The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team battled 6000 feet of elevation and a treacherous track for the third round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, held at the Thunder Valley National in Lakewood, Colo. on Saturday. Jason Anderson overcame the altitude by earning a hard-fought third overall in the 450 class, while teammate Zach Osborne maintained his points lead in the 250 class. Dean Wilson and Martin Davalos finished fifth and 10th, respectively in the 450 class, while Michael Mosiman earned 11th in 250.
 
Jason Anderson was third at the start of the first 450 moto and started charging hard. He inherited the second-place spot in lap two and was showing major speed aboard his Husqvarna FC 450. He stayed consistent, rode his own race, and finished an impressive second. He was sixth at the start of the second 450 moto and put on a charge to make it into fourth by the end of the first lap. He held strong in fourth, made the pass for third, then fell back to fourth by lap four. He stayed in fourth before going off the track with six minutes to go. He came back in sixth, stayed focused, and started battling for position with four minutes to go. Putting in a late-race charge, he set his sights on the pack of riders in the front of the pack while also navigating huge ruts and lapped traffic. He finished sixth. The 2-6 finish gave him third overall on the day. He is currently fourth overall in 450 rider point standings.
 
“The track was pretty gnarly, as it always is here in Colorado,” said Anderson. “I feel like I rode well, and to be on the podium today was amazing. It was nice to overcome any struggles I had. I feel like I’m good enough now that I can get the job done, so today was pretty good."
 
Zach Osborne, the fastest qualifier in the 250 class despite battling illness, was third at the start of the first moto and immediately started throwing it in there before making a small mistake and going down in the corner. He remounted in 16th and started putting in work. He charged into the top-10 by the end of the fourth lap and continued to push. On a comeback charge, he lurked the pack in front of him and waited for his opportunity with 15 minutes to go. He made it up to eighth with seven minutes to go and held strong to finish eighth. He was mid-pack at the start of the second 250 moto and moved up to eighth by the end of the first lap. He focused and put on a solid ride to finish a hard-fought fifth. The 8-5 finish gave him fifth overall on the day, and he currently maintains his lead in 250 rider point standings.
 
“It definitely wasn’t a terrible day,” said Osborne. “I’ve been really sick all week, and was only able to ride one time. I fell down in the first moto and made it tough on myself, but I came back to eighth. I got a decent start in the second moto then came up to fifth. I’m happy to survive and leave here holding on to the red plate. Hopefully I can use this break to get well and charge back to regain some points." 
 
Dean Wilson was mid-pack at the start of the first 450 moto and made it up to ninth by the end of the second lap. He had a consistent ride and finished ninth. He pulled a decent start in the second 450 moto and started working hard to charge through the pack. He was 11th by the end of the first lap and made one more pass for 10th in lap three. He kept working and was eighth at the halfway point before making another pass to finish seventh. The 9-7 finish gave him seventh overall on the day. He is currently sixth overall in 450 rider point standings.
 
“My second moto was good,” said Wilson. “I did feel kind of off all day, but I still managed to get seventh overall. Hopefully this will be my worst race I’ll just keep getting better from here."
 
Michael Mosiman was farther back in the pack at the start of the first 250 moto, but immediately put on a charge and made it up to 17th by the third lap. He continued to move through the field and finished 12th. He started mid-pack in the second 250 moto and started putting in work. 16th by the start of the second lap, he set his sights on moving ahead. He rode hard and made it up to 10th where he finished. The 12-10 finish gave him 10th overall on the day. He is currently 11th overall in 250 rider point standings.
 
“The track was actually relatively smooth during the first practice,” said Mosiman. “But for some reason I couldn’t get it going that time. I did better on the second practice even though the track was more rough, and I got 9th - which is my best at practice yet - so I was pretty happy with that. I tried not to panic throughout the night, no matter what happened. I slid pretty bad on the finish line in the first lap of the first moto, so I had to recover from that and brought it back to 12th. I was happy with that. The ruts out here are technical, and it took me awhile to pass some guys but I got a few and then picked up on a few lines and settled in. I had a great second moto and am so happy I was there at the end of the moto and was still passing guys - so I’m proud of that. I’m going to rest up during the off-weekend and come back strong for High Point."
 
Martin Davalos pulled the holeshot in the first 450 moto and was showing speed. He made a small mistake and went down on the opening lap but was able to recover quickly. He remounted in the top-10 and would eventually finish 10th despite going down again. He got a great start in the second moto, but two crashes forced him to put in a charge and advance from near last to 11th. The 10-11 finish gave him 10th overall on the day. He is currently 13th overall in 450 rider point standings.
 
“This is one of my favorite tracks,” said Davalos. “The altitude kind of reminds me of home. I got a great start and was winning the first moto, but then tipped over. Then I got up around fifth, then crashed again. I ended up 10th in the first moto. I got a great start in the second moto, but then crashed twice again. I was all the way in 30th but put in a hard charge to 11th, which gave me 10th overall. My weekends have been improving, which makes me happy. I want to run up front, and I think I proved today that I can do it."   
 
The team will now take a weekend off before heading to the fourth round of the series, being held Saturday, June 17 at the High Point National in Mt. Morris, Penn.
 
Thunder Valley MX Race Results
 
250 Class Overall Results
 
1. Joey Savatgy
2. Alex Martin
3. Jeremy Martin
4. Austin Forkner
5. Zach Osborne, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
…
10. Michael Mosiman, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
 
250 Class Rider Point Standings
 
1. Zach Osborne, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 119 points
2. Alex Martin - 110 points
3. Jeremy Martin - 101 points
4. Joey Savatgy - 93 points
5. Austin Forkner - 89 points
6. Colt Nichols - 89 points
7. Adam Cianciarulo - 85 points
8. Aaron Plessinger - 78 points
9. Mitchell Harrison - 66 points
10. Dylan Ferrandis - 64 points
11. Michael Mosiman, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 60 points
 
450 Class Overall Results
 
1. Blake Baggett
2. Marvin Musquin
3. Jason Anderson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
4. Justin Bogle
5. Eli Tomac
6. Cole Seely
7. Dean Wilson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
8. Broc Tickle
9. Justin Barcia
10. Martin Davalos, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing
 
450 Class Rider Point Standings
 
1. Marvin Musquin - 127 points
2. Eli Tomac - 110 points
3. Blake Baggett - 108 points
4. Jason Anderson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 93 points
5. Justin Bogle - 86 points
6. Dean Wilson, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 84 points
7. Cole Seely - 81 points
8. Broc Tickle - 79 points
9. Josh Grant - 76 points
10. Justin Barcia - 69 points
…
13. Martin Davalos, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing - 52 points