Monday Conversation: Zach Osborne
October 20, 2008, 9:15am
This past weekend, Racer X headed south to Muddy Creek Raceway in Tennessee for the annual Suzuki Top Gun Showdown. This popular event attracts riders from Florida to Maine and everywhere in between, but the rider who stood above the rest was 450 pro-class winner Zach Osborne. Zach, who grew up about 20 minutes north in Abingdon, Virginia, posted a solid 1-1 over the likes of Auston Albers, Michael Willard, Kevin Walker, and Tyler Wharton, among others. We caught up with Zach right after his second-moto victory.
Racer X: Zach, here we are in Tennessee, thousands of miles away from where I last saw you racing in England at the Motocross of Nations. Tell us what brought you out here?
Zach Osborne: Well, I don’t live very far from here and this race has a good pro purse. I was just going to ride practice on Friday and hang out, but I rode all right so I figured I’d race. I actually haven’t ridden since the des Nations; I’ve just been taking some time off. I went on a vacation with my family and my girlfriend, so yeah, I’ve just been having fun with everything.
Where did you go for vacation?
We went to Jamaica. It was awesome!
I’m surprised you didn’t go on vacation to the country you represented at the Motocross of Nations – Puerto Rico!
[Laughs] Actually, I contacted the guy the other day about going on vacation there, so we’ll see!
So how long are you back home in Virginia?
I’m going to maybe do a few European Supercrosses, and after that probably stay here or in South Carolina. Two of the kids from my team in England are coming over with their mechanics, so they want to do most of their training here in America and then go back and race the GPs.
{LINKS}
Tell us why you’re wearing Fox today.
Well, I’m sort of between gear sponsors and I just got some gear from my girlfriend’s parents’ shop.
Which shop is that?
Champion Cycles.
They hook you up with a discount?
[Laughs] I think I got maybe five percent under retail. I probably got charged more from buying it there!
Zach Osborne: Well, I don’t live very far from here and this race has a good pro purse. I was just going to ride practice on Friday and hang out, but I rode all right so I figured I’d race. I actually haven’t ridden since the des Nations; I’ve just been taking some time off. I went on a vacation with my family and my girlfriend, so yeah, I’ve just been having fun with everything.
Where did you go for vacation?
We went to Jamaica. It was awesome!
I’m surprised you didn’t go on vacation to the country you represented at the Motocross of Nations – Puerto Rico!
[Laughs] Actually, I contacted the guy the other day about going on vacation there, so we’ll see!
So how long are you back home in Virginia?
I’m going to maybe do a few European Supercrosses, and after that probably stay here or in South Carolina. Two of the kids from my team in England are coming over with their mechanics, so they want to do most of their training here in America and then go back and race the GPs.
{LINKS}
Tell us why you’re wearing Fox today.
Well, I’m sort of between gear sponsors and I just got some gear from my girlfriend’s parents’ shop.
Which shop is that?
Champion Cycles.
They hook you up with a discount?
[Laughs] I think I got maybe five percent under retail. I probably got charged more from buying it there!
So you didn’t bring any gear back from England?
No, I wanted to bring some stuff home, like number plates – I always keep number plates from each year, and a jersey or something – so I didn’t have a lot of room in my luggage, and it was like 250 pounds for an extra bag, which is like five hundred dollars. So I just brought home the essentials. So yeah, I didn’t bring back any gear and I didn’t have any tear-offs, either. I’m definitely going to be contacting some sponsors on Monday.
This bike you rode today; you raced this at Southwick earlier this summer, right?
Yeah, this is the “illegal” bike. [Laughs]
Back to Muddy Creek: You’ve probably been coming here since you were on a 50.
Yeah, I have. I think this was one of my first races; I remember getting pushed up the hills. It’s not my favorite track, to be perfectly honest – I just never have done really good here ‘til this weekend, so maybe it’s turning around for me. But I like it and I enjoy coming here and I know it’s good for everyone local to see me ride, so that’s good. All my family comes out, so it’s always nice to come at least once a year.
For not riding since the des nations, you looked pretty good out there. How did you feel?
I felt all right. I’ve been training a little to stay fit, but I haven’t done any riding. It was tough out there, though. There are some good local guys that ride here a lot, so I’m just trying to beat them!
Good riding today, Zach. You want to thank your sponsors?
Yeah, I’d just like to thank the Lord for giving me the talent he gave me; my girlfriend for helping me out this weekend because I don’t have a mechanic here; and all of my family for coming out. I’d also like to thank U-Tag Yamaha, Arai, UFO, Smith, Michelin, and Renthal.
No, I wanted to bring some stuff home, like number plates – I always keep number plates from each year, and a jersey or something – so I didn’t have a lot of room in my luggage, and it was like 250 pounds for an extra bag, which is like five hundred dollars. So I just brought home the essentials. So yeah, I didn’t bring back any gear and I didn’t have any tear-offs, either. I’m definitely going to be contacting some sponsors on Monday.
This bike you rode today; you raced this at Southwick earlier this summer, right?
Yeah, this is the “illegal” bike. [Laughs]
Back to Muddy Creek: You’ve probably been coming here since you were on a 50.
Yeah, I have. I think this was one of my first races; I remember getting pushed up the hills. It’s not my favorite track, to be perfectly honest – I just never have done really good here ‘til this weekend, so maybe it’s turning around for me. But I like it and I enjoy coming here and I know it’s good for everyone local to see me ride, so that’s good. All my family comes out, so it’s always nice to come at least once a year.
For not riding since the des nations, you looked pretty good out there. How did you feel?
I felt all right. I’ve been training a little to stay fit, but I haven’t done any riding. It was tough out there, though. There are some good local guys that ride here a lot, so I’m just trying to beat them!
Good riding today, Zach. You want to thank your sponsors?
Yeah, I’d just like to thank the Lord for giving me the talent he gave me; my girlfriend for helping me out this weekend because I don’t have a mechanic here; and all of my family for coming out. I’d also like to thank U-Tag Yamaha, Arai, UFO, Smith, Michelin, and Renthal.
