Husqvarna Motorcycles press release:

Image: Supplied.

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team had a strong start to the 2020 AMA Supercross World Championship Series on Saturday claiming two top-five finishes with riders Jason Anderson and Michael Mosiman at the helm. Anderson, the 2018 450SX Champion, claimed fifth in the highly-competitive 450SX class, while Mosiman rallied his way to a fourth-place finish in the 250SX West class.

450SX
Anderson got off to a favorable start as he secured the third fastest qualifying time. In 450SX Heat 2, he grabbed a top-10 start and battled his way up to fifth, where he transferred with ease into the Main Event. In the Main, he started off in ninth and spent a majority of the race dicing back-and-forth with a solid string of riders. Amidst the close racing, Anderson was able to propel himself through the pack to ultimately secure a top-five finish at the season opener.

“My weekend went pretty decent,” Anderson said. “In the Main Event, I started in the back and I had to make some passes to get into fifth-place. Once I got behind [Blake] Baggett and Cooper [Webb], that’s all she wrote.”

Zach Osborne had a tough start to the season as he came into the opener feeling very much under the weather. With qualifying times outside the top-10, Osborne conserved his energy for the night show as he powered his way to the holeshot in 450SX Heat 2. He sat in second-place early on until experiencing a big get-off on lap five. Osborne re-mounted and charged his way back to 10th, just missing the Main Event transfer by one position. In the LCQ, he grabbed the holeshot once again and led all the way to the finish, securing a spot in the Main Event. In the Main, Osborne settled into 12th early on and he maintained a consistent pace to ultimately salvage 14th on the night.

“The first round didn’t go the way I would have liked,” Osborne said. “I’ve had a flawless off-season and it’s a bummer to come in super prepared on a great bike/team and then get sick – I’ve had a fever pretty much since Tuesday and tonight I just had nothing left to give.”

Dean Wilson, the ninth-place qualifier, had a good start to the season, finishing just outside the top-10 in the 450SX Main Event. Wilson lined up in 450SX Heat 2, where he got off to a top-10 start. He worked his way into seventh to claim a solid transfer into the Main Event. In the Main, Wilson got off to a decent start but another rider crashed into him in the whoops, sending him back to dead last early on. He re-mounted and made a charge through the pack to ultimately finish 13th for the night.

“My weekend was pretty good,” Wilson said. “Going from dead last to 13th isn’t the greatest way to start the season off but I charged the whole way and I know we’re just going to get better from here.”

250SX West
In 250SX West Heat 1, Mosiman got off to a good start as he rounded the second lap in sixth place. He made a mistake early on and dropped back to 13th but he quickly began charging through the pack. He went down later in the race and ultimately finished 11th, just missing the transfer position by two spots. In the Last Chance Qualifier, Mosiman shot off the line to capture the holeshot and early lead, where he charged his way to the LCQ win. In the Main Event, Mosiman powered his way to sixth off the start and he quickly worked his way into the top five. From there, he rode a solid pace to cross the finish line in fifth-place. However, due to a rule infraction by another rider, Mosiman ultimately assumed the fourth-place position at Round 1.

“It was good to come out of here with a top-five result but I’m not super stoked on how I rode,” Mosiman said. “It’s comforting, though, because I know I’ve got a whole lot more in the tank.”