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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 MX / 6TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> The track crew was getting paid overtime for this round of the AMA Professional Moto- cross Tour. A eld so grotesque, that even pigs and farm animals would turn away in disgust, offered a level playing eld for all in the 250 class, as the series landed in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Austin Forkner looked to give the team his best effort, as he knew this time next week, the series would be over and he could rest. A practice would then follow that was so treacherous, many would decide to complete a mere lap and pull off. But he would weather the storm, literally, and provide an effort that all of the team would be proud off. It would
place him in a decent position to start, for the rst moto. The gate would then drop, as the eld swapped around the initial bend, and into the off-cambered left hander that followed. Dropping down the next few hills and chicanes, his mechanic recognized him in about tenth place, although he could hardly recognize the pitboard speeding by. He had to get by himself early, and would begin to nd his groove in the switchbacks before the nish line, hunting and eventually landing on the outside of both turns. The momentum was a killer to the competi- tion, as those who chose to go to multiple inside lines would simply stop and stall, praying not to succumb to these treacherous conditions. Avoiding the likes of Michael Mosiman at
all costs, he knew he had to look straight ahead, or else the track could reach up and bite him. Luckily, his skills would prevail in these downright nasty conditions, and he would come across the line for the checkered ag, residing in the seventh spot. He wanted to leave it
all on the line for this last moto, so as soon as the gate would drop, a violent effort of clutch feathering and throttle twisting would ensue. Hovering on the back fender for the majority of the rst lap, he wanted to keep his front end as light as possible, all the while checking out a majority of the race lines. Cresting these inside singles, he could feel the rear wheel begin- ning to slip and slide, all the while waiting for the traction of his tread to connect. It would do so, lap after lap, generating enough power to stay in front of Chase Sexton. A valiant effort, he would place fth for the moto, and sixth overall.
22 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 26, 2018