The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team had an impressive day at the historic RedBud National, the sixth round and halfway point of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, held in Buchanan, Mich. on Saturday. Zach Osborne maintained his points lead in the 250 class by going 2-1 and earning another overall victory. The team earned two more top-10 finishes with Jason Anderson and Dean Wilson finishing second and ninth, respectively, in the 450 class. Fellow 450 rider Martin Davalos finished 14th.
Zach Osborne, the fastest 250 qualifier of the day, was second at the start of the first 250 race and started closing in on the leader by the second lap. He stayed determined and rode smooth the entire race and came within striking distance with two and a half laps to go. He put on a hard charge and stayed strong to finish second. He was top-10 at the start of the second moto and came out of the first lap in eighth. He was showing some speed and made it up to fifth by the third lap before going to work on fourth. He kept his head down and made a hard-fought pass for the position in the eighth lap before charging through the pack to overtake the lead and earn the victory. The 2-1 finish gave him the overall and maintains his lead in 250 rider point standings.
“Overall it was a great day,” said Osborne. “I qualified on the pole and went 2-1 for the overall so it’s a good day for the points and the overall grand scheme of things in the championship. I’m just going to keep plugging away and will try to rally to the title.”
Jason Anderson was mid-pack at the start of the first 450 moto but crashed in a first turn pileup. He remounted outside the top 20 and charged up to ninth by the fourth lap. He was riding at a blistering pace and made three more passes before the halfway mark before putting in an amazing charge to finish fourth. He was second at the start of the second moto and immediately got involved in an epic battle in the top-three before conceding to third in the sixth lap. He made the pass for second after the leader went down after the halfway mark and kept the leader in sight. He rode hard and finished second. The 4-3 finish gave him second overall on the day. He is currently third in 450 rider point standings.
“I was able to come around and do pretty well,” said Anderson. “Although I was in a first turn pileup in the first moto, I worked really hard and came back to fourth. I was up front right away in the second moto and was swapping spots with riders. I tried to hold on as long as I could. I feel like I can still do better.”
Dean Wilson was top-10 at the start of the first 450 moto and stayed consistent. He made the pass for ninth midway through the race and would eventually finish eighth. He was top-10 at the start of the second moto and came out of the first lap in eighth. He stayed consistent to finish eighth. The 8-8 finish gave him ninth overall on the day, and he is currently sixth in 450 rider point standings.
“I was eighth first moto and eighth second moto,” said Wilson, “which is pretty average for me. I just need to get a bit faster and work on a few things this week. I think I did ok considering I had food poisoning and spent most of the week resting. I’m happy to get another top-10, but feel like I can do better.”
Martin Davalos was farther back in the pack at the start of the first 450 moto and made it up to 18th by lap four and continued to charge to finish 15th. He was mid-pack at the start of the second moto and started battling in 14th by the end of the first lap. He moved up to 11th by lap six before finishing 13th. The 15-13 finish gave him 14th overall on the day. He is currently 13th in 450 rider point standings.
“I love this track,” said Davalos. “It’s rough, though, because I struggled with my starts and made a lot of mistakes. I had some big crashes throughout the motos which is frustrating. I was hoping to build on the momentum from last weekend. I think I rush too much in the first couple laps, so I think I need to work on being more patient. I look forward to going to the sand next week at Southwick.”
Teammate Michael Mosiman did not race due to an injury sustained at a previous race. He hopes to return to the series in the coming weeks.
The team will now make its way to the Southwick National, the seventh round of the series, held in Southwick, Mass. on July 8th.
