Some of J. R Osborne’s earliest recollections of his desire to drive were made when he drove a tractor at age 4 on the family farm while sitting next to his dad. He raced go-karts as a youngster with some success, but his racing career began in earnest after college. He began beating the local karting hotshots regularly, giving JR confidence that he could compete in a national series.
With a bank loan in hand, JR purchased a Van Diemen Formula 2000 Sports Racer and raced his way to the 1994 Sports Car Club of America Rookie of the Year title in the Rocky Mountain division. He also discovered just how expensive racing can be and turned to an alternative he could afford: a 250 Superkart. From 1996-2004 JR focused on entering races across the county and in Europe, becoming the first American to win a European Superkart race while scoring back-to-back championships in the United States Superkart series.
With his financial situation improving, JR purchased a Stohr WF-1 Sportsracer for a return to SCCA competition. The years of fast and close Superkart competition were instrumental in getting up to speed quickly in the new car. JR was named Rocky Mountain Driver of the Year in 2007, as he and his race team claimed their first SCCA National Championship in the D/Sportsracer division. He continued building on that momentum the next year with a car that was legal in both C and D Sports Racer classes. JR and his team won the Rocky Mountain Division and SCCA National Championships in both classes, along with a victory in the ultra-competitive June Sprints at Road America to claim a coveted SCCA Triple Crown.
JR moved to the SCCA Formula 1000 class in 2009. He was offered a chance to race and develop a new Van Diemen F1000, and his team won back-to-back F1000 National Championships in 2014 and 2015. The chance for a 3-peat National Championship in 2016 and another national title in 2018 ended in devastating results when minor mechanical components failed while leading championship races, despite thorough car preparation and maintenance.
Since 2019, JR has returned to his Superkart roots, competing against the best drivers in the karting world in the Netherlands each year, and has recently opened a new career chapter by building a 4000 HP Pro Mod for drag racing. He is approaching this new project with the same level of passion he brought to his road racing career, and there are plenty of reasons to expect similar results.
JR Osborne left his mark in SCCA competition, with five National Championships and three regional titles in strongly competitive classes. He looks back on the memories made and cherishes the friendships and support he has received along the way. It has been a great ride!
JR Osborne was inducted into the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame in the class of 2025.
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