Page 16 - Issue 79

AUSTIN FORKNER
250 MX / 4TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Years ago, this event played host to one of the most creative and spectacular ideas to hit the AMA Outdoor Motocross schedule in sometime. They put this somewhat new track under the bright lights, and let the best dual it out under the moon and stars. It was something that many of a young age remembered, and a stage where many aspired to compete on. And although this year the usual schedule is in full effect, those “young guns” are now living within the moment, and coming to terms that they are competing on that stage of prior hopes and dreams. It was though you could see Austin Forkner’s morale through his helmet, a gleam that would radiate off both fans and competi- tors. Leaping down these avalanche-esque type hills, the speedometers around the track would
be placing out staggering numbers, when monitoring his machine. If he could just keep this pace
up once the moto’s began, he would be in astounding shape. He would climb out of the rut with ferocious intensity, and barrel down on the throttle with a white-knuckle grip. Early on, he could be found chasing the front of the eld looking high and low, in order to nd an optimum spot of passing. Searching with all of his senses, his fast twitch muscle bers and cat-like re exes were keen in the highest regard, as he chased down those ahead. A starting position of sixteenth wasn’t the best he’s seen, but his outright speed was atrocious. Whipping and scrubbing over every miniscule single he launched, he was well inside the top ten after the halfway point. Rolling up to the back of his team- mate Garrett Marchbanks on lap fteen, he would make one nal pass; and by the end of the moto, he would come across the line in a solid seventh place position. The second moto would begin with a mad dash to the rst turn, as a few on the very inside would get pinched off. Coming around the mechanics area, he would sit fth, with his partner in crime waving the towel. A constant yearning to move forward, he and Jordon Smith found each other rather quickly. It was all he could do to keep this beast of a 250 underneath him, as the sprockets were in constant churning of propulsion. His sternum nearly attached to the bar pad, he looked to keep the hammer down launched the tabletop, triple style leap in the middle of the track. Whipping the chassis to the right, he could hear the crowd roar and cheer, encouraging him to try and gain as much time on both Smith and Justin Cooper as possible. Getting ahead of Cooper, he and Jordon Smith would absolutely slug it out, nearly cutting each other off on multiple portions of the raceway. Finally, after a heated outing, Forkner would be on rails down the right-handed sweeper in the middle of the track, and seal the deal; an absolutely amazing display of both talent and speed. After a spectacular effort, his nal residing position would be that of third place, generating an overall score of fourth on the day, just a hair off the podium.
16 GRITMOTO • JUNE 3, 2018