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AUSTIN FORKNER
250 MX / 4TH
IMAGE / LANNAN WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MPG
>> It has been an up and down sophomore season for Monster Energy Pro Circuit Ka- wasaki rider Austin Forkner. The prodigy from Missouri still has that raw, natural speed but like his rookie season, still struggles with consistency. Some of that is not entirely
on him this season. He was running well up front last weekend at Glen Helen when his bike seized forcing him out of the race. But two weeks ago, at Hangtown he showed us what he’s really made of with a fantastic ride up to second place. Entering round three at Lakewood, Forkner was hoping to put the bike problems and crashes behind him and put together two solid motos.
Forkner laid down the sixth fastest lap time of the morning qualifying sessions signaling that he was ready for the gates to drop high up in the Rockies. The gate dropped for moto one and Forkner secured the green flag in sixth place locked in a heated battle with team- mate Adam Cianciarulo and Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha rider Colt Nichols. Plessinger would also get in the mix in the early stages and at one point Forkner fell to the end of
the group back to eighth. That’s when he decided he’d had enough and flipped a switch. He started throwing down blistering lap times and inching his way back to the front. Soon those inches he was gaining turned into yards because he caught the lead group with astonishing speed. With just a handful of laps remaining, he had moved into fourth right behind Jeremy Martin and Joey Savatgy. He did not mess around and quickly moved by Martin and then Savatgy in successive laps. He then set his sights on race leader Alex Martin and caught him insanely quick as well but that frantic pace forced him into a slight bobble with just over a lap to go that would give Martin enough breathing room to hold on for the win. Forkner would take home second after an unbelievable charge. He knows he should have had the win so he was eager to get back out there and go for it again.
Moto two was less hectic for Forkner as he started in sixth and methodically worked up to finish third. By the time he finally took over third in the later stages of the moto, Savatgy and Martin were long gone and he rode it home without challenge in front or behind him. Unfortunately for him, his 2-3 moto scores were not enough to get him on the overall podium for the day which bummed him out. But points wise he was only one point behind overall winner Joey Savatgy’s points total on the day making fourth and first much closer than they’d appear on paper.
38 GRITMOTO • JUNE 4, 2017