JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Zach Osborne swept both Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 450 class motos to win Saturday’s GEICO Motorcycle WW Ranch National at WW Ranch Motocross Park.
In the 250 class, Monster Energy/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis swept both motos to take the overall win for the second consecutive week, extending his lead in the championship standings.
As the gate dropped on the opening 450 class moto, Osborne grabbed the holeshot, closely followed by Adam Cianciarulo and Chase Sexton. The premier class rookie duo of Cianciarulo and Sexton quickly sprinted around Osborne on the opening lap, shuffling the championship point leader to third. Following a hard crash in the final qualifying session, Marvin Musquin started just behind the leaders in fourth.
While Cianciarulo and Sexton paced one another at the head of the field, Osborne trailed by just over three seconds, keeping the leaders within sight. At the halfway point of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Sexton saw an opening and struck by pulling alongside Cianciarulo and taking second. Cianciarulo instantly retaliated with a move of his own to reclaim the lead.
Entering the final stages of the moto, Osborne inched his way closer to the lead duo and used his aggressive riding style to pass Sexton around the outside of a corner. Just one lap later Osborner dove to the inside of his closest championship rival Cianciarulo and took control of the race lead.
Osborne’s late race charge helped him secure his fifth moto win of the season by 2.7 seconds over Cianciarulo. Musquin took advantage of a late race mistake by Sexton to complete the podium in third, followed by Sexton in fourth.
The final 450 class moto of the afternoon saw Justin Barcia launch out of the gate to grab the holeshot, followed by Musquin and Cianciarulo. Exiting the first turn, Cianciarulo grabbed a handful of throttle to blitz his way around Musquin and Barcia to take the race lead. Prior to the completion of the opening lap, Barcia would lose the front end entering a corner, allowing Anstie to take over third, just ahead of Osborne in fourth.
Cianciarulo continued his strong early moto form out front, while Musquin looked to keep the Kawasaki rider in his sight in second. A mistake by Anstie allowed Osborne to sneak by and into third. With just under 20-minutes to go, Musquin saw an opportunity to make the pass for the lead, which saw the two riders collide entering a corner and Cianciarulo hitting the ground. Musquin was able to stay up and take the lead, while Osborne and Sexton moved into second and third. Cianciarulo would remount in seventh.
Osborne made an attack on the Frenchman Musquin and took over the race lead at the halfway point of the moto. Shortly after, Eli Tomac latched onto the rear fender of Sexton to pass him for third. Tomac continued his charge forward, working his way up to and around Musquin for second.
Entering the final lap, Osborne and Tomac were wheel-to-wheel in the battle for the moto win. Osborne fended off the multi-time reigning champion to take his sixth moto win of the season. Tomac crossed the checkered flag to finish second, followed by Musquin in third.
Osborne went 1-1 for the second time this season, capturing his fourth overall victory of the season in the premier class. Musquin’s consistency rewarded him with second overall (3-3), edging out Tomac who made his return to the podium in third (6-2).
“It’s an unreal feeling to get back on top” explained Osborne. “A week ago we were faced with some adversity, but we responded with two moto wins today. This is what makes all of the hard work and tough times we face during the week worth it. I had to fight for that second moto win, Eli [Tomac] was on it, but we dug deep and managed to get the job done.”
The overall win helped Osborne extend his championship lead to 29 points over Cianciarulo who finished fourth overall (2-7). Musquin maintains his third position in the standings, just a single point behind Cianciarulo.