GEICO Honda riders hope to celebrate Supercross' 40th with victories‏

ANAHEIM, Calif. (Jan. 13) - GEICO Motorcycle Honda riders will help celebrate the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series' 40th anniversary at Angel Stadium of Anaheim with the hopes of making some history of their own.

Zach Osborne will be looking to make his third 250SX West podium in as many races, and Wil Hahn is hoping to crack the top five after scoring his first top-10 finish in the 450SX class last week in Phoenix.

As part of the 40th anniversary celebration, every past Supercross champion will be in attendance, which Hahn says will make for a memorable night.

"This being the 40th anniversary race makes it extra special," Hahn said. "It's always important to do your best, and when you see all the past champions, the guys you grew up idolizing, it adds an extra spark, for sure."

Osborne knows the best way to make the special night perfect.

"This 40th anniversary race is happening at the perfect time for me because I really feel like we're creeping up on a win," Osborne said. "I hope we break through at this race. That would be very cool."

Osborne has opened the season with back-to-back third-place finishes. If he can get a stronger charge out of the gate, he's confident he can hang with Jason Anderson and Cole Seely, who have finished 1-2 in the first pair of races this year.

"I know I have the pace to run with the two guys ahead of me," Osborne said. "I'm third in the points after two races, so we're right there. I just need better starts. I'm wasting a lot of time and energy making passes back in the pack to get up front, and you can't do that with these guys because when they get clean air they are gone."

Osborne said keeping his emotions and energy in check is important following such a strong start to the season.

"My bike is great right now, and it's one of those deals where I have to guard against being overanxious to get to the next race," Osborne said. "I know the week-to-week program (team manager Mike) LaRocco has set up for us is working, and I need to stick to it and prepare myself properly and be ready."

Hahn, a 450SX rookie, is starting to find his rhythm in the bigger class, and as it comes to him the results will get better.

"I need to believe that I can race this bike in this class," Hahn said. "It's a confidence thing right now. The best thing for me to do is close it in and just focus on my riding. I'll work on starts and I'll work on focus. I'm still trying to familiarize myself with my nerves in this class and the competition, and that's detracting from my riding. It's me; I got to get better."

Returning to Anaheim will be a big help toward that end.

"Familiar grounds in Anaheim, so there's a real level of comfort and calm," said Hahn, who is 10th in 450SX points. "That will help a bunch because I'm trying to get back to just riding and not worrying about where I am and how I fit into this class. I need to get out of the darn gate and ride like I rode last year where I just attack the track."

Eli Tomac will sit out again this week to continue recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered at the season opener, and Zach Bell is officially out for the rest of the Supercross season following surgery to repair the broken collarbone he suffered in Phoenix last weekend.

Practice for the event gets under way at 12:30 p.m. PST from Angel Stadium of Anaheim with opening ceremonies slated to begin at 7 p.m. FOX Sports 1 will broadcast the racing live starting at 10:30 p.m. EST.