The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team headed east for the seventh round of AMA Supercross, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. on Saturday. The night marked the opening round of the 250SX East class and the opportunity for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne to defend his Championship. Osborne showed why he’s the champ by claiming the first 250SX East victory of the season. In the 450 class, teammate Jason Anderson maintained his points lead with a fourth-place finish, while Dean Wilson had great starts all night and earned another top-10 finish.
Defending Champion Zach Osborne was top-10 at the start of his 250SX East heat and came out of the first lap in fourth. He was on the move and quickly made his way into second before the end of the second lap. He held strong to finish second and transfer to the 250SX East Main Event. He navigated past a first-turn pileup at the start of the 250 Main Event and made his way into fourth. He got into third but then tucked his front wheel and tipped over in the third lap. He quickly remounted and starting working his way back through the pack. He made an assertive pass for third in lap five and continued on an aggressive charge as he battled with then flew by Sean Cantrell for the second-place spot. Throwing down the fastest lap of the race up to that point and only a mere two seconds behind the leader, he waited for his chance to strike. He closed the gap to under a half a second with four minutes to go before making an exciting pass for the lead with just over three minutes remaining in the race. He held strong to take the first 250SX East victory of the season.
“It was great to be back racing today,” said Osborne. “I’m happy to start the series on such a high note. I had a decent day in qualifying and came through the pack in the heat to get second. I got a good start in the main but ended up sliding out and going down. I was able to come back and get the win and carry the red plate into round two. I’m just going to keep the momentum going.”
Jason Anderson was top-five at the start of his 450 heat race and immediately started advancing. He made the pass for third before the second lap then started reeling in teammate Wilson. He made an inside pass on Wilson for the second-place spot right before the third lap then stayed consistent to finish second and transfer to the Main. He got a great start in the Main and starting chasing the leader. He went down early in the race, remounted in seventh, and charged ahead. He went to battle and fought for each position as he started picking off riders. He was closing in on Cooper Webb in fifth with 10 minutes to go and made an impressive pass for the position soon before setting his sights on the top-four. He blitzed past Cole Seely in the whoops for fourth, but had some ground to make up to catch Blake Baggett in third with around five minutes to go. He closed the gap a little, but ran out of time, and finished a hard-fought fourth to maintain his lead in the 450 championship.
“I made it happen this weekend,” said Anderson. “I qualified third and was second in my heat. I was second in the Main then tipped over and made it back to fourth. I was able to make up some points and now I just need to keep the ball rolling.”
Dean Wilson was second at the start of his 450 heat race and held his ground before teammate Jason Anderson made it by him in the second lap. He continued to charge and finished third to transfer to the 450 Main Event. He was top-10 at the start of the Main and came out of the first lap in eighth. Managing a shoulder injury, he went back a position but pushed through the pain and charged his way back into the position. He stayed consistent the remainder of the race to finish eighth. The top-10 finish moved him up to 15th overall in 450 rider point standings.
“I definitely had a better weekend,” said Wilson. “I finished one position better, had better starts, a better heat race, and I was better in qualifying. I’m definitely getting there, but I’m still not where I want to be as far as my health goes. I’ve never had an injury that takes so long to heal. I’m getting better every weekend, though, and I just want to keep fighting. I know I can get on the podium once I’m feeling good.”
Arlington SX Results
250SX East Main Event
1. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
2. Colt Nichols
3. James Decotis
4. RJ Hampshire
5. Jeremy Martin
6. Jordon Smith
7. Austin Forkner
8. Brandon Hartranft
9. Sean Cantrell
10. Luke Renzland
250SX East Rider Point Standings
1. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 26 points
2. Colt Nichols – 23 points
3. James Decotis – 21 points
4. RJ Hampshire – 19 points
5. Jeremy Martin – 18 points
6. Jordon Smith – 17 points
7. Austin Forkner – 16 points
8. Brandon Hartranft – 15 points
9. Sean Cantrell – 14 points
10. Luke Renzland – 14 points
450SX Main Event
1. Eli Tomac
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Blake Baggett
4. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
5. Cole Seely
6. Cooper Webb
7. Weston Peick
8. Dean Wilson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
9. Broc Tickle
10. Justin Brayton
450SX Rider Point Standings
1. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 160 points
2. Cole Seely – 124 points
3. Blake Baggett – 120 points
4. Marvin Musquin – 119 points
5. Weston Peick – 114 points
6. Justin Barcia – 113 points
7. Justin Brayton – 112 points
8. Ken Roczen – 102 points
9. Broc Tickle – 96 points
10. Eli Tomac – 90 points
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