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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 SX / 10TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / PINTOR DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Mother nature didn’t care that Supercross came to Minneapolis and Supercross didn’t care that Mother Nature was trying to stop them from racing. The snow continued to pile on top of the city as the nights’ event began, but that didn’t delay the riders from starting their day and qualifying for the night race. Austin Forkner meant business qualifying with the third best lap time in the 250 class. Poised perfectly for the rst event of the night the Fox rider was ready to dominate the last triple crown event. It’s seven o’ clock in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the 250 class lines up at the start. Forkner releases his clutch as the gate drops for main event number one. Austin sneaks his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki into the rst position and takes the holeshot. A pile up takes place behind Forkner, but he just focuses his mind on what’s in front
of him. With pressure from Jeremy Martin behind him the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider just kept his head down and put in the laps as the clock continued to count down. Forkner has had his up and downs this season his worst nish being a seventh place, but Austin came to Minneapolis to gain more points on Osborne and close the gap for the championship. Proving he meant business Austin crossed the nish line holding up his pointer nger signaling rst place. Learning a lot from his mistakes and continuing to get a good start, Forkner could bring home his second overall win at a triple crown event. With a perfect gate pick Forkner lines himself up for race number two. Focusing on getting another perfect start Austin watches as the board ticks down to zero. Forkner gets hung up in a tough block around the rst turn. Trying to get back into his rhythm the Monster Energy Kawasaki Pro Circuit rider gets caught up with another tough block throwing him off his bike. Sitting in the back of the pack now Austin has to battle his way
to the front to try and salvage some points. Only a couple laps pass and Forkner goes down again. Now in 19th the Kawasaki rider is losing patience with this second race. Moving into 15th place Austin struggles as he falls in the same spot a couple laps earlier. Doing damage control Forkner tries his hardest as he gets into tenth place as the last lap is underway. After falling for
a fourth time right before the nish Forkner pulls off a tenth place nish for race two. Determined to come back strong for the nal race Austin collects himself during their short intermission. Nine o’ clock rolls around and Forkner gears up one more time. Keeping his gaze engaged only on the start Austin watches as the board counts down then he’s off. Getting pinched in the rst cor- ner once again Forkner is eighth for the holeshot. Moving from 9th to 4th in one lap Forkner is making a point to be in the front of the pack. Jordon Smith goes down in the corner now Forkner is in third right behind his rival Zach Osborne. Forkner goes down hard with only six laps to go. Forkner’s front end tucks going into a jump and he favors his already weak left arm as he gets up from his crash. Not able to nish the race the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider ends up tenth overall for the last triple crown event.
58 GRITMOTO • APRIL 15, 2018