Osborne top of the box at Toronto SX
By TMX Archives on 5th Mar 17
Rockstar Energy Husqvarnas Zach Osborne excited the crowd at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario on Saturday with his second victory of the season in the 250SX East class.
He currently has a comfortable lead in 250 rider point standings. Teammate Dean Wilson earned another top-10 finish in the 450 class, while Jason Anderson suffered from a flat front tire.
Zach Osborne displayed impressive speed the entire day. After qualifying first aboard his Husqvarna FC 250, he started in the top-10 in his heat and came through the pack to finish third and earn a transfer position to the main. In the main, he pulled a top-five start and navigated his Husqvarna FC250 into third by the end of the first lap. He stayed on the gas and put in some impressive laps before making the pass for the lead in lap seven. He soon started pulling away, and held on for the win and a nearly 10 second lead. He is currently leading in 250SX East rider point standings.
"Collectively, it was a great day for us,” said Osborne. "I was fastest in every session. I didn't get a great start in my heat race. I spun a little bit behind the gate and ended up third. I got off to a good start in the main and was right in the mix, around third or fourth, and just kind of let the race play out in front of me. I took the lead and never looked back. It's pretty unreal.”
Dean Wilson qualified fourth in the 450 class, and had his sights set on another top-10 finish in the main. He got a mid-pack start in his heat and moved through the field to finish sixth, just two spots outside a transfer position. He got a good start in the 450 semi, was third by the third lap, and went on to finish third and qualify for the main. He pulled a top-10 start in the main and worked his way up to eighth by the sixth lap. He held strong the remainder of the race and finished eighth. He is currently ninth overall in 450 rider point standings.
"I got another top-10,” said Wilson. "That's where I'm supposed to be. The day was OK. I'm just not really stoked on my riding. My qualifying time was good – I was fourth. I mean my speed is good, but doing it in the race is what counts. I just got really tight out there and was in survival mode. It's a little disappointing because I've beat guys that have already gotten podiums, and I want to be up there. It's just a building season for me, so I've just got to learn from it and have a good week.”
Jason Anderson started the night strong by finishing second in his heat, earning a direct transfer to the 450 main. In the main, however, Anderson's front wheel made contact with another rider's foot peg resulting in damaged spokes. He pulled into the mechanic's area shortly thereafter to change it, but got hit again later in the race. He would eventually finish the race in 19th.
"My night was going pretty well,” said Anderson. "My heat race was good, and I was riding fast. I was in third at the start of the main, but another rider's foot peg got stuck in my spokes and ripped them all out and bent my rotor. I swapped my front wheel after that, but then I got hit again and it messed my bike up even more. I'm just going to focus on next week's race in Daytona.”
