Personally, I've known Zach since he was on 50s, and he's always been one of the nicest, most sincere riders I've been lucky enough to know. He was a fierce competitor who once almost quit as a teenager to start college, only to dig his heels into the dirt again and keep trying. After he posted his retirement announcement, I went back and looked at a few past stories we have done on Zacho in Racer X magazine. Needless to say, Zach Osborne's career was quite the journey. 

Hailing from Abingdon, Virginia, Osborne started out as KTM's first fully-supported minicycle prospect in America, a relationship that started way back in 1999 when KTM North America was still based in Ohio. Osborne did not have the success he would have liked, winning just one AMA Amateur National title growing up as a kid at Loretta Lynn's, but later he would find himself in the rare category of top professionals who had many more success and titles as professionals than they did as youth/amateur riders—guys like Jeremy McGrath, Doug Henry, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, and Jeremy Martin.

But Osborne was not an immediate success as a pro. For the first three years of his career, which began in 2006, he did not score a single top-five finish. The support he had from KTM disappeared and he ended up with Yamaha of Troy. That also didn't work, and he soon found himself in a sort of MX exile in Europe, riding for Steve Dixon's England-based Bike It Cosworth Yamaha squad, trying to make a name for himself on the MX2 Grand Prix circuit of the FIM Motocross World Championship aboard the #338 YZ250F. He turned the change of scenery into a chance to reinvent himself. He also enjoyed the adventure of racing in nearly two dozen different countries along the way, becoming the most successful American on the GP circuit since Mike Brown was last there in 2000.

Osborne lived for periods in England, Belgium, and even Norway, where he spent a dark winter training on the slopes with Kenneth Gundersen. He took his first overall win in Turkey, and was one of those Yanks who would race for Puerto Rico at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations, never guessing that he might one day be chosen for Team USA (which he would be in 2017). In 2010 he found himself occasionally battling with a couple of young MXGP title contenders for the MX2 title: Marvin Musquin and Ken Roczen. He also probably never imagined that they would both get deals to race in the U.S. Zach did ride a Yamaha in the SX Lites class in the West Region in 2012, finally earning his first AMA podium a full six years after first turning pro.

Finally, in 2013, GEICO Honda decided to bring Osborne back to the U.S. with a 250-class deal. He had two solid years with the team, still wearing #338, but still no wins. The GEICO deal was followed by a move to Bobby Hewitt's Rockstar Energy Husqvarna team, which basically brought him full-circle back to the KTM North America Group, which had purchased Husqvarna. Zach spent nearly two full years there inching closer and closer to that first win. It finally came at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Maryland, a track he knew well as a kid. The win marked the first 125/250 national win ever for Husqvarna and for the rider.

It was in 2017 that the direction of Zach Osborne's racing career changed again, only this time it was straight up. In what can only be described as a breakout season, Osborne won his first SX races and the 250SX East Region title with the all-time, last-lap, do-or-die, winner-takes-all pass for the title on Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Joey Savatgy at the Las Vegas finale. He then won the Lucas Oil 250 Class Pro Motocross Championship by finishing on the podium in 11 of 12 rounds. He even got the call to ride for Team USA at the '17 Motocross of Nations, and our magazine staff named him the 2017 Racer X Rider of the Year.

Process of Determination feature in the January 2018 issue of Racer X Illustrated.

"I feel like over the last three or four years I've become very adamant and passionate about being the best I can be, period, and not worrying about anyone else," he told me for the feature I wrote on that incredible turnabout. "I've just been taking what comes to me, and has been grown to me, in stride. I've fallen in love with riding again, so I guess it's all just come full-circle from where I was when it all started for me as a kid. Finally winning a couple of titles this year just fuels my fire even more."

Osborne repeated as 250SX East Region champion in 2018 but was injured early in the 250 nationals, abdicating his title to Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing’s Aaron Plessinger. For 2019 he moved up to the 450 Class and struggled at times, but by mid-2020 he had obviously found his rhythm and confidence again, winning his first 450 supercross main event, then winning the Lucas Oil 450 Pro Motocross Championship, an unreal thought a half-dozen years or so before. 

Now Zach Osborne is done with professional motocross, and his legacy might just be that he had one of the most nomadic and successful careers in history, joining the likes of "Bad" Brad Lackey, Danny Laporte, Donny Schmit, Mike Brown, and Grant Langston as world travelers who went where they had to to find a chance to keep racing and did the work to make it to the very top, despite most thinking it an impossible dream. Osborne proved almost the entire motocross world wrong, except for the few team owners who did see something in him and gave him another shot: Steve Dixon, Bobby Hewitt, and GEICO Honda's Rick "Ziggy" Zielfelder and Jeff Myzscak. 

"People always ask me when I might stop, when I might be ready to do something else, and I see myself doing this for a long time—certainly for as long as God gives me the health to keep doing this. I have a bright future ahead, even after all these years," he said back in 2017, five years before that time finally came for him.

So congratulations to Zach Osborne and his wife, Brittney—as well as their daughter, Emory and son, Bode—on making it to the biggest finish line of all together. Osborne was a class act, a never-surrender competitor, and a fine champion. (And Zach, five years from now, when you become eligible for the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, you should expect a call.) And read Kellen Brauer's great career write up on Osborne.

Since 1972: The Mini O’s (DC)

There are a lot of great traditions in the motocross world that mean different things to different enthusiasts. Sometimes it’s a holiday tradition, like the RedBud National on the Fourth of July weekend; other times it’s a reunion of sorts, like the Dubya USA Vet World Championships at Glen Helen, or Unadilla’s Remix weekend, or Diamond Don’s in Texas. Mammoth Mountain MX is like a summer vacation for West Coast racers and their families, or a vintage bike spring break like the Racer X Inter-Am in Boise, Idaho. There are also newer events building their own traditions, like the Baja Brawl in Michigan, the JS7 Spring Classic in Texas, and the Spring-A-Ding-Ding, also in Texas, the Maine Event at MX207 in Maine, the RCSX at Daytona, and more. And of course, there is the big one, the Monster Energy AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee, an annual proving ground for aspiring racers of all ages. 

There is one other race that has elements of all those traditions I’ve mentioned—part-holiday, part-reunion, part-vacation, rite of passage and some serious competition—and it’s happening right now. The 50th Annual THOR Mini O’s is taking place at Gatorback Cycle Park in Gainesville, Florida. Founded by a promoter named Pat Ray and first held in 1972 at the old North Florida Raceway near Jacksonville, the Mini O’s began as the Florida Winter Nationals, but it was truly a minicycles-only gathering. It immediately got on the map because youth and amateur motocross racing were exploding across the country, and this event served as the first meeting between the nation’s two fastest kids at that time, California’s Jeff Ward and Tennessee’s Gene McKay.

Here’s a feature we did last year in the early history of the Mini O’s event, Part 1:

Over the years the event would change owners, first from Pat Ray to Bill West, and morph into the “Mini Olympiad,” combining several disciplines—flat track, TT, off-road grand prix, and motocross—for one overall champion. It also would move a couple of times before ending up at Gatorback in the early eighties, while also adding divisions for bigger bikes and older riders. But it always took place over Thanksgiving, turning it into a major holiday destination for motocrossers and their families from all the country.

Here’s the second part of that history of the Mini O’s, Part 2: 

Today, the Mini O’s are run by Wyn Kern and his Unlimited Sports MX organization, and the event has just two disciplines: supercross and motocross. But they have grown into the single biggest stand-alone event for entries in the entire sport, with nearly 6,000 entries in this 50th year, the all-time record. It streams live on RacerTV.com, so fans all over the world can get a glimpse of future stars in the making. Almost all of the top amateurs in the country are there (Red Bull’s A Day in the Dirt does attract some very fast west coast riders who might prefer to stay closer to home for Thanksgiving) competing on a toned-down SX track and a national-caliber motocross track. Here’s the live timing and scoring to follow along: 

And of course, you can watch the Mini O’s streaming on racertv.com right now.

Besides the racing, there’s all kinds of off-track fun to be had at the Mini O’s for the riders and their families, from the big Thanksgiving dinners and get-togethers to the On-Track School’s Disco Dance that Andrea Leib organized last night for the kids, and even a THOR Mini O’s After Show that streams each night, highlighting the action and interviewing top riders and industry friends. It all adds up to a very fun week of motocross and quite the holiday tradition.

New Star Boys (DC)

Among the top kids there at the Mini O’s this time are the members of the amateur juggernaut that Bobby Regan is building as a pipeline to his vaunted Monster Energy/Star Yamaha Racing professional team, featuring Matt LeBlanc, Nick Romano, and Haiden Deegan. All of them appeared last night on the THOR Mini O’s After Show, hosted by Wes Cain and Matt “Megawatt” Watson, and produced by the RacerTV.com crew. It streamed live on Facebook and you can watch it here:

One of the things that caught my attention was when Regan explained how he approaches the relationship with his riders and their parents who have brought them this far in the careers—right to the brink of turning pro. “We’re not their daddy,” said “Coach” Regan in his smooth southern draw, “They’re through with their daddy when they came to me and we’re going to tell them the way it is.” 

Regan also discussed the decision to move everything east, from California to Florida, as Star Racing now owns Ricky Carmichael’s GOAT Farm and has set up shop there for both amateurs and pros. In other words, a top young prospect like Deegan will find himself training, testing and doing laps with multi-time Pro Motocross Champions like Eli Tomac and Dylan Ferrandis.

“My kids don’t spend all of their time in a car going to a track,” said Regan of the team’s concentrated set-up in the rural part of northwest Florida and southwest Georgia. How is it working? The team only made the move a couple months ago, so stay tuned.

Tests, Testing, Tested (Keefer)

September through the middle of December is usually the busy season for testing with new bikes, confidential race team tests, as well as shootouts. The grind has been in full swing for me, as I have been on a bike testing or riding with my son Aden at least 4-5 days a week since the middle of September. I had a couple races on the calendar that I wanted to do good at (yes, I am still competitive at 45), and now that those are behind me, I can see that Christmas vacation on the horizon for me! So, what’s on the menu in the coming weeks? 

Let's start with KTM! The 2022.5 KTM 250/450 FE will not be available for us to ride until January, but it looks like there will be a race team introduction on the second week of December to unveil the new KTM 450. From what I hear, the new bike is getting a lot of praise from Cooper Webb, Aaron Plessinger, and Marvin Musquin. Justin Barcia and GasGas stick with the old chassis for ’22, and the boys over at Husqvarna will be on the new 2022.5/2023 platform like the KTM guys.

It looks like I’m headed to Florida for the second week of  December to attend the Husqvarna team intro … and to train with Aldon Baker for a few days. Yes, that's right, Husqvarna is flying a few of us moto media test dorks to Aldon's to actually do some training with the legend himself. If I can make it out alive, this should make for a good story, so be on the lookout for that over here on Racerxonline.com! 

Kawasaki has thrown their name into the factory edition ring with their own 2022 KX450SR. It's looking like I’ll be able to test the newest KX450 with KYBs right around the holidays. So maybe I won't be on much of a vacation, but that’s okay, because this is one bike I’m looking forward to testing. I may or may not have tested a KX450 with KYBs a couple months back, and it was glorious, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the final production bike is like. If it's anything like what I rode back then, you guys should be stoked! 

Last but not least, I’m looking to do a head-to-head video in the coming week or two between a YZ250 and YZ450F. YES! TWO-STROKE AGAINST FOUR-STROKE! I was going to throw in a 250F instead of a 450F, but I feel like the YZ250 two-stroke buyer is more geared toward a 450. So that’s what I’ve got cooking up for December. 

Here's hoping you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday and get to spend it with family and with dirt bikes!

Pierer Mobility Acquires Felt Bicycles (press release)

The parent company of KTM has added Felt Bicycles to its ever-growing brand portfolio. Looks like the KTM group is about to become a full-on player in the bicycle market. The Felt brand was actually founded by Jim Felt, mechanic for Johnny O'Mara and many other greats.

Press release:
As part of its strategy to assume a leading global role in the bicycle sector, Pierer Mobility AG is pleased to announce the acquisition and integration of Felt Bicycles into its Division Pierer E-Bikes GmbH.

Founded in 1991 in California, USA, Felt Bicycles has an established reputation for producing high-performance, drop-bar road, triathlon, track, cyclocross, gravel, and adventure bikes. Always striving for innovation, during its 30-year history, Felt Bicycles has pioneered carbon fiber usage in bike design, set new standards in mountain bike suspension systems, and revolutionized aerodynamic development in the pursuit of the ultimate racing equipment. Felt bikes have been ridden to stage wins at Grand Tours, earned record-breaking triathlon world titles, Olympic gold medals, and world championships on various terrain.

Stefan Pierer, CEO Pierer Mobility AG:

Pierer Mobility AG – the group behind motor-powered-two-wheeler brands like KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and GasGas – established Pierer E-Bikes GmbH in 2019 with the focus to deliver innovation, advanced technology and leading design into the bicycle market. Pierer E-Bikes GmbH continues building a portfolio of premium bicycle brands, covering all categories, with Felt Bicycles now set to join Husqvarna E-Bicycles, GasGas, and R Raymon.

Pro Perspective (Jason Thomas)

Thanksgiving is here, which means boot camp is in full swing. Riders have been hard at work for a few weeks now. Many of their days will be remarkably similar. It's a seemingly never-ending cycle of riding, running, cycling, lifting, stretching, eating, and, thankfully, sleeping. Rest is also factored in there a bit, but only in smaller doses. This is prime time for hard work and season prep. All of the success (hopefully) riders experience next season can be traced back to these crucial couple of months. It's easily the toughest time of the year, though. Blisters, chafing, and overall soreness are to be expected. Waking up and wondering how you’re going to go through another daily cycle of that grind is to be expected. It's not an enjoyable experience. There is typically some whining by riders along the way too. Speaking from experience, whining seems to help a little, but the work goes on regardless of the complaining.

Does the work get brutally monotonous? Yes, it does, and will become more so into December. But when January arrives, the painful stretch we’re currently in is what gives peace of mind and the quiet confidence that riders exude at the opening round press conference. They have suffered for months on end and know they’re ready to fight whatever may come. There is no worse feeling than sitting on the line for a race that you’re wildly unprepared for. If you've ever felt that sinking feeling, you know you don't want to ever again. It's that fear of failure that drives riders to push through the pain and fatigue they’re feeling now. I believe fear of failure is a more powerful motivator than desire for success. Fear will force riders through these hard days, so they don't face that fear when Anaheim arrives. Suffer now or suffer later, but if you want to succeed, you will suffer. Enjoy the suffering, boys. One day you'll miss it, as crazy as that sounds.

Brian Gray, R.I.P. (DC)

There was terrible news out of Florida this week. Brian Gray, the 2003 AMA Pro Motocross Rookie of the Year, was involved in a fatal traffic accident that also claimed his 5-year-old son, Tyler. Gray—who was 37 years old and hailed from St. Augustine—and his family were traveling south on I-295 in their SUV when it made contact with another vehicle and went off the highway and hit a tree. Gray's wife, Lynn, and their other son, Jase, were also injured in the crash, according to news reports. 

A top amateur prospect in the early 2000s, Gray was a Suzuki support rider. In 2003 he raced Pro-Sport at Loretta Lynn's and won the last motos in both of his classes, finishing second and third overall, respectively. He moved up to the SoBe Suzuki team upon turning pro that same year. (Coincidentally, he wore #338 that first year—the same number the aforementioned Zach Osborne wore at various points throughout his career.)

He had several top-ten finishes in the 125 nationals, his career-best being seventh overall finishes at both Budds Creek and Steel City. After the 2006 season, in which he raced as a privateer, Gray retired from professional motocross.

Brian's next competitive passion became diesel drag racing. Through his own Gray's Diesel Performance in Middleburg, Florida, Brian posted the world record for the fastest 7.3 Power-Stroke Diesel, according to the company's Facebook page. He was also helping Jase and Tyler get into BMX racing. 

A Go-Fund-Me page has been set up to help out Brian's wife Lynn with medical expenses, as well funeral costs.

Vet Rider Down (DC)

Remember the big finish-line accident a couple weeks ago at the Dubya USA Vet World Championships at Glen Helen, where the +30 Pro leader Mike Alessi landed on another rider from another class that was going much slower over a jump? Despite initial talk that the rider who was landed on was okay, +50 125cc rider Scott Oltman suffered a serious back injury in the crash, according to a GoFundMe page that was set up for him this past Tuesday.

Please give Scott's page a look and help him out if you can, it sounds like he's got a long road to having a recovery ahead of him. 

Hey, Watch It!

Pro Class is FIRING at the 2021 Mini O's ft. Romano / Hymas / Hawkins

Ferry vs. Garib in Schoolboy 2 at 2021 Mini O's

Nick Romano vs. Gavin Towers in 450 Pro Sport at Mini O's 2021

Casey Cochran Comes Out Swinging on 125 - 2021 Mini O's 125cc B/C Main Event

Speed Sport: Dave Prater Talks 2022 Supercross Season And More