This may come as a shock to some of you who have read this little corner of the internet for at least the 2018 season but I am here to tell you, Austin Forkner caused me to have an epiphany at Millville.
It’s no shock that I came down swiftly and heavily on Austin Forkner in the court of personal-public opinion a few times during his short Supercross campaign in 2018 but like always, I was not playing favorites or holding a grudge. I was simply calling it like I saw it.
At the time, few people sided with me, one of them was my boss, no not WarrenMX, Steve Matthes of course. Early on, the majority of folks were erring on the side of innocent mistake, while I was screaming from the rooftops “reckless adolescence!!” As time has ebbed on, I continue to believe those early opines I voiced right here on the escapades of the young Mr. Forkner. But it is BECAUSE I always write what I believe, when it comes to the sport of Motocross (and my beliefs are always objective) that I can now point at Austin Forkner as opening my eyes to an example of race technique that I believe could be put on the mantle of such moves as The Scrub, The Whoop-Skim, The Seat Bounce and the Wheel Tap. I have no idea what to call it or if it even requires a name because honestly, it’s a move that will look very different in every iteration it is exemplified by riders from one track to another.
I’ll be honest, I’ve seen iterations of this in the past. We all have. It’s a move that is much less jaw-dropping than the Scrub but who’s implementation is forged with the same goal in mind. It’s got a lot more to do with throwing caution to the wind and putting your balls on the crossbar than any slick skim of the whoops as well. This move made by Austin Forkner happened so quickly and was executed so smoothly that even though you probably saw it, it was looked upon as more or less a simple pass. But it’s more than that.
What’s your frustration level with me right now? 8? I know showing you this move can never live up to what I have been attempting to equate it to, so don’t expect it to. But I 100% believe that with bikes, specifically the 4-stroke World we all live in these days, being so stellar and hiding rider error like never before, this balls-out maneuver is one that any rider can add to their repertoire with just a little reduction of caution and inflation of the ballsack.
The move Austin pulled on the Mt.Martin downhill into the right hand turn, as he went around Shane Mcelrath on the outside was more than just a pass around the outside. Austin abandon the brakes and put complete trust in his setup as he pulled a bonsai G-out arc into the rut as he swept blazingly around Shane. I know, it sounds just like a high speed corner but his commitment and trust in how his bike would react with no brake input are the two key factors that equate to what I see as a new tool in the race craft toolkit of anyone at the top level who has both of those. Commitment and Trust. Commit to abandoning your binders for the utmost entry speed with only lean angle and inertia through the apex to slow you. And the trust in your setup to believe it will react as you expect.
I know, it still doesn’t sound overly sexy but look at Austin’s move above and compare and contrast it with the same corner executed by the days 1-1 Race winner, Aaron Plessinger. The raw video speaks for itself. In this day and age of Dartfish, LitPro, 4-strokes, everyone running the same tires and primarily the race race line, there are so few options for guys to separate themselves. Austin showed me there is one that few guys commit to the way he did and with the brilliant execution with which he did this, I believe it’s 100% a viable option for guys to focus in on and build into their preparation and programs.
It’s like they’ve always said, “Jump for Show” and “Corner for Dough” but I’d like to add “Bonsai G-Out for the Title, Bitches”.
