Austin Forkner Retires

Damn, can't blame him with the arm issue, that gnarly. Best of luck with the next chapter!

I actually feel relieved for him. Dude had brain surgery and lost a spleen.

He was never accused of lacking effort, and he came back from major injuries as good as anyone has ever done it. He would win right away. 

Good to hear.... dood has given more than his fair share... time to raise some kids and enjoy life... he's more than earned it.. 

I’m glad, and a smart decision on his part. Guy was fast when he had her upright. Good luck to him in his future endeavors. 💯😎

Good for him!  
Dude was one of the guys that always gave everything he had when he was racing.  All of the injuries over the years took that away from him.  Glad he got out while he could and I wish him the best for the future.

Good for him. One of the biggest "what if" careers but at least one of them will never be "what if he had stopped before it was too late?"

There's no way he could race at the highest level safely with that arm if it was going to keep getting worse. This sport is brutal enugh aleady  

Thanks for the show buddy.  Hope your next chapter is even better.

It is actually very upsetting because injuries and shit luck was such a part of his career. Unfortunately we will never know what he was capable of. But one thing for sure is that he gave it his all and is one bad ass. He for sure can walk tall.

Very honest 

sad demise for another talented rider............hopefully he banked some good coin over the years and is financially secure.

God bless. You put your body, heart and soul into it. It gave you a gorgers wife and babies. Head up, you made enough to invest and live lush. 

All I can say is not for any kind of the money would I go through the injury list that this dude has been through. To came back from injury after injury and still immediately be at winning speed is something else aswell. That crash two years ago.. Dude is tough to come back from that and specially after brain surgery. A lot of people would have quit earlier, that's for sure. Good decision and good luck at your next chapter!

Also one of the moments with Forkner I will never forget.. When he still lined up with his completely destroyed knee in 2019 to keep his championship dream alive. Dude couldn't even walk, yet he still came through the pack somehow and made an aggressive pass attempt on Sexton (where he made contact with the knee again) which led to him having to retire from the race and the season. 

Will go down as one of the biggest “What if injuries didn’t derail his career” riders. Still found a lot of success despite those injuries. I hope he lives a healthy life away from racing and enjoys post racing life with his family. 

i had the pleasure of meeting austn several years ago when he was training at a friends track. he's a good guy and deserves to be happy. i always enjoyed talking with him.

Dude made it further then the 95% of us ever would have...

Hats off to him

EDIT : 95 %

Won me over as a fan in his later years. Very few have the tenacity he has to continue bouncing back. Here's a couple of reminders. First video starts a touch early, 2nd video is that iconic Washougal ride (where the finishing position wasn't what mattered) - both are timestamped for your viewing pleasure. Warning: These will pull on the heart strings.

Never saw someone's arm and hand muscles atrophy like that for no reason, that's crazy. I feel kinda bad now for bagging on his results, but glad he's made the right decision. 

I remember his 1st days testing with Mitch…a smile with more energy than the sun.

I remember Dallas…fuck me…that was fugly. Then the surgery…and he came back…

I remember breakfast at Waffle House…with him and Mike…before that shit-storm. 

I remember now…

In my sport, regular people of regular means can become something …something great…in my sport. They can even come upon some harsh times…

Doesn’t matter.

They’re still out there giving it all they got. 

Witness Austin Forkner.

Tough call walking away from everything you have worked for short of thr finish line.  I can tell from the video he is relieved.  Last couple years had to be hell.  Why keep living in hell?  Most of us would give a nut to accomplish what he did.  

Good choice, after the brain surgey it was very risky to continue.

Good career big highlights.

He really didn’t need to go any further than that arm and hand.  That right there is enough to call it, but once again AF tried to push through and here we are.  

Good ride young man.

Live long, prosper and  hope to see you around!  Enjoy!

Thanks for giving it your all Austin!

It was a pleasure to watch you!

Forker was always such an inspiration to me and I’m sure a lot of you as well, his willpower to keep throwing a leg over the bike after being brutally injured time and time again was such a beautiful lesson on how we need to approach life outside of Dirtbikes. I wish him all the best… 

 Total respect Austin. 

I never felt like you were giving anything less then 100%.

Now...do that going forward in the next chapter of your life. 

Regardless of what’s happened in his later years of racing, he still had one hell of a career, and he should be able to hold his head up high. I didn’t know he was struggling with his arm the last few years like he was, which makes it even more impressive/crazy that he was still out there. That shows his heart, grit, and determination right there, the kid never gave up. Hoping for the best for him post career and after watching that video it made me more of a fan. I met him and his pops at the Elsinore SX track at the end of 2018 and they were both cool as hell, Austin chatted it up with me for like 15 min and even told me how he turned down a Star offer because the factory Yamaha 450 program was crap at the time. Definitely a what if career, but he still had a ton of wins and podiums and he should be able to sleep easy at night knowing he gave the sport everything he had. 

that arm thing is scary. so it just going to be completely atrophied and useless at some point? 

I remember a great write up on Austin on We Went Fast that talked about the complications surrounding his birth and how he was lucky to even be born. I have to wonder if his body could just put up with so much damage before something like that would happen. It is crazy. 

Smart dude, so cool and a hell of rider. It is a shame that what ultimately is a short chapter of his life as a racer is cut shorter than it could’ve been but he has a beautiful family and his health to fall back on. Thanks for the memories, Forkner! Hell of a career. 

EDIT: Here's the article for those interested. I am now a father since originally reading this and it hits differently for sure.  https://wewentfast.com/miracle-boy-the-austin-forkner-story/

Wow. I had no idea about his arm and how much that had to affect him. It sure explains the constant crashing and shows how much he gave to keep trying.

I was not a huge fan of Austin on his way in, but damn am I a huge fan on his way out. What a bad ass dude. I will now remember him as the guy that probably fought the hardest through the gnarliest circumstances and still showed some of the fastest speed we have ever seen. Respect to the humility it took to make this video and put it out. 

Congratulations on your retirement Austin, theres lots to life outside of racing and i hope you get to enjoy it. You definitely deserve it. Hope to see you around the sport in the future.

Hell of a career and astonishing he could still have serious speed with the atrophy in his arm. A true warrior who took his licks and came back for more. Looks like home life is great and this will help with the next chapter. Pops if you’re reading this, you’ve raised a hell of a man and I’m sure you’re very proud of his achievements