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Austin was ready to continue his successful rookie career on Saturday at Unadilla. He looked comfortable
in practice and knew it was going to be a tough day of racing in the heat. He qualified 8th and was eager for the gate to drop in the races. When the first moto began, it seemed Austin was more than ready as he pulled an impressive holeshot. It seemed Austin picked up right where he left off at Washougal and was leading the moto with commanding fashion. Then, the red flag came out, and Austin had quite a bit of frustration in his
body language. As they lined up again, Austin was doing everything he could to keep his focus. Unfortunately,
it did not work out for Forkner and he found himself around 20th place after the gate drop. Forkner regained his composure and began riding with determination and was passing riders every lap. As they crested the halfway point, he had made his way up to 10th and was charging hard. With just a couple laps to go, Austin wanted more and he demanded two more positions. He was able to salvage a very respectable 7th place and would focus on the next one. When the gate dropped for the next one, it was easy to tell that Austin was out for vengeance as he pulled another demanding holeshot. As the laps clicked off, Austin continued to show his determination as he maintained a comfortable lead over points leader, Webb. With six minutes left on the clock, Austin suddenly found himself caught in the Webb. Cooper got by and Austin was doing everything he could to maintain 2nd place. Austin was saved by an unusual 2nd red flag of the day, and would take 2nd place. He would go 10-2 for 3rd overall at Unadilla, his third podium of the year.
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