Cycle News Staff | November 22, 2021
Today, Zach Osborne announced his retirement from professional motocross and Supercross racing. The 32-year-old’s illustrious career spanned 16 years, highlighted by four major U.S. championships.
“After 16 years of professional racing, the time has come for me to call it a career,” Osborne said. “I’ve tried everything in my power over the last six months to get my health back up to the standard it needs to be to race at the highest level and after just a few weeks of riding Supercross at full intensity, I realized it just wasn’t meant to be. I’m so grateful for the journey I’ve had as a professional. I’ve met so many incredible people and been a part of some of the finest organizations in motorsports. This was not an easy decision, or one I took lightly, but it was the right decision. I’m forever grateful to my family, fans and teams for their support throughout my time as a professional. In the next chapter, I want to focus my time more on giving back to those who have given to me.”
Known for his tenacity and never-give-up mentality, Osborne established himself as a fan favorite over the years. A highly-touted amateur prospect, he turned pro back in 2006 with support from KTM. In 2008 Zacho signed with the Yamaha of Troy team but suffered a slew of injuries before ending up in Europe. Zach contested as the lone American in the MXGP circuit for a few years but was clear on his intentions to return back to the Supercross series. He resurfaced stateside in 2012, splitting his time in the West Coast Lites class and the MX2 division back in Europe. During his time overseas he collected 14 FIM World Motocross Championship MX2 podiums, a British MX2 Championship and one FIM World Motocross win.
Osborne made his full-time return to the US when he signed with Geico Honda in 2013. The Virginia native showed true grit in Supercross and motocross and even earned a spot on Team USA’s Trophy Team for the International Six Days Enduro.
After two successful years on Honda, Zach signed to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team. In 2017 he swept both the 250SX Eastern Championship and the AMA 250MX Championship before returning to successfully defend his 250SX Eastern title in 2018.
One of our most memorable Zach Osborne races is Las Vegas 2017.
He stepped up to the premier 450 class in 2019 and finished on the podium seven times (six in motocross, one in Supercross) during his rookie season. He went on to secure his first-career 450SX Main Event win at the Salt Lake City SX finale in 2020 and set fire throughout the summer claiming the 450MX Championship in what would ultimately serve as his last full season of racing due to an ongoing back injury throughout 2021. Ending his career on a high note with plenty to be proud of, Husqvarna Motorcycles sends a big congratulations to Zach on a successful career.
“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Zach for a long time dating back to his amateur days and it’s been awesome getting to work with him for the past seven years,” said Stephen Westfall, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team Manager. “Zach helped put Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing on the map, winning four championships for the brand and being a good mentor for the younger riders. He has had a great career and we wish him all the best in his next adventure.”