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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 SX / SD
IMAGE / MPG WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / WILSON
>> With the stipulations of short-term contracts in this sport, the ROI on a racer that’s been signed is a matter of, “What can you do for me, now?” Team owners are looking for the next star- studded prospect to grace television screens, with their banner gleaming across their shrouds and chest. Austin Forkner seems to be casting a hefty reel for the majority of the spotlight in the 2017 series and beyond. Blistering speed at each and every stop, his personality is transitioned into a fierce warrior each time he makes that daunting walk to the tunnel. It can be a rather large weight carried on that of a young man transitioning to the professional ranks, but the Missouri native was having none of it. After running McElrath wide in the early stages, he was mounting a substantial effort to hold Aaron Plessinger at bay, in which he did until a tad passed the halfway point. He would fall to sixth, but remaining steady the Pro Circuit rider would keep the heart rate down, and steadily hold his mark just outside the top 5. However, with Decotis fading like no other, Forkner had the energy to rally passed his elder, and hang onto to a well deserved top five finish.
32 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 15, 2017