Page 74 - MPG23

74
GRITMOTO • JULY.5.16
theGRIT
IMAGES / LAKE KILPATRICK
Talk about a true firework, Forkner lit the match and sat fire to the canister, sparking to an early lead and superb battle with Cooper Webb in the opening moments. Jockeying back and forth, he would eventually tuck into pace just behind the number 17, showing no signs of fear. Glancing over his shoulder as he crested the Michigan Hills, a fluorescent green caught his eye, and assured him that he had a familiar foe at bay; it was
Joey Savatgy. Eventually capitalizing on a mistake of Forkner, the Missouri native would fall to third and begin to study the lines of his elder teammate. Next up on the list, Jeremy Martin, a polar opposite competitor in terms of experience, but Forkner would show no mercy when fending off the heavy pressure of the number one. With each lap passing, his mechanic acted as lifeline, using the words of the pit board to provoke the utmost of encouragement. However, the phone a friend tip wouldn’t provide the needed to boost to remain on the podium, as Forkner would be swallowed up by a pair of Star Racing pilots ripping through the catastrophic roller section. Leaving a smile below the surface, he would go on to finish sixth. The depth of the professional 250 is atrocious when compared to that on the pro-am level, and Forkner quickly took note of it to begin moto two. 16th after the first few laps, he knew he had nothing to lose, and his riding to the naked eye was reflective of that. 12th with ten minutes to go, each two digit number that lay in front of him would be thrown to the trash, as his skinny frame would shoot past some of the most sought out veterans in the division. He would go on to place tenth in the moto and a solid eighth overall on the day.
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