Anderson takes fifth in San Diego
By Team TMX on 20th Jan 16
Hot on the heels of a historic victory at last weeks season opener at Anaheims Angel Stadium, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team arrived at this weeks race in San Diego with a plan to keep success at the forefront. This was a task easily accomplished with a heat race win coming from Zach Osborne in the 250SX West class, and a fifth-place finish from Jason Anderson in 450SX.
Jason Anderson had the eye of the tiger coming into the second round of the series, held at San Diego's Petco Park, after last week's exciting win in which he earned a place in history as the first-ever Husqvarna rider to win a 450SX main event.
Armed with the red plate, he quickly transferred to the main after finishing in qualifying position in the second 450 heat, where we saw a glimpse of the aggressive drive he would display in the main.
In the main, Anderson pulled a mid-pack start, but was immediately on the move. The riders in the front of the pack were wheel-to-wheel as Anderson started putting pressure on the top 10. He made the pass for fifth by the fifth lap, and continued to charge forward aboard his Husqvarna FC 450.
He started sizing up the top-four by lap seven, and started reeling in a podium position with five laps to go. He made an impressive pass for third with four laps to go, and held strong to the finish.
Unfortunately, Anderson was later penalized by race officials for mistakenly jumping during a red cross flag. The two-position penalty dropped Anderson to fifth. He is currently second overall in 450SX rider point standings.
"I didn't have the best gate pick in the main,” said Anderson, "but I worked with what I had. It actually wasn't that bad. I just had to push through. I came out ninth or so and ended up third before getting docked so I'm happy. The track was pretty simple, but it was hard to pass on. I had a little double before the finish that I was hitting pretty good so I made up some time there. I made a little contact with Seely. The corners were pretty flat so there wasn't much grip to go anywhere, which made it hard to make a pass.”
Zach Osborne, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's sole 250 rider on the west coast, was in prime position to put himself in the lead in championship points this weekend. With only five points separating himself at third from the overall lead, he knew he had to focus on the task at hand and take advantage of the short gap between third and first. He was looking to start the night in dominant fashion as he got a good start in his heat and made an impressive corner pass in lap three to overtake the lead aboard his Husqvarna FC 250.
He held strong to the finish and claimed a heat race win. In the main, Osborne got a top-ten start and was looking aggressive. He moved up to the second-place spot by lap two before overtaking the lead after an exciting pass in the whoops in lap six. He eventually conceded the spot with four laps to go, but was still fighting and swapping positions for the lead before losing traction and going down while coming out of a turn with two laps to go. The sixth-place finish would cause him to move from third to fourth overall in points.
"I had great speed all day and won my heat race again this weekend,” said Osborne. "I was really close to winning the main event but slid out on lap 13 and ended up with a sixth. I can't be too bummed, though, because I was close and think a win is in sight."
Christophe Pourcel showed flashes of brilliance in the first 450 heat before eventually being forced to qualify for the main via the 450 semi where he finished fourth. In the main, Pourcel pulled a top-ten and made his way to fourth before eventually finishing 13th.
"My practice was good, as usual,” said Pourcel. "I had speed. It proves I can run in front. I got a good start and learned a lot. I followed the top guys, but got passed a lot. They were a little more aggressive that I was, but I just have to be patient and keep pushing. I can learn a lot this year, which is great for me. The speed is there, but it's been five years since I raced supercross. I just need to race a little more with the rest of the guys and get more aggressive."
