This exciting young rider was the sole winner of an MX2-GP for Yamaha in 2009 when he aced the Grand Prix of Turkey in Istanbul. Sadly the American’s first full season was swiftly curtailed thanks to a fractured scaphoid at the following round in Portugal.

As one of the very few US riders to be currently operating in the Motocross World Championship Zach Osborne already stands out from the crowd. His aggressive and committed style also means that his fearless riding is easy to spot.  The current-20 year old arrived to Grand Prix racing midway through 2008, drafted in to assist the Utag Yamaha.com team’s injury problems. Osborne hit the ground running by posting some decent results in the MX2 British Championship on the YZ250F and also running good lap-times through the intimidating sandy bumps of Lommel for the Belgian Grand Prix. He was again quick in the Czech Republic soon afterwards and, unbelievably, a runway moto victory was then obtained on one of the trickiest tracks of the season at Fairyhouse in Dublin.

Osborne’s dedication to the team and the resurrection of his profile after a successful amateur/junior streak was flattened by some injuries and loss of form in the USA, meant that he swiftly adapted to life in Europe and rapidly gained a legion of admirers. The British Utag Yamaha.com team were quick to ensure that Zach kept on this side of the Atlantic in 2009 for a bona fide attempt at the championship, which looked in good shape until a fateful practice accident at Agueda.

Osborne should again be one of Yamaha’s main hopes for MX2-GP world championship success in 2010 and will certainly be among the protagonists in the trek from Bulgaria in April to Italy in September.