Misfortune Maligns Osborne at Grand Prix of Catalunya

Zach Osborne was spurned by fate at a rutty Bellpuig circuit for the Grand Prix of Catalunya and round five in the FIM Motocross World Championship as the American saw trophy-potential speed curtailed by two small race crashes and a DNF in the motos run in front of 17,000 people. Splendid Spanish sunshine bedecked the venue west of Barcelona but the gaze of lady luck was not as bright on the 20 year old former Grand Prix winner who would place 18th overall.

Osborne was already at home on the hard-pack during Saturday, setting the third fastest time in Pre-Qualification and then managing the same ranking in the Heat race despite the presence of a heavy shower that briefly made the track slippery and muddy. Sunday dawned sunny and cloud-less.

The British Championship leader started Moto1 well but a crash on a short downhill right turn was complicated by a subsequent entanglement with Marvin Musquin. Osborne would again taste Spanish dirt briefly before banishing his frustrations into his lap-times to cut through from virtually last to an impressive 12th place. The 2009 Turkish GP winner was comfortably holding 3rd position in the second moto until an freak engine problem with a sheared main bearing brought his race to a close.

Mel Pocock did not have the best meeting and was disappointed not to break into the top twenty in both motos and take points away to the UK.

The team will now displace to another continent in the coming days with Zach Osborne excited to be facing his first home event with the Grand Prix of USA at Glen Helen on May 30th.

Zach Osborne:
“’Gutted’; that is the only word I have to describe the day. In the first race I made two mistakes which effectively cost me the podium at least that is what I thought, if I could have finished third in the second moto when I would have made it! I lost the front end going down the hill and Musquin came down underneath me and I ended up piled on top of him. I could not push the bike off of him because we were in the mud. I lost the front again in the second crash. I know I have the speed and the fitness and the results will come; sometimes things are not in your control.”

Steve Dixon, Team Manager:
“Zach was really fast all weekend and the bikes performed well. In the first race he made some silly mistakes but fought really aggressively to get back to 12th and was pumped for the second moto. He worked his way through to third and we were close to the finish when the engine broke. It is the first problem we had this year. We stripped and analysed the bike already and it was a main bearing and pleased to say nothing to do with the excellent components we receive from Coswoth. The bikes now are pushing more and more power from standard parts and we will have to review this.”

MX2 Moto1

1. Ken Roczen (Suz); 2. Steven Frossard (FRA, Kaw); 3. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM); 4. Gautier Paulin (Yam); 5. Joel Roelants (KTM); 6. Shaun Simpson (KTM); 7. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 8. Jeremy van Horebeek (Kaw); 9. Jake Nicholls (KTM); 10. Harri Kullas (Yam); 11. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 12. Zach Osborne (Yam); 13. Arnaud Tonus (Suz); 14. Dennis Verbruggen (KTM); 15. Matiss Karro (Suz); 16. Alessandro Lupino (Yam); 17. Nick Triest (KTM); 18. Nikolaj Larsen (Hon); 19. Petr Smitka (KTM); 20. Axel Alletru (KTM);

MX2 Moto2

1. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 2. Joel Roelants (KTM); 3. Alessandro Lupino (Yam); 4. Shaun Simpson (KTM); 5. Jake Nicholls (KTM); 6. Harri Kullas (Yam); 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (Kaw); 8. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 9. Dennis Verbruggen (KTM); 10. Gautier Paulin (Yam); 11. Steven Frossard (Kaw); 12. Hugo Dagod (FRA); 13. Nikolaj Larsen (Hon); 14. Matiss Karro (Suz); 15. Arnaud Tonus (Suz); 16. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (Yam); 17. Aleksandr Tonkov (Suz); 18. Axel Alletru (KTM); 19. Augusts Justs (Hon); 20. Khounsith Vongsana (TM);

MX2 Overall Result

1. Marvin Musquin (KTM); 2. Joel Roelants (KTM); 3. Shaun Simpson (KTM); 4. Steven Frossard (Kaw); 5. Gautier Paulin (Yam); 6. Jake Nicholls (KTM); 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (Kaw); 8. Harri Kullas (Yam); 9. Alessandro Lupino (Yam); 10. Ken Roczen (Suz); 11. Valentin Teillet (KTM); 12. Jeffrey Herlings (KTM); 13. Dennis Verbruggen (KTM); 14. Arnaud Tonus (Suz); 15. Matiss Karro (Suz); 16. Nikolaj Larsen (Hon); 17. Hugo Dagod (KTM); 18. Zach Osborne (Yam); 19. Ceriel Klein Kromhof (Yam); 20. Aleksandr Tonkov (Suz);

MX2 World Championship standings after 5 of 15 rounds

1. Marvin Musquin (218); 2. Ken Roczen (192); 3. Jeffrey Herlings (184); 4. Steven Frossard (165); 5. Shaun Simpson (138); 6. Arnaud Tonus (130); 7. Jeremy van Horebeek (128); 8. Zach Osborne (123); 9. Joel Roelants (118); 10. Harri Kullas (109); 11. Jake Nicholls (104); 12. Christophe Charlier (81); 13. Dennis Verbruggen (79); 14. Alessandro Lupino (70); 15. Matiss Karro (53); 16. Nikolaj Larsen (45); 17. Valentin Teillet (38); 18. Gautier Paulin (29); 19. Mel Pocock (29); 20. Petr Smitka (29);