INTERVIEW
P106
LORETTA LYNN'S CHAMPION AUSTIN FORKNER
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY
BY SHAN MOORE
W
hile RJ Hampshire
clearly stood out when
it came to the big-bike
racers at Loretta Lynn's, in the
Minicycle ranks, the competi-
tion was much more diverse, with
the titles getting spread around
among a handful of talented rid-
ers, though it's clear that there
are a couple of youngsters that
appear to have very bright futures
ahead of them.
One of those is Austin For-
kner, the Monster Energy Ka-
wasaki Team Green rider who
came away with a 1-1-1 title in the
SuperMini 2 (13-16) division. Un-
like Hampshire, you've no doubt
heard Forkner's name before.
The Missouri-native won back-to-
back titles in the Supermini divi-
sion at the Monster Energy Cup
in Las Vegas in 2012 and 2013.
He's also won overseas, claiming
championships in the MX Mas-
ters Kids International (85cc -12
and 65cc -12) titles when he trav-
eled to France in 2010. And of
course, he has titles galore from
Mini O's, Ricky Carmichael's
Daytona Supercross, Mammoth
Mountain and Loretta Lynn's.
This year's Loretta's marked
Forkner's last race on a mini be-
fore moving up to the big bikes—
the 250Fs. And Forkner, who
turns 16 next month, admits that
things are about to get "real."
"I have a big bike, but I haven't
ridden it much, but I'm thinking
I'll ride a big bike in the All Star
class at the Monster Cup, so I'll
start riding more now that I'll be
moving up," says Forkner. "But
I'm also trying to still be a kid."
"Going from a Super Mini bike
(KX100 two-stroke) to a big bike
is a huge jump," says Forkner.
"The bottom end on my big bike
is crazy! It pulls out of the corners
a lot faster than my Super Mini,
so I don't ride it much right now,
because after I spend time on the
big bike it takes me a while to get
used to the Super Mini again. My
dad has been trying to keep me
off the big bike for as long as he
can, but after Loretta's I'll have to
make the move."
Even for his Mini races, and par-
ticularly when getting ready for Lo-
retta Lynn's—the pinnacle of all am-
ateur races—Forkner has steadily
increased his workouts and riding
regime, although he admits that
NEW CHAPTER
AUSTIN FORKNER BEGINS
A NEW CHAPTER IN HIS
RACING CAREER NOW THAT
HIS MINICYCLE DAYS ARE
BEHIND HIM
