Running under the NAPA Racing UK banner, Osborne secured a breakthrough win in the series at Oulton Park and went into the season finale at Brands Hatch fighting with former Cooper champion Dominic Wheatley for the Graduate Cup title.
When Wheatley was forced to retire from the second race of the weekend, Osborne was left in the box seat going into race three but there would almost be a sting in the tail when he damaged the splitter on his car – ironically whilst passing team-mate Lewis Selby.
That resulted in a black and orange flag being shown to force Osborne into the pits for repairs, dropping him off the lead lap as rival Wheatley raced his way through the order from the back of the grid.
As he moved towards the top ten, Osborne was left needing to finish the race to secure the crown and he would cruise around at the back to pick up the points required to become Graduate Cup winner.
“I made things more difficult than they needed to be because my team-mate was letting me through and I just mullered the kerb – which meant I ripped the splitter off the car and had to pit,” he said.
“I knew then that it was all about making sure I got to the finish and despite the car being a bit bruised and carrying damage, that was what I did to wrap up the title.
“It was a bit unusual driving around ten seconds off the pace, but I actually enjoyed it as I had the window open and was just singing away to myself – which I guess was pretty embarrassing on the onboard cameras!”
As well as wrapping up the class crown, Osborne ended the campaign in eighth place overall having picked up two podium finishes.
“Apart from that last race, the pace and the results this season have shown the progression I’ve made and how much I’ve been able to learn the car,” he said. “With a new team this year, we’ve been learning all the time and I’m pleased with how the whole team has done.
“The support from NAPA has also been fantastic this season as I wouldn’t have been here without them. This has been the best season yet, and it would be nice to come back next year and try to go for the overall crown.”
