If you are reading this, you probably know I have interviewed everyone from World Champions to privateers and everything in between, but none made me as nervous as interviewing this week’s Inside Story. I was a fan long before I ever started writing about the sport, and Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha backed Zach Osborne has been one of my favorite riders since he headed over seas to be our great American hope for a World Championship. You see, being an American GP fan can be tough with no Americans in contention, and let’s just say Zach filled that void beautifully.
Originally from Abingdon, Virginia, Zach now spends a good portion of his year in Europe where he contests the FIM MX2 World Championship Grand Prix Series. Since packing his bags in 2008 and leaving his home country to race in a foreign land, Zach has risen to the occasion, adding overall Grand Prix podiums, an overall Grand Prix win and a British National Championship to his resume. A wrist injury early in 2009, though, would set him back quite a bit. With the injury now behind him and after solid year in 2010–he finished fifth in the World Championship points and won the British National Championship–Zach comes into 2011 hoping to break through and battle for a MX2 World Championship. I gave Zach a call to find out how this year has gone so far and what his expectations are for the rest of the year. This is how it went:
Zach, I’m curious. What are you thoughts on the USGP this year? I didn’t make it, but just looking at video, it seemed pretty light on spectators.
It wasn’t that bad this year, I didn’t think. I thought there were quite a good bit of people there this year.
Really? What I picture is people hanging over the fences, American flags waving everywhere and crazies painted up like Captain America. (Laughs)
I think your thinking of a French crowd.
(Laughs) Alright, you might be right. I guess just being a GP fan and thinking back to the insanity of the Carlsbad USGP days has me wishing we were still there.
Yeah, I wish it was like that too.
Hopefully it will get back there. $100,000 bounty put up by the South Point Hotel and Casino to any American that wins the MX1 class doesn’t hurt.
Man, I am so surprised more people didn’t come out for that.
Yeah, you would think some of the top guys would have just said, “Load it up! Let’s go try to get paid.”
Yeah, I thought the same thing. I know those guys make a lot, but 100-grand is still 100-grand you know.
So, how did the USGP go for you?
I thought I had it all together and got some good starts, but on Saturday I crashed with Anstie and hurt my wrist pretty bad. That kind of jacked up my whole Sunday.
Yeah, it looked like just a racing deal. You got cross rutted which jacked you up and then his momentum just kind of carried him into you.
Yeah, when he landed on me I still had my arm on the bar and it jammed my elbow down and bent my wrist right back. When he hit me, I actually thought my wrist was broken for sure. I just rode around and finished. After, I ended up getting three X-rays, and it wasn’t broken.
How was Valkenswaard for you the week before?
I crashed on Saturday there too and kind of shafted myself with gate pick. All day Saturday, I was fast enough with a third and a fourth in both sessions. Then, I was doing decent in the heat race and crashed into a small pond. That kind of jacked the weekend up as well. Bulgaria was just a mediocre weekend as well.
Yeah, the pond you crashed in looked like the only water within 100 yards of the track. (Laughs)
Yeah, it was pretty much the only water I could have gotten in, and I did.
Brazil ended up pretty good for being injured. We’re you happy with how it went?
Brazil was okay. I was still struggling with my wrist a little bit. I just sort of rode through it to two fifths for a fifth overall. Now, I’m back in England and getting ready for twelve weeks straight.
How hard is all that travel? The last three rounds were Netherlands, USA, Brazil and now you head into a twelve weeks straight.
It’s pretty crazy, especially the two weeks away living out of a bag, and the bikes in a box. You show up, race and leave. The next twelve weeks we got France, then Portugal, then Spain, then a British Championship race in Ireland, then Swedan, Germany, Latvia and then another British Championship, then Belgium which is in Lommel, then Locket which is in the Czech Republic, and then another British Championship.
You know, it sounds brutal, but then again, at the same time, it sounds awesome. I would love to see the World like that and race dirt bikes while doing it.
It’s definitely an experience, but it’s brutal at the same time. It gets tiring being away that much; living out of a camper gets tough.
I have never done the whole European vacation thing, so when I hear the places you get to see, I just get jealous. (Laughs) Every weekend is new country, new food, new everything.
Yeah, it is. Every weekend is a 360 from the weekend before pretty much.
Overall now, we’re four rounds into the Championship, and you sit sixty-nine points out. How do you feel it’s gone so far?
So far it’s been okay. It hasn’t met my expectations for the season. I think I can pick it up for this next half. I’m trying to get my wrist better–still a little bit sore–but I think it’s going to be better. These next three tracks are my favorite three tracks. Well, these first two are, and the last one’s a new one. They’re my favorite tracks on the circuit, and I look forward to them a lot.
You’re a big fan of Saint Jean d’Angely?
Yeah, it’s awesome and so is Agueda. I got injured there two years ago, but I still enjoy it.
That’s where you broke your wrist?
I still enjoy it. I got the “heebie jeebie’s” last year there a little bit, but I got over that. I think I got a fifth and a third for fourth overall by one point or something like that. I don’t remember exactly what happened but I was close to the podium.
So what do you think it’s going to take to get up there and catch those orange guys [Herlings & Roczen]?
Some good starts to where I can be with them after two laps. Like at Glen Helen, by the time I got into fourth with two laps to go, they were already a minute ahead. So I think it’s definitely going to take some good starts and good beginning laps of the race so I can be with them at the end. My lap times have been really good at the end of the races. I think my fitness is really good, so it’s going to take good starts and good beginning laps.
I’m curious–cause you guys race 35+ 2 as opposed to 30+2 here in the States–how much different is that extra five minutes?
Yeah, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but sometimes it ends up being an extra ten to twelve minutes like at the Glen Helen. One of my race times was like 45:37, so it was almost 46 minutes in a moto. Full-paced, flat-out that can become quite gnarly.
Is that something you practice where you start at a certain pace and then where you’re peaking at a certain point of the moto?
No, not really. It’s pretty much just wide open. I know 45 minutes seems like an endurance thing, and it does kind of go into an endurance sort of fitness, but its definitely to a point now where everyone’s training hard enough and in good enough shape to pin it the whole moto.
Nice. I know you guys picked up Tonus as your teammate on the Bike-it Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha team this year. Do you like having a pretty competitive teammate on the team?
Yeah, I do, and it takes a lot of the pressure off of me–and he’s riding good. He’s a pretty cool guy, so it’s good for me.
Nice. How’s your British Championship defense going this year?
Good, I had a DNF at the beginning of the season, and I took over the lead two rounds ago. I’m six points in the lead now, so it’s going good. We’ve already done four rounds, and we have four rounds left. It doesn’t end until October, so it’s a long way away.
That’s so huge to win that Championship!
Yeah, it’s good. It’s one of the stronger, more organized domestic Championships in Europe. I think it’s a good Championship to win.
I tweeted that I was going to be interviewing you and had a few fans that wanted me to ask you a couple questions. The first one was, do you plan on racing AMA Supercross anytime soon?
Definitely. Steve’s [Steve Dixon, team owner] interested in doing it, and I am as well, so I think we’ll be doing it in 2012.
Another fan question was, how do the European riders treat you over there?
It’s been a pretty good, warm welcome. I’ve made some friends I’ll keep for a lifetime, so it’s good.
And then every other fan question comes from fans wondering when you’re coming back to America full-time.
Yeah, I don’t know yet. It all depends on how things go, and we’ll see how everything ends up.
Have you entertained some offers from some U.S. teams to come back and race AMA?
A few, definitely–from some pretty good teams. It’s just making sure it’s the right time. It would be a second chance for me there, so I need to really be on it when I come back and make sure I do it right.
Do you see yourself riding Lites/250’s when you come back or does it 100% depend on the offer?
Yeah, definitely more than likely Lites. I would have a 450 ride, but I’d rather ride Lites SX for sure. I think I’d do really well in that.
Nice. Did you see your former GP competitor Marvin Musquin go down and out this weekend?
Yeah, that’s a bummer. What happened to him this weekend was absolutely not his fault. You can’t do much about that one. You know, every time he does good it makes my value go up–and all the European guys. It’s a bummer.
Yeah, I’m a huge Musquin fan, and I saw the guy turning it around and possibly even winning Freestone.
Yeah, He definitely has the speed and everything. He’s been healthy for the last two years straight–no injuries at all–and he’s been killing it. Now, he’s having a year where it hasn’t been that good. I feel bad for him a little bit.
Check this Video Moto.mpora.com did featuring Zach Osborne and the Bike-It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha team at the GP of Brazil. These guys make the best videos in the business
More Motocross Videos
Alright Zach that’s all I have for you. Thanks for talking with us and good luck the rest of the year.
No worries. Thanks Dan.
If you would like to keep up with Zach during his 2011 World Championship campaign check out the Bike-It Cosworth Wild Wolf Yamaha web site or follow Zach on twitter @Thereal338 .
