Page 84 - ISSUE49

AUSTIN FORKNER
250 MX / 13TH
IMAGE / CAVAZOS WORDS / COPELAND DESIGN / WILSON
>> Coming into his second season as a professional, Austin Forkner is con- sidered by the majority to be the next big star of the sport. He has shown his speed with solid finishes last season and solid Rookie Supercross finishes. That being said a dark cloud has been floating over Austin Forkner. For the second weekend in a row he was cost points due to a bike failure. The Mis- souri native has all the speed needed to compete at the highest level and the fitness to match it but has been forced to submit to circumstance in half the races this young season. In the opening round of the series he had to pull
into the pits in moto one to fix a problem on the bike that cost him valuable time and points. In moto two he came out with a vengeance charging in from mid pack to finish 2nd while holding off two time champion, Jeremy Martin. That showed the speed everyone knows he has. Round 2 would provide him with a chance to redeem his bad luck and gain back the points he lost. The weekend started great with a near holeshot and a top 3 position after the first lap. He would quickly come under heat from Colt Nichols and was eventually passed. After a few laps of chasing, Forkner settled in and appeared to be content with cruising in 4th when suddenly, he was off the side of the track and unable to get the bike to start. This cost him his race and a solid top 5 finish. He was forced to a 38th place finish. Not what he and his team had in mind for the second weekend in a row. He would do the best he could to bounce back in moto 2 and was able to finish 6th after battling for multiple laps with his teammate, Joey Savatgy. He didn’t have the speed of the front runners but he would have done better without having to deal with another bike issue. If Aus- tin wants to fulfill the potential that many believe he has he is going to need some good luck and can’t afford another finish outside of the top 10.
84 GRITMOTO • MAY 28, 2017