Zach Osborne Out for Season With Shoulder Surgery
That changed in a hurry. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's Zach Osborne came into Lucas Oil Pro Motocross aiming for a record four 250 championships in two years, but now that run will end with three titles. Following the big second-moto first-turn crash on Saturday at Thunder Valley, Osborne has undergone shoulder surgery for a torn labrum and will be out for the remainder of the season.
“I am extremely bummed, to say the least," Osborne said in a team press release. "This fourth consecutive championship aboard the FC 250 was one that I wanted bad. It’s almost surreal that it has come to an end, but I know everything happens for a reason. I’ll use this time to prepare mentally and physically for the challenge of my first year in the 450 class. I am excited to get my recovery started and move onto the next step of my career."
Osborne's shoulder popped out of joint in a brutal first-turn crash in moto two. Joey Savatgy was trying to steal a good start from the outside while Osborne and a few others got bounced around from the inside, causing a collision. Osborne got back on the bike and salvaged one championship point for 20th, but that will be his last point of the season.
"Hopefully there’s nothing major wrong with my shoulder and I can carry on," Osborne said to our Steve Matthes after the race. "I don’t want it to be anything that carries into next year. I want to have a really strong showing on the 450, so we’ll make that decision this week. If I’m in, I’m all in. If it’s not too bad, then we’ll be there."
"It has been a devastating week for all of us here on the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team," Bobby Hewitt, team manager, said. "Losing Zach for the remainder of the season is unfortunate, but he will be back just as strong as ever."