Why Did Forkner Not Re-Sign With Kawasaki? | Austin Forkner Interview 2

Austin Forkner looks to start the 2025 season in a manner he never has previously. For the first time in his pro career he will be on a new team and a bike that is not a Kawasaki. Forkner recently announced his signing to the Triumph Factory Racing team, which is going into its sophomore year of Monster Energy Supercross. Austin spoke on a recent episode of the MotoXpod about switching teams, how he feels about the TF 250-X so far, and much more. 

Hit the link below to watch an excerpt from that interview.

Much could be said about Austin Forkner's career thus far. He was an amateur sensation, entering his pro career on Mitch Payton's Pro Circuit Kawasaki team with six Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championships and wins at the Monster Energy Cup in 2013 (Super-Mini) and 2015 (All-Stars). Expectations were high, and he finished fourth overall in the 2016 Pro Motocross championship and sixth in the 2017 Monster Energy Supercross 250 West series as a rookie. 

Unfortunately, Forkner's career has been a mix of impressive talent, raw speed, intense competitiveness, big crashes, and season-ending injuries. His ability to go fast on a dirt bike can not be argued, but he has yet to fulfill the expectations of his team, himself, or his fans. One can look at his career stats and only scratch their head and ponder how. He has completed 40 Monster Energy Supercross races, landing on the podium 21 times with 14 wins. That's a 35% win percentage and 52.5% podium percentage. Subsequently, he has completed 48 Pro Motocross races with seven podiums and only one win. That's a 2% win percentage and 14.5% podium percentage. 

Knowing his talent level, if you just looked at those stats, they may be a bit confusing. When you factor in the numerous injuries, those numbers start to be more clear. Austin is still an elite racer, as proven by his win in Detroit and leading in Arlington before his horrific injury earlier this year. So, how does an athlete mentally and physically turn things around? 

Austin hopes to do that by completely changing his program. He has recovered from his injuries and brain surgery, switched to a new team, bike, and trainer, moved from California to Georgia, and will soon be a father. There aren't many other changes he could have made, and he says he's confident and motivated for 2025. Changing one's environment is often seen as a positive for growth and success, but it's not always true.

Numerous examples of changing teams led to a more positive outlook and new success, including Eli Tomac's move to Yamaha in 2022. He left Monster Energy Kawasaki for the Star Racing Yamaha team, where he won the Supercross and Pro Motocross titles. Cooper Webb moved from Star Racing Yamaha to Red Bull Factory KTM in 2019, where he won the Supercross title. Then, others did not fare as well. Jeremy McGrath moved from Chaparral Yamaha to KTM, hoping for a change, suffered an injury, and never even raced the bike. 

Ideally, Forkner's move to Triumph Racing will lead him to the team, his first Supercross title, and much-continued success and triumph. Only time will tell, but many have felt he needed to make a change for a while now. There will undoubtedly be growing pains as he adjusts to all the changes, but expect to see him on the podium consistently in 2025.