VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P115
CHAMPION ZACH OSBORNE
I
n the "what have you done for
me lately" sport of profession-
al motocross and supercross,
it's rare for racers to get more
than one chance to "make it."
The list of racers with massive
talent coming out of the amateur
ranks that "washed out" early in
their pro careers is much longer
than the list of racers who ever
won anything at all.
When Zach Osborne came out
of the amateurs in 2006, he was
the hottest commodity around,
but that didn't even last until the
end of the year before he was
written off following a horrendous
performance at the Budds Creek
National, where he led most of a
moto before fading to 18
th
.
Instead of giving up after the
American teams lost interest, he
went to Europe and raced for a
few years, then returned to the
U.S., where he was always a
solid contender for top-fives and
podiums, but not really for wins
or championships.
But things changed dramati-
cally in 2017.
PERSISTENCE
History has shown that once a
racer loses their chance for a de-
cent ride in the U.S., 99% of the
time that's the end of the story.
To put it simply, if you don't
show a lot of promise, with a lot
of success, during your initial
racing contract, that's usually
the end of the road. It's a tough
game, and it's often not fair, but
there's always another bunch of
racers coming out of the ama-
In his 12th year of
professional racing, Zach
Osborne takes that last step
from contender to champion
