Austin Forkner Continues Success at Charlotte Motorspeedway

Fantastic weather greeted racers Austin Forkner and Adam Cianciarulo on Saturday for the FIM World MX Grand Prix at Charlotte Motorspeedway in North Carolina. Although there were rains that hit the area a few days before the race, the track was ready for some action and some great racing. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team took advantage of the track's near perfect conditions during practice and snagged the top two spots. In great positions from the start, both riders eagerly awaited for the gate to drop to begin the battle for the podium against some of the other great racers.

As the gates dropped in MX2 Moto 1, both Adam and Austin shot out of the gate and easily found themselves out front. Austin took the holeshot and maintained a leading position throughout the first moto. He fought for the lead and was consistently battling within the top three. Austin crossed the checkers in 3rd and found himself on the MXGP podium for the first time in his career. Adam and his bike went down and he exited the race. Bumped and bruised, he remains optimistic and eager to return to his KX250F.

Once again Austin Forkner fired out of the gate and found himself in an intense battle for the number one position in the second moto. He fought side by side the competition and led the pack throughout most of the race. He proved that he has what it takes to ride with the best as he led the pack around the track. Relying on his speed, he crossed the checkers in 2nd and finished 3rd overall in MX2 at the MXGP of the Americas. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team is excited to have competed against the world’s best and we look forward to doing it again next week at Glen Helen Raceway for MXGP of the USA!

“I surprised myself by having the fastest lap time in qualifying. In the first moto I was out front for a while and came under pressure. I made a small mistake and gave the win away unfortunately. In the second moto I spent the first 20 minutes with a comfortable lead and then they started to reel me in inch by inch. At that point I just left it all out on the track and I was honestly spent after the second moto. It was a tough race but I’m really happy I ended up on the box. I was pretty comfortable racing in this style because the format is similar to what we normally run, but the style of riding is so different. At the beginning of the motos the U.S. racers tend to go for it harder than the MXGP guys do, and they tend to go harder at the end. At the end of the day I battled with a U.S. champion and a world champion, it was a great experience and I’m leaving with a trophy!”

MX2 Results from MXGP of the Americas: