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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 MX / 3RD
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / TILLS
>> Austin Forkner has been dealing with an ankle injury the past few weeks but it has
not prevented him from maintaining solid results. Last week he quietly went out and put together two good motos going 6-6 for sixth overall. He is not where he’d like to be in the points standings due to a DNF at Glen Helen but he has been better than sixth at every other round. Surprisingly he has not had on overall podium finish so far this season despite some stellar rides so he had to be growing impatient as the series rolled into Muddy Creek.
Forkner looked fast and loose despite that sore ankle in qualifying practice and was able to have the fourth fastest lap time on the day. He was looking to put his Monster Energy Kawasaki up front early and stay there for the motos.
The gate dropped in moto one and Forkner got a good one as he railed out of the first cor- ner right behind his teammate Adam Cianciarulo and Rockstar Star Racing Yamaha rider Aaron Plessinger. Forkner tried applying pressure to Cianciarulo for second during the first few laps but could not get close enough. He ended up losing touch with the two leaders
as the moto went on but managed to build a gap on the riders behind him. It was a lonely third until the last few laps when Alex Martin came out of nowhere. After riding nearly the whole moto by himself, Forkner had to answer back to some pressure and he did so after it initially caught him off guard. Martin took him by surprise but he was able to hold strong to the end and thwart off any pass attempts. It was a strong ride and Forkner wanted to back it up in moto two.
The second moto started similar to the first except this time Forkner started right behind Plessinger. Before he could try and make a move for the lead, Zach Osborne swooped in to steal away second place. Once again, Forkner tried running with the leaders but ulti- mately lost touch but built a lead on everyone behind him. Then in almost the same exact fashion as moto one, Alex Martin closed the gap and put the pressure on. This time he did so a few laps earlier so it appeared that he might be able to make the move this time but Forkner retaliated beautifully and held on for third. His 3-3 performance secured him third overall. Long overdue but he finally got on the overall podium. He’ll look to carry the consistent momentum he has built up with him into Red Bud next weekend.
36 GRITMOTO • JUNE 25, 2017