Osborne leads championship after Scottish romp

On the day when Bike it Cosworth Yamaha were saddened to learn of the shock passing away of former 2004 Bike It Yamaha rider and Grand Prix winner Andrew Macfarlane, Zach Osborne was able to brighten the mood of the British team with a comprehensive victory at Duns in Scotland for the third round of eight in the 2010 Maxxis British Championship.

Under overcast, cold skies and across a well-prepared and challenging circuit Osborne, starting from pole position that he obtained with a lap more than 2.5 seconds faster than his nearest rival, eased to three moto wins for a full set of 75 points. Zach rode a faultless race with 3 holeshots and was never headed throughout the day The numerical haul means that the American has again ascended to the top of the standings and carries the red plate as championship leader. It was the second success of the campaign for the 20 year old on the YZ250F.

“I dedicated the result to Andrew; it was shocking news,” said Osborne. “On the track things could not have gone better for us and I am really pleased with the results. It means we can go on to Portugal and Spain and look to reach that podium at the GPs.”

Osborne and team-mates Mel Pocock and Ed Allingham had taken delivery of new engine components from Cosworth that further augmented performance of their machines. Also new were a set of freshly-painted ‘Wild Wolf’ Arai helmets for the meeting that precedes Grand Prix events in Portugal and Spain. Pocock had a strong first race, battling with Jake Nicholls the whole race, to take 4th place but could not repeat his speed in the following sprints and took 8th and 10th for 7th overall. Ed Allingham rode well to secure 12th overall and continues to build his speed and performances both internationally and domestically.

In MX1 British Championship representative Jason Dougan on his Pheonix Tools Bike It Cosworth Yamaha took a final overall position of 4th in his best showing for the team so far. The former GP runner even led part of the second moto in what was his first outing on the YZ450F with Ohlins suspension. After having qualified with the 2nd fastest time Dougan was 5th on the 1st two races followed up by a strong 4th in final race to secure 5th in the championship standings.

Bike it Cosworth Yamaha now make the long drive south to their workshop before making swift preparations to head south through Europe to Agueda and Portugal and round four of the FIM World Championship on May 9th.

“We came here and achieved what we wanted,” commented Team Manager Steve Dixon. “The goal was to get that red plate back on what was an emotional day for the team. Jake Nicholls had some bad luck and that means both him and Zach now have experienced DNFs so they are on a level pegging again in the championship. The bikes worked really well and we benefited from some new components from Cosworth. We also had a slightly new look thanks to the Wild Wolf helmets. Overall this was a good build-up for Portugal.”

Andrew McFarlane won the very first MX2 Grand Prix for the team at Gallarate, Italy in 2004. The triumph was also the first for the Yamaha YZ250F in the category at the time. The 33 year old was believed to be negotiating his final season after a successful career both in the world championship (he was second in the MX2 series in 2005) and the AMA when he fatally crashed in practice for the third round of the Australian Championship at Broadford on Sunday.

“I was utterly shocked and it was hard to believe,” commented Dixon. “Andrew was a good guy, a fair guy and a hard-worker. He gave us our first MX2 win at a time when the team had had a few lean years and it provided a boost to all of us and from that point our profile began to rise. He was the start of it for us in MX2. It is a tragic loss to his family and to the sport. I was proud to stand on the top step with him in Italy both as his manager and also his mechanic and I will remember that moment together forever.”

MX2 Race 1
1. Zach Osborne; 2. Martin Barr; 3. Jake Nicholls; 4. Mel Pocock; 5. Kristian Whatley; 6. Matiss Karro; 7. Neville Bradshaw; 8. Bryan Mackenzie; 9. Elliot Banks-Browne; 10. Alan Keet; 14. Edward Allingham.

MX2 Race 2
1. Zach Osborne; 2. Matiss Karro; 3. Martin Barr; 4. Kristian Whatley; 5. Elliot Banks-Browne; 6. Bryan Mackenzie; 7. Shane Carless; 8. Mel Pocock; 9. Alan Keet; 10. Josh Waterman; 11. Edward Allingham.

MX2 Race 3
1. Zach Osborne; 2. Jake Nicholls; 3. Martin Barr; 4. Matiss Karro; 5. Bryan Mackenzie; 6. Kristian Whatley; 7. Elliot Banks-Browne; 8. Shane Carless; 9. Jamie Smith; 10. Mel Pocock; 15. Edward Allingham.

MX2 Overall
1. Zach Osborne; 2. Martin Barr; 3. Matiss Karro; 4. Kristian Whatley; 5. Bryan Mackenzie; 6. Jake Nicholls; 7. Mel Pocock; 8. Elliot Banks-Browne; 9. Shane Carless; 10. Luke Hawkins; 12. Edward Allingham.

MX1 Race 1
1. Brad Anderson; 2. Stephen Sword; 3. Evgeny Bobryshev; 4. Gareth Swanepoel; 5. Jason Dougan; 6. Josh Coppins; 7. Tom Church; 8. Ben Lamay; 9. Scott Elderfield; 10; Gordon Crockard.

MX1 Race 2
1. Evgeny Bobryshev; 2. Stephen Sword; 3. Gareth Swanepoel; 4. Brad Anderson; 5. Jason Dougan; 6. Ben Lamay; 7. Gordon Crockcard; 8. James Noble; 9. Josh Coppins; 10. Scott Elderfield.

MX1 Race 3
1. Evgeny Bobryshev; 2. Stephen Sword; 3. Tom Church; 4. Jason Dougan; 5. Josh Coppins; 6. Brad Anderson; 7. James Noble; 8. Scott Elderfield; 9. Gareth Swanepoel; 10. Gert Krestinov.

MX1 Overall
1. Evgeny Bobryshev; 2. Stephen Sword; 3. Brad Anderson; 4. Jason Dougan; 5. Gareth Swanepoel; 6. Josh Coppins; 7. Ben Lamay; 8. Scott Elderfield; 9. Tom Church; 10. Gordon Crockard.