The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team kicked off the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship on Saturday at the Hangtown Motocross Classic, the first round of the season, held in Sacramento, California. Coming off an exciting championship winning Supercross season, 250 rider Zach Osborne started strong by claiming the first victory of the season. Michael Mosiman, newcomer to the team, made his 250 debut by finishing 14th in the class, while teammates Dean Wilson, Jason Anderson, and Martin Davalos finished 4th, 13th, and 14th, respectively in the 450 class.

Zach Osborne, the fastest 250 qualifier of the day, was third at the start of the first 250 moto. He put on a quick charge and made an inside pass for second at the start of the second lap. He started gaining ground on the leader and continued to put in work as he posted the fastest lap on the track aboard his Husqvarna FC 250. He came from eight bike lengths back to charge into the lead right at the halfway point and pulled a small gap. He held strong to take the first win of the season. He pulled the holeshot in the second moto and immediately started battling. He swapped back and forth in the top three, but never stopped battling. He dropped the hammer to overtake the lead again and pull away. He was over three seconds ahead by the end of the second lap, continued to stretch the gap, and was leading by over 10 seconds with 10 minutes to go. He held strong to claim both the race win and the overall.

“This was the perfect day to start the season,” said Osborne. “It feels really good to carry my momentum from Supercross and get the outdoors started on the right foot. It feels awesome to be fastest in both practice sessions then go out and win both motos. It’s a huge way to start the season – so I’m happy.”

Dean Wilson started mid-pack in the first 450 moto but went down shortly thereafter. He remounted and made his way to 17th by the start of the fourth lap. He then put on an impressive charge as he pushed all the way up to 13th with five minutes to go. Putting on a blistering pace, he made three more passes to finish 10th. He started around the top-10 in the second moto and was sixth by the end of the first lap. Riding well early on, he forged ahead and easily made it into the top-five before setting his sights on the front of the pack. Fourth by lap four, he continued to battle as he swapped between fourth and fifth with Tomac, fell back to fifth, then charged ahead to make the pass for fourth around the halfway mark. He stayed strong, put on an incredible ride, and finished fourth. The 10-4 finish gave him fourth overall on the day.

Jason Anderson started mid-pack in the first 450 moto, but an early-race crash left him unable to finish the race due to an eye injury. After seeking medical treatment, he lined up for the second moto ready to race. He got a decent start and started charging ahead, finding his way to 12th by the end of the first lap. Nursing a stitched up eye, he fell back to 14th after crashing but pushed through the pain to put on an amazing ride and charge up to sixth where he finished. After his DNF in the first moto and a sixth in the second moto, he ended the day 13th overall.

“My day started out great in practice and I was looking forward to a great race,” said Anderson. “I was off to a good start in the first moto but unfortunately went down and got hit with a rock, which forced me out of the race and then I had to get stitches. I rode awesome in the second moto, though. I crashed in the beginning but then came all the way back to sixth so I’m happy.”

Team newcomer, Michael Mosiman got a mid-pack start in the first 250 moto. He went down early in the race and remounted farther back in the pack. He was 22nd around the halfway mark and continued to push. He put on a great ride and charged through the pack to finish 12th. He started in the top-15 in the second moto and moved to 14th by the second lap. He stayed consistent to finish 14th. The 12-14 finish gave him 14th overall on the day.

“My pro debut is in the books,” said Mosiman. “I think I had a pretty good performance and I’m happy with it. I just have to limit my mistakes for next weekend. I had two crashes in each moto, but I’m happy with my speed and where I fit in. I think I can be a top-10 guy. It was good to get it out of the way and start the season at my hometown track. I’m really pleased for this being my first national.”

Martin Davalos, who recently moved up to the 450 class, pulled a decent start in the first 450 moto. He was ninth by the third lap and continued to move before tucking his front end in and going down with four minutes to go. He remounted in 15th and would eventually finish 15th. He got a mid-pack start in the second moto and came out of the first lap in ninth before falling behind to 13th. He stayed steady and finished 13th. The 15-13 finish gave him 14th overall.

“Today went really well,” said Davalos. “I only found out about moving up to the 450 about a week and a half ago, so I think my debut went pretty well considering I haven’t really been riding a 450 at all. I didn’t know what to expect, and didn’t know the pace, but I’m pretty happy and look forward to next week at Glen Helen.”

The team will now make its way to the Glen Helen National, the second round of the series, held in San Bernardino, California next Saturday, May 27.