Image: Octopi Media.

Zach Osborne is set to return to action to defend his 2020 Pro Motocross crown as the back injury that forced him to sit out much of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross Championship continues to improve.

Osborne was injured prior to the Orlando 2 round of the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross championship, which was later determined to be a bulging disc in his lumbar spine.

He made the decision to sit out the remainder of the season in early April in an effort to prepare for his title defense. With months to recover, Osborne has opted to forgo surgery and allow himself to heal ahead of this season.

“I’m in a good spot now, there’s not really any hesitation or setback with my back at this point, it’s really solid,” Osborne explained. “I’ve had a couple of good weeks now with it, where it doesn’t really bother me or flare-up, so I feel good about that.”

When asked if he was going to come out firing as he did last season, while he’s not going to have to be cautious of reinjuring the back, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rider is anticipating taking a bit of time to build into this championship.

“It’s definitely going to take a bit of time to build into it [this season],” he continued. “Starting at Loretta’s [last season] was something I was really comfortable on as far as soil and conditions, it really benefitted me I think.

“So the California program is not really my forte, but I would really like to start off on the podium and just kind of build some momentum and get things rolling in the right direction right off the bat.”

Osborne and the rest of the field will line up tomorrow at Fox Raceway in Pala, California for round one of the 12 round series.