Photos by: Hoppenworld
Winning races in your rookie year of racing 250MX class has become a very rare accomplishment in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The last rookie to win a moto was Ken Roczen in 2012, but the German came over to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with a decorated resume in Europe that included an MX2 World Championship. You have to go all the way back to 2010 to find a true rookie that won a 250MX moto. In 2010, Eli Tomac won the first-ever 250MX National he entered at Hangtown with a 3-1 score, but he did not win again until the 2012 season. To put it in perspective, not even amateur superstars like Jeremy Martin, Adam Cianciarulo and Cooper Webb outdoor won motos in their freshman seasons, but Monster Energy / Pro Circuit / Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner accomplished that feat in the second moto at Washougal.
Over the first eight rounds of the season, Austin had proven he more than belongs in the professional ranks, scoring one pole position, two moto podiums and an overall podium at Southwick, but the #214 had only led one lap all year long. In moto one at Washougal, Austin got a horrible start outside the top twenty but battled his way up to finish the moto in tenth. It was not the kind of start to the day that has you thinking you might leave with your best overall of the year, but stranger things have happened in moto.
In the second moto, Austin rounded the first turn behind his teammate Joey Savatgy and Championship points leader Cooper Webb, but the #37 and the #17 got into a heated exchange. While that was going on, Austin took full advantage of the two Championship contenders’ personal cat and mouse game and rode around them into the lead. One corner later, Webb, Savatgy and even Jeremy Martin were all on the ground, and Austin was off to the races. Austin felt pressure from Martin Davalos for the majority of the moto, but in the end, the teenager was pumping his fists over the finish line with the first moto win of his young career. Even better, with Webb, Savatgy, Martin and most everyone else that finished in front of him in moto one having issues, Austin’s 10-1 was good enough for a second overall—his best overall of his career as well.
After he collected his hardware on the podium and took a random USADA drug test, Austin joined us in the press tent to answer some questions about his day.
Austin, congratulations. How did it go today? Did you have a good day at the office?
It was pretty good. First moto I just lit the tire up off the gate and knew I was ruined right out of the gate. I was way back, probably in the thirties, going through the first turn. Came back and I rode really good—I came back to tenth and rode really good. I knew my speed was there, but I just needed to get the start. I adjusted a few things on the start, and the second one was better. I think I went around the first turn in third or fourth and got into third real quick. I almost passed [Joey] Savatgy at the top of the hill. Coming down the hill—I guess it was Cooper [Webb]—they [Cooper and Savatgy] got together, and I just saw an opening so I just took it. Then, the next thing I know, I go through the S-turn and I don’t hear anybody, which was pretty good for me. I just wanted to lead a couple laps, so that was good for me. I got to like ten minutes in, and I saw [Martin] Davalos behind me and guys that I knew I could beat—guys that I came through the first moto and passed, and guys I knew I could beat. I didn’t really see Cooper or Joey or any of those guys back there, and I thought I had an actual shot to win this. [] I wrote the same moto.
Can you take us through the end of that second moto while you were leading? What are some of the thoughts that were going through your head?
I was waiting for the two-lap board to come out for so long. From the twenty minute mark, my mechanic put “ten-plus two to go.” I don’t know if we got to the timer at the worst time. I don’t know if we had to go three laps instead of two, but it was cutting it pretty close. I came around, and it was like, “Okay, it’s gotta be the two lap card.” I’m almost positive I did five laps after he put “ten-plus two.” I was thinking it’s gotta be the two-lap board, and I came around and it was still not out. Some of the sections of the track you could see guys going by, and I saw Alex [Martin] coming and I was like, “Man!” I just kept riding and doing my own thing. My mechanic put “plus nine,” and the next lap it was “plus eight.” I was pretty confident at that point that the next lap we were getting the two board, and it was like plus six or seven. He caught me a little bit, but it wasn’t like a big difference; it wasn’t a big gap. It was good, and he put “bring it home” on the board, so that’s what I did.
On the last lap, would you characterize yourself as normal, tight, or loose?
The first part of the last lap was okay. After about the S-turns—which is about halfway—I was not really riding tight; I just slowed down and made sure I did everything right. Then basically after jumping back down and coming back down towards the finish, I knew that I had it. I was so pumped at that point! I was screaming in my helmet! I wanted to do a fist pump over every single jump in the whoop section, but I didn’t have enough time to do that, so I just threw a fist pump over the finish line. My mechanic said that if I win the second moto, I could blow my bike up, so I just held it wide open. The first moto, he said don’t do that, but I held it wide open.
Didn’t Mitch [Payton, Team Manager/Owner] put up $500 today for fastest qualifier?
Yeah, he put up $500 for fastest qualifier, and I really wanted to get that, but I qualified fifth. I had some lappers in my way on the last lap—which I don’t know if I would have been able to beat Cooper’s 2:09; it would have been tough. It didn’t really bother me. I was fifth going in, and I knew top five is kind of where I need to be. I knew my speed was there; I just didn’t get a start in the first moto and did get a good start in moto two. I got a little bit of a gift, but I’ll take it.
How amazed were you to find out your 10-1 was good for second overall?
When I won the moto, I really didn’t really care where I was overall. I was thinking I got maybe fifth overall. With a tenth in the first moto, going into the second moto I was like, “There’s no way I’m getting inside the top five today.” I was looking at probably finishing seventh or eighth if I get another top ten. On the podium, I was about to walk off, and they said, “No, you got second.” Honestly, I didn’t even believe them. I was like, “They did not do their math right.” I was second, so that was good. That’s my best overall finish in the season, and I think it was really good to turn around that first moto and get a good finish in the second—especially going into the break—and get my best finish of the season overall with a second. I had a gift given to me with those guys getting tangled up. It definitely would have been harder to win with those guys all right there, but it happens and I won, so it’s all good.
Have you ever been here before? Also, how do you like this place?
It was pretty good. I rode press day, so I kind of got the layout dialed and stuff. It was definitely different than any of the tracks I’ve ridden this season. They’ve all been deep and loamy or straight sand, like Southwick. This track was actually pretty similar to Hangtown, but Hangtown was the first round. I haven’t ridden a track like that since Hangtown. I kind of had to adjust to it, but I feel like the other guys did, too. I got to ride it on press day, and on press day, it was tore up from the amateurs. I feel like I knew what the track was going to be like, and I knew how it was going to get, and the second moto was definitely like that—pretty hard. There were some ruts, but at the end, they just led into pretty hard pack. You could go fast through the ruts, you just had to be easy coming out of the ruts so you didn’t get wheel spin. That was definitely key. That’s what I had to do: just calm down and ride it smooth and not crazy.
Did you indeed blow the engine up after your win in moto two?
I did not blow the engine up. I held it for a good five, six seconds. I was talking to Olly [Oliver Stone, his mechanic] earlier and I was like, “How long could I hold it wide open before it blew up?” He was like, “Honestly, it would probably overheat before it actually blows up, so like two, three minutes.” I’m not going to stand there with it wide open for two or three minutes. I’m probably not going to end up blowing the bike up, but it’s good to do that. (laughs)
What are your plans now for the next couple of weeks on the break?
Next week I’m probably going to do the same schedule. Actually I get to go drive some Ferraris on Monday, which I’m pretty pumped about. This kid I know, his parents have three Ferraris and a Porsche. So me and some of the guys at Robbie’s [Reyanrd], we’re going to go down there and drive some of his cars and have a fun day on Monday but then ride Tuesday and get a good amount of riding in that week. The next week after that, I have to go to Loretta’s midweek. That’s going to mess up the program a little bit. I’ll probably take that week as my recovery week, going to Loretta’s. I probably won’t get to ride much. I’ll ride when I can, but the week after that, it’s back on regular race week training schedule.
After this win right now, how are you feeling? Are you pumped to have a two-week break, or do you just want to get back on the bike and go racing next week, if you had a choice?
I’m glad we have a two-week break. I feel like I kind of need it. I haven’t been home since way before the season started because I was training. I haven’t been home for a while, so want to go home and see my dogs and go to the skate park and just kind of hang out. I’m going to do that this weekend and maybe a little bit into next week before we have to go to Loretta’s—do some of that stuff, have fun and relax a little bit.
