race recap
AUSTIN FORKNER GRIT-230 250MX
August 21, 2023
AUSTIN FORKNER | GRIT-230 | 250MX
Missouri's Austin Forkner would return to the top-five of the overall standings, following a lengthy departure in recent memory due to numerous injuries. It seemed as though year after year, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider would be a victim of misfortune and devastating crashes...but the resilience of the standout performer would be on full display for the rounds of Budd's Creek. After qualifying ninth, Forkner would fight through the first portion of the moto with serious intensity; prior to being forced to realign on the grid and reside near an eleventh-place residency as the green flag cued action to resume. Hanging onto the handlebars with a loose style, but strong grip, he would man the chassis amongst dozens of ruts on the course; working on his newfound style and technique (via training from Ryan Hughes) and putting it to the test amongst the best 250cc riders from around the world. With merely a twenty-minute sprint left to complete, Forkner's assembly of fast-line(s) and flat-landing moments per se were a bit more than what was accustomed to; due to knowing that there was little reason to conserve his stamina for the checkered flag that loomed. And as the process eventually concluded, it would be Forkner who gathered a position of eighth prior to moving into the second-round. Capturing the hole-shot in the second round, Forkner had a serious agenda of inflicting as much aggression on the competition as possible; even with Hunter Lawrence battling (and quickly) taking the lead. Forkner displayed comfortability at the pinnacle of the field, racing amongst the hills while letting the chassis flow in a fluid manner; holding-down the second-place position through lap seven. Justin Cooper was the first of two opponents to then pass him from there on after, though Forkner would contend with the number thirty-two machine for quite sometime. Jo Shimoda would also, pass Forkner after the Missouri native would keep the number thirty at bay for a significant portion of the moto...but the number fifty-five wasn't discouraged. The crowd would continue to applaud him as he swept various outsides near the fence-line, knowing that he could maintain a solid pace to the checkered flag that concluded the seventeen-lap contest...and as the dust settled in Maryland, it was Forkner who rallied to fourth (in the final segment) to claim fourth overall - prove that he could still compete at the top of the division!