The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team made its way to Lakewood, Colo. for the Thunder Valley National, the third round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, on Saturday. The team was down two members with Dean Wilson and Jason Anderson both recovering from injuries, but that didn’t stop Zach Osborne, Michael Mosiman and Jordan Bailey from putting in a hard-fought effort. Michael Mosiman scored a top-10 moto finish and moved up to 14th in 250 rider point standings, Zach Osborne overcame a crash right after the start in the second 250 moto to bring home 11th overall, and Jordan Bailey finished 18th.
Zach Osborne was third at the start of the first 250 moto and was showing some drive as he started challenging riders. Nursing an injury, he was shuffled back to fourth in the second lap but still put the pressure on. He made a successful pass for third in the sixth lap then started battling for position with Jeremy Martin in the 10th lap. He went back to fourth after making a couple mistakes and would eventually finish fifth. He got a good start in the second moto but got hit right after taking off and went down. The crash caused his shoulder to come out of place, but he regrouped and remounted in the very back of the pack. He put on a charge and made it up to 25th with three minutes remaining. He continued to charge in order to salvage valuable championship points and finished 20th. The 5-20 finish gave him 11th overall on the day, and he is currently fourth in 250 rider point standings.
“Today was a learning experience for me,” said Osborne. “I got off to a good start in the first moto and was able to hold on for a fifth. Then, I was hit in the first turn at the start of the second moto and popped my shoulder out. It took me a second to get it back in before I could get going. I managed to score one point. There’s 18 motos left and a lot of points still on the table.”
Michael Mosiman was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto but got caught up in an early race crash. He remounted in 33rd and focused on moving through the pack. He charged ahead 10 positions by the sixth lap and continued to push. He put in an amazing ride to finish 16th. He got a decent start in the second moto and was fighting in 12th after the first lap. He made his way into the top-10 in the seventh lap and held strong to finish 10th. The 16-10 finish gave him 12th overall on the day.
“It’s been a good day,” said Mosiman. “I woke up in Colorado so that’s already a good start. I really like it here – it has a Mammoth vibe. I was flowing and feeling pretty well. It was a little muddy, but it was fine. I was motivated. I got about a 15th place start in the first moto and was in the pack, then came together with another rider and got cleaned out. I was dead last then made it back to 16th. So that was a good ride. I got a better start in the second moto but then got shuffled back early on. I slowly picked off guys then got into 10th. I was slowly catching ninth but then made a big mistake and lost a bunch of time with four laps to go. 10th-place finish is solid and is a step in the right direction. It was definitely a good day.”
Jordan Bailey was mid-pack at the start of the first 250 moto and came out of the first lap 19th. He steadily made his way through the field and was up to 17th by the seventh lap and stayed consistent to finish 17th. He was mid-pack again at the start of the second moto and came out of the first lap in 15th. He stayed steady the remainder of the race and finished 16th. He went 17-16 for 18th overall on the day. “I had decent practices,” said Bailey.
“I wish I did better in the first moto, but I got a better start in the second moto. It was a weekend to improve on and I’m ready to do better next week.”
Next Race: June 16 – High Point National – Mt. Morris, PA
Thunder Valley National Results
250 Class
1. Jeremy Martin (2,1)
2. Alex Martin (3,2)
3. Justin Cooper (1,8)
4. Austin Forkner (7,3)
5. Jordon Smith (4,5)
6. Aaron Plessinger (6,4)
7. Chase Sexton (10,6)
8. Shane McElrath (9,9)
9. Garrett Marchbanks (8,11)
10. RJ Hampshire (13,7)
11. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (5,20)
12. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (16,10)
…
18. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing (17,16)
450 Class
1. Eli Tomac (1,1)
2. Ken Roczen (2,2)
3. Blake Baggett (3,3)
4. Marvin Musquin (4,4)
5. Benny Bloss (6,5)
6. Justin Barcia (5,6)
7. Weston Peick (7,7)
8. Phillip Nicoletti (8,8)
9. Dylan Merriam (9,10)
10. Brandon Scharer (14,9)
250 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Jeremy Martin – 129 points
2. Aaron Plessinger – 121 points
3. Alex Martin – 116 points
4. Zach Osborne – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 105 points
5. Justin Cooper – 98 points
6. Jordon Smith – 77 points
7. Chase Sexton – 76 points
8. Austin Forkner – 75 points
9. Garrett Marchbanks – 72 points
10. RJ Hampshire – 72 points
…
14. Michael Mosiman – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 38 points
17. Jordan Bailey – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 28 points
450 Class Rider Point Standings
1. Eli Tomac – 150 points
2. Marvin Musquin – 122 points
3. Justin Barcia – 104 points
4. Blake Baggett – 100 points
5. Ken Roczen – 97 points
6. Weston Peick – 88 points
7. Phillip Nicoletti – 75 points
8. Jason Anderson – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing – 73 points
9. Benny Bloss – 73 points
10. Dylan Merriam – 49 points
