Five years after being forced to end his career due to back problems, Zach Osborne is set to return to the starting gate of the AMA championships.
The 2020 450 champion, Zach Osborne hung up his boots at the end of the 2021 season. An initial comeback attempt in 2022 was quickly derailed by the return of his health issues. However, the American has never stayed far away from the racing scene. In 2023, he notably took on the GNCC Championship (in the 250 class) with Yamaha’s support, before later joining Beta as the brand’s ambassador in the United States – a contract that runs through 2028!
In recent weeks, however, Zach Osborne has returned to competition at the legendary Loretta Lynn’s amateur event. At 36 years old, the four-time AMA champion won two classes, Junior +25 and Open Pro Sport, beating several of the country’s top amateurs, including Landon Gibson, Kade Johnson, Carson Wood and Ryder Malinoski. In Junior +25, he even completed a clean sweep, finishing ahead of Phil Nicoletti and ClubMX owner Brandon Haas.
And the comeback won’t stop at Loretta Lynn’s. Zach Osborne will line up for the 450 outdoor race at Unadilla this Saturday, August 15, and is also expected to contest the final two rounds of the US outdoor championship at Budds Creek and then Ironman, racing an official Beta.
A three-time AMA 250 champion and one-time 450 champion, Zach Osborne is therefore officially coming out of retirement to join Benny Bloss and Mitchell Oldenburg in the official Beta team’s US line-up. And given his current form, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Osborne flying the flag for the factory team.
Osborne won’t be the only returning rider expected at Unadilla this weekend either, with Aaron Plessinger, Justin Cooper and Malcolm Stewart also set to compete. That should provide some early indications of America’s ambitions for the next edition of the Motocross of Nations, just a few weeks before the official deadline to select its three-rider team for Ernée…
