Motocross

Austin Forkner Grabs First Overall Podium with Runner-Up Finish

Posted:

Tuesday, June 19th, 2018

8:14 AM

Round four of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point was a good one for Austin Forkner after he walked away with his first overall podium,

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki‰Ûªs Austin Forkner earned his second moto podium of the season but was able to grace the overall podium for the first time on the efforts of a 4-2 moto score at Round 4 of the Lucas Oils Pro Motocross series.

The tough High Point Raceway circuit collected riders left and right and Joey Savatgy and Garrett Marchbanks were among the riders that faced adversity, forcing them to finish 13th and 38th overall, respectively.

Following Forkner‰Ûªs first moto podium two weeks ago, the No. 35 kept the momentum riding in his favor, scoring his first overall podium finish of the season. In the opening moto he got a start outside the top six and quickly found himself in fourth where he held on to the end. The second moto proved that Forkner was able to handle pressure from behind as he moved into second halfway through and held off advances to finish second. His 4-2 moto score awarded him the runner-up trophy in second overall.

‰ÛÏI was going to make it as hard as I could for guys to pass me in that second moto,‰Û

After qualifying fourth overall Joey Savatgy's day went down hill when his sixth in the opening moto was followed up with a DNF

Joey Savatgy started the day qualifying fourth overall, putting him in good shape for the motos. In Moto 1, he didn‰Ûªt get the start he was hoping for and was outside the top 10 after the opening lap. He eventually settled into a good pace and started picking off riders, making it all the way up to sixth. Moto 2 was another uphill battle for Savatgy as he was next to last at the start. He was putting on a good charge and got all the way up to 15th before going down, forcing him to retire early. His 6-34 still allowed a finish just outside the top 10 in 11th.

‰ÛÏThe track was really gnarly and everyone was going fast so it was hard to make up a lot of ground when I didn‰Ûªt get good starts,‰Û

Garrett Marchbanks was forced to sit out moto 2 after injuring himself in moto 1.

In his first visit to High Point Raceway, Garrett Marchbanks showed much improvement, starting with his best qualifying of the season in sixth. His Moto 1 start of 21st placed him in an uphill battle for another good finish. Marchbanks was clearly making up time as he had made it up to sixth, but with two laps to go got cross-rutted in a corner and it forced him off the track. He was unable to lineup for the second moto and doctors will evaluate him this week.

‰ÛÏI‰Ûªm hopeful that it‰Ûªs not as bad as it first felt but we‰Ûªll have to wait and see what the doctors say this week,‰Û

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish)
1. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (1-1)
2. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki (4-2)
3. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (3-4)
4. Dylan Ferrandis, France, Yamaha (8-3)
5. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (7-7)
6. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (9-6)
7. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM (5-10)
8. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM (12-5)
9. Brandon Hartranft, Brick, N.J., Yamaha (11-8)
10. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda (2-33)

250 Class Championship Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha - 171 Points
2. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Honda - 151 Points
3. Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., KTM - 141 Points
4. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha - 136 Points
5. Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki - 115 Points
6. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna - 105 Points
7. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., KTM - 104 Points
8. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda - 100 Points
9. Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM - 91 Points
10. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Honda - 87 Points