What happened to Forkner?

He was riding around the back of the pack today and gained no time. Is he still recovering from the sx injury, or is this the end for him? 

2
2
|
Mavetism
Posts
5971
Joined
4/15/2019
Location
Hannover DE
5/30/2026 7:17pm

Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish the moto. Moto 2 he was dead last on timings a lap in, got to like 29th I think, he was 8-9 seconds slower a lap than the top guys though. I don't know. He got only a couple finishes inside the top 10 last year (with one top 5th overall) and was riding around in 15-20 most of the weekends.

He is tough as nails and has certainly every right to be out there but there are riders more deserving of a factory ride at this point imo.

4
ShipLap
Posts
1601
Joined
8/15/2018
Location
Moab, UT US
5/30/2026 7:19pm

Gravity happened to Austin, over a 7-year period.

12
3
5/30/2026 7:24pm
Mavetism wrote:
Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish...

Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish the moto. Moto 2 he was dead last on timings a lap in, got to like 29th I think, he was 8-9 seconds slower a lap than the top guys though. I don't know. He got only a couple finishes inside the top 10 last year (with one top 5th overall) and was riding around in 15-20 most of the weekends.

He is tough as nails and has certainly every right to be out there but there are riders more deserving of a factory ride at this point imo.

It's crazy that just a few short years ago he was the fastest guy on the track by a sizable margin. He was always so silky smooth until he catastrophically wasn't.  Sucks that injuries likely robbed this guy of a longer career. 

35

The Shop

Mavetism
Posts
5971
Joined
4/15/2019
Location
Hannover DE
5/30/2026 7:35pm Edited Date/Time 5/30/2026 7:45pm
Mavetism wrote:
Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish...

Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish the moto. Moto 2 he was dead last on timings a lap in, got to like 29th I think, he was 8-9 seconds slower a lap than the top guys though. I don't know. He got only a couple finishes inside the top 10 last year (with one top 5th overall) and was riding around in 15-20 most of the weekends.

He is tough as nails and has certainly every right to be out there but there are riders more deserving of a factory ride at this point imo.

Smuffers wrote:
It's crazy that just a few short years ago he was the fastest guy on the track by a sizable margin. He was always so silky...

It's crazy that just a few short years ago he was the fastest guy on the track by a sizable margin. He was always so silky smooth until he catastrophically wasn't.  Sucks that injuries likely robbed this guy of a longer career. 

SX, yeah. He was never even close to being the fastest guy outdoors. He has one overall win in outdoors and that one is from his rookie season in 2016, that was also his best championship finish that year (4th).

But even with the amount of injuries he had he was always able to immediately come back to winning speed in SX (which is crazy), until his brain surgery, he's a completely different rider since then (understandable ofc). But the past two seasons are just rough to watch.

9
shortty761
Posts
733
Joined
4/2/2024
Location
Newport News, VA US
5/30/2026 7:37pm

It made me sad to think of how he was smoking Deegan 3 years ago and now he’s finishing last in the 250 Motos outdoors.


I think he’s over it.

19
5/30/2026 7:44pm
shortty761 wrote:
It made me sad to think of how he was smoking Deegan 3 years ago and now he’s finishing last in the 250 Motos outdoors.I think...

It made me sad to think of how he was smoking Deegan 3 years ago and now he’s finishing last in the 250 Motos outdoors.


I think he’s over it.

I just hope this guy can live a normal life after racing. He has taken some massive hits over the years. 

31
JDub067
Posts
382
Joined
8/13/2022
Location
AU
5/30/2026 7:47pm

Always been a fan of Austin, the poor guy has hit the ground once too many and he knows it. Building himself a beautiful family and this year will be it I think. 

15
Mavetism
Posts
5971
Joined
4/15/2019
Location
Hannover DE
5/30/2026 7:51pm
shortty761 wrote:
It made me sad to think of how he was smoking Deegan 3 years ago and now he’s finishing last in the 250 Motos outdoors.I think...

It made me sad to think of how he was smoking Deegan 3 years ago and now he’s finishing last in the 250 Motos outdoors.


I think he’s over it.

Smuffers wrote:

I just hope this guy can live a normal life after racing. He has taken some massive hits over the years. 

Not for any money in the world would I go through that injury/surgery list, that's for sure. Brutal stuff

10
gt80rider
Posts
6992
Joined
4/19/2008
Location
Boulder, CO US
5/30/2026 8:22pm

Ya... it's over... roughest sport on the planet... so many people have been chewed up and spit out... with any luck he sees the light and moves on with his life... it's well past time... 

5
2
8500rpm
Posts
528
Joined
12/31/2020
Location
SE
5/31/2026 2:39am

I wish Forkner still had success coming, but it's starting to look like this is his last season as a pro. What a shame. 

3
1
El Capitan
Posts
312
Joined
7/11/2022
Location
Huntington Beach, CA US
5/31/2026 6:23am

The record book will never reflect just how fast Forkner was at one time. Nothing but respect for his grit. 

24
1
5/31/2026 8:31am
8500rpm wrote:

I wish Forkner still had success coming, but it's starting to look like this is his last season as a pro. What a shame. 

I'd rather see him dip out early than ride around in 38th. I think he has another baby coming so he needs to collect that check, but I can't imagine the pay is all that much if you're near dead last. 

6
1
theraptur712
Posts
610
Joined
4/28/2022
Location
Victoria, TX US
5/31/2026 8:56am

Stick a Fork-ner in it, he's done.

2
14
Trickamoto
Posts
644
Joined
2/6/2018
Location
Beverly Hills, CA US
5/31/2026 9:32am
El Capitan wrote:

The record book will never reflect just how fast Forkner was at one time. Nothing but respect for his grit. 

. actually, it will. He won 11 of his first 22 Supercross Mains. What has happened to his speed through these injuries is just so sad to see. He was on his way to rewriting some record books.

8
2
5/31/2026 9:34am
Mavetism wrote:
Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish...

Definitely crashed in moto 1, he was around 20th early in the moto (but also didn't move forward?), dropped back to like 35th and didn't finish the moto. Moto 2 he was dead last on timings a lap in, got to like 29th I think, he was 8-9 seconds slower a lap than the top guys though. I don't know. He got only a couple finishes inside the top 10 last year (with one top 5th overall) and was riding around in 15-20 most of the weekends.

He is tough as nails and has certainly every right to be out there but there are riders more deserving of a factory ride at this point imo.

Smuffers wrote:
It's crazy that just a few short years ago he was the fastest guy on the track by a sizable margin. He was always so silky...

It's crazy that just a few short years ago he was the fastest guy on the track by a sizable margin. He was always so silky smooth until he catastrophically wasn't.  Sucks that injuries likely robbed this guy of a longer career. 

Mavetism wrote:
SX, yeah. He was never even close to being the fastest guy outdoors. He has one overall win in outdoors and that one is from his...

SX, yeah. He was never even close to being the fastest guy outdoors. He has one overall win in outdoors and that one is from his rookie season in 2016, that was also his best championship finish that year (4th).

But even with the amount of injuries he had he was always able to immediately come back to winning speed in SX (which is crazy), until his brain surgery, he's a completely different rider since then (understandable ofc). But the past two seasons are just rough to watch.

Right. Never a real contender outdoors. His results are really nothing special in mx. Lots of finishes outside the top 5. Sx is a different story. Nothing special for an elite rider, by the way. Obviously an amazing rider. The injuries detailed him so much. Its unfortunate 

1
5/31/2026 10:08am Edited Date/Time 5/31/2026 10:09am

I saw a mini documentary on him a couple months back by some British guy (not me) that I thought was really good - there's so much he was going through even during the race he was leading Deegan before that horrifying crash. Most people (myself included obviously) just wouldn't know about.

The thing is if he were to quit racing he can still say, taken as a whole, he's had a great career in SX. There's a tendency to only think in negatives over his career but despite not getting a pro title it was suprising to me watching the doc just how many times he'd bounced back and races he'd won that I'd forgotten about. Really he just needed it all ideally during one or two seasons... 

7
1
Gworm
Posts
2735
Joined
4/5/2017
Location
Monett, MO US
5/31/2026 10:17am

Stick a Fork-ner in it, he's done.

Dang, you are one clever feller. 

4
csalyer
Posts
4
Joined
6/26/2025
Location
Poplar Bluff, MO US
5/31/2026 11:49am

As a fellow Missourian, I've been a fan since the beginning. Injuries and Father Time will always win in the long run. Unfortunately, it seems to be another tale of what could've been. I hope Austin is in a position to call it a career and focus on his beautiful family.

10
MXMattii
Posts
5029
Joined
3/6/2010
Location
BE
5/31/2026 12:17pm

He is ripped apart through the sport we love. The internal injuries he had, brain injuries, ... If I was him I would call it a career, before it goes wrong again.

5
1
gharmon
Posts
2740
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Valley, AL US
5/31/2026 12:30pm
El Capitan wrote:

The record book will never reflect just how fast Forkner was at one time. Nothing but respect for his grit. 

But those of us that have been here the last few years know how he OWNED Sexton and gifted him one sx title (same gift eli gave him n the 450's). Austin was dominant early on in his pc days. He was every bit as dominant in sx as jett an deegs. He could just never seal the deal. Whats the old saying, gotta be in it to win it!  

Do disrespect to Sexton on the gifts. He was there and took advantage of the situations.

4
3
5/31/2026 2:17pm
El Capitan wrote:

The record book will never reflect just how fast Forkner was at one time. Nothing but respect for his grit. 

gharmon wrote:
But those of us that have been here the last few years know how he OWNED Sexton and gifted him one sx title (same gift eli...

But those of us that have been here the last few years know how he OWNED Sexton and gifted him one sx title (same gift eli gave him n the 450's). Austin was dominant early on in his pc days. He was every bit as dominant in sx as jett an deegs. He could just never seal the deal. Whats the old saying, gotta be in it to win it!  

Do disrespect to Sexton on the gifts. He was there and took advantage of the situations.

There are no "gifted" championships. You win or you don't and it's entirely on the rider. 

5

Post a reply to: What happened to Forkner?

The Latest