third, which was cool, and got second in my heat race. I really felt good all day, but struggled to find flow in the Main. I was running seventh pretty much the whole race, but got passed by Jason in the end. I’m glad I got through it and I’m looking forward to next weekend.”
Michael Mosiman was on the gas and pulled the holeshot in his heat race. He led teammate Zach Osborne for half a lap before moving to second. He fell back to third shortly after then made his way back to second before the red flag signaled a shortened race. He held his ground to finish second and transfer to the 250SX East Main Event. He had a decent start in the Main, but a big crash early in the race left him unable to finish. He looks forward to returning next week.
“My heat race was awesome,” said Mosiman. “I got the holeshot then finished second and was feeling great. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish the Main after my big crash, but I’m looking forward to next week.”
Daytona SX Results
250SX East Main Event
1. Jordon Smith
2. Jeremy Martin
3. Austin Forkner
4. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
5. Martin Davalos
6. Kyle Peters
7. Sean Cantrell
8. Brandon Hartranft
9. Ramyller Alves
10. Luke Renzland
250SX East Rider Point Standings
1. Austin Forkner – 89 points
2. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 89 points
3. Jordon Smith – 81 points
4. Jeremy Martin – 70 points
5. RJ Hampshire – 57 points
6. Luke Renzland – 55 points
7. Colt Nichols – 54 points
8. Martin Davalos – 52 points
9. Kyle Peters – 51 points
10. James Decotis – 49 points
450 Main Event
1. Justin Brayton
2. Eli Tomac
3. Cooper Webb
4. Christian Craig
5. Marvin Musquin
6. Weston Peick
7. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
8. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
9. Blake Baggett
10. Broc Tickle
450 Rider Point Standings
1. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 223 points
2. Marvin Musquin – 183 points
3. Justin Brayton – 170 points
4. Blake Baggett – 164 points
5. Eli Tomac – 160 points
6. Weston Peick – 153 points
7. Cooper Webb – 146 points
8. Broc Tickle – 131 points
9. Cole Seely – 124 points
10. Justin Barcia – 113 points
…
12. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 100 points
Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, Inc.
Husqvarna has continued to expand its professional race team to compete in AMA Supercross, AMA Pro Motocross, AMA National Enduro, GNCC, AMA EnduroCross, and AMA National Hare & Hound championships. Husqvarna team riders are competing aboard Husqvarna FC 450, FC 350, FC 250, FE 350, TC 250 and TE 300 models.
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Source: Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH
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