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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 SX / TEXAS
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / WILSON
>> What a tumultuous season it has been for the rookie Austin Forkner. He has shown us week in and week out that he is overflowing with speed and talent but like we see very often with inexperienced riders, he has been wildly inconsistent. Tough crashes and mistakes have hurt him in the standings but haven’t hampered our expectations of him. We know it is only a matter of time until he puts it together and he’d have one more shot of doing so at Arlington before the West Coast series takes a hiatus. Forkner put together a decent practice performance by logging the fifth fastest time in the class. The track was very high speed, suiting his style so he looked forward to showing out in the races.
Forkner ripped a big holeshot to kick off his day. The young gun led his points-leading teammate Justin Hill for several laps and looked feisty in the process. He wasn’t backing down from the challenge but with two laps to go he would suffer the slightest of bobbles which allowed Hill to squeak by. Forkner would nearly pass him back in the final corner after Hill had a bobble of his own but he would have to head to the main with a second-place finish.
Forkner nailed another great start in the main event but this time he would be third and right behind Hill. He tried working that heat race mojo to see if he could mix it up with Hill and McElrath up front but the two championship rivals were just a tic faster than the rook. Forkner settled into a lonely third for the rest of the race until McElrath suffered a me- chanical allowing him to slip up to second. Forkner would end the race in that second position marking a career best finish. The pair of consistent, fast races he had here at Arlington were just what he needed to get some momentum before the break.
28 GRITMOTO • FEBRUARY 12, 2017