Zach Osborne (Reaggravated Injury) Out for Remainder of Pro Motocross
Big news heading into this weekend’s third round of the 2021 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway: defending 450 Class champion Zach Osborne reaggravated his back injury (bulging disc in his spine) at round two in Colorado on June 5 and is out for the remainder of the season. Osborne suffered the injury prior to the Orlando 2 round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross in February but tried to ride through it. He missed several races before announcing he would sit out the remainder of the supercross season in order to recover fully with hopes of defending his #1 plate in Pro Motocross. However, the injury has not healed as Osborne had hoped and the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider reaggravating the injury at the Thunder Valley National when he pulled out of the second moto early on. Now, Osborne has confirmed he will not only miss this weekend’s race in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania—and the remainder of the season. Osborne, who will return to the team next year after re-signing with the team recently, now hopes for a full recover for the the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Through two rounds, Osborne recorded moto finishes of 13-5-12-40 and earned 33 total points, sitting 57 points behind championship leader Ken Roczen. The three-rider 450 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team is already without Jason Anderson, who suffered a practice crash prior to round two that resulted in a broken hand. With Anderson set to miss at least six to eight weeks and Osborne now out for the season, Dean Wilson will fly the long flag for the Husqvarna squad.
Below is the full press release from Husqvarna:
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team announced today that reigning 450MX Champion Zach Osborne will miss the remainder of the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship in order to fully recover from an ongoing back injury.
Osborne, who sustained the back injury mid-way through the 2021 AMA Supercross Championship, worked hard to get himself ready for the opening round of the outdoor season but he unfortunately re-injured himself at the second round in Colorado. Upon further review with the team, Osborne made the tough decision to sit out the rest of the season to fully recover for 2022.
Zach Osborne: “I’m bummed to say the least. This injury has been a big setback with no clear path to 100% but I feel I’m on a good path now and I just need to give my body the time to heal itself. Myself, along with the team, made the decision to pull the plug and be ready for 2022. It was a tough decision in an already-trying year but I believe I can be back to 2020 form with this time away to heal up. Thanks to my team and fans for the support through this!”
Stephen Westfall, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager: “Zach had a back issue during SX that put him out for some time and with a lot of rehab, he was back to 100%. Unfortunately, he re-injured it during the second practice at Thunder Valley and we decided as a team that it was best for him to sit out the rest of the MX season to be 100% ready for next year’s SX season. We know he will do the best and proper things to be there! The whole Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team wishes him the best.”
The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team will return to racing this Saturday, June 19 in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. For more information on the team and its athletes, visit www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com.
