Track conditions and intense heat made for a difficult and eventful day in Tooele, UT on Saturday for the 11th round of the 2015 AMA Pro Motocross series, but Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne, Martin Davalos, Christophe Pourcel and Jason Anderson stayed focused and put in a solid day’s work.
250MX
After his struggles over the last few rounds Zach Osborne had a good day in Utah. Despite the heat, he put on an impressive charge in the first moto after a mid-pack finish to cross the finish line in ninth.
He came back with a vengeance in the second moto and pulled two great starts after a red flag and complete restart. He held strong to finish fifth. The 9-5 finish gave him sixth overall on the day. He is only five points shy of third overall in 250 rider point standings. Team-mate Martin Davalos wrestled with tough track conditions in the first moto and a crash at the start of the second moto forced him to navigate his Husqvarna FC 250 from 40th to 12th. The 25-12 finish gave him 15th overall.
“Today was a step in the right direction,” said Osborne. “After struggling the last couple of rounds I feel like I made some progress today. I got a bad start in the first moto and worked to come back to ninth. In the second moto I got a top-five start and then the race was red flagged. I got another good start and finished fifth in moto 2. To be able to push the way I did all the way through the motos in the heat and altitude helped my confidence. Five points separate me from third place in the championship standings, and I have my sights set on that going into next week.”
“The track was tough today,” said Davalos. “It was really slick. I need to figure out my first motos. I think way too much. I got taken out on the start on the inside in the second moto and went from 40th to 12th. I just need to put two good motos together. I’m looking forward to the last round. I’m happy to be safe for the last week.”
450MX
Heat and a difficult track got the best of both Christophe Pourcel and Jason Anderson. Despite the conditions, Pourcel earned another top-10 overall finish by going 9-9 for ninth overall. He is currently fifth in 450 rider point standings. Anderson finished the day 6-16 for 11th overall, and is currently seventh in 450 rider point standings.
“It was a little hot today,” said Pourcel. “The track was also kind of sketchy – dry and rutty. I was riding a little too tight and at a slower pace than the guys in front of me. It wasn’t the best day, but it wasn’t too bad. We’ve got one more round to go so I’m going to focus on trying to get on the box for the next race.”
“I felt like I was riding pretty well,” said Anderson. “I was just struggling with some other things that I need to figure out. Other than that, I’m just going to move forward and try to keep plugging away.”
