Troy Dog
Troy Dog joined the bLU cRU and you should too! Have you seen the new 2025 Monster Energy Racing editions? Go look right now! It’s amazing. Yamaha also supports T-Dog Squad ELITE Athlete Marshal Weltin. Purchase a Yamaha today and shred like him, Eli Tomac, Cooper Webb, 250 Pro Motocross and two-time 250SMX Champion Haiden Deegan, plus more!
Austin Forker could have retired.
For one, I’m glad he didn’t, but at the same time he truly could have walked away from the sport and it would have been perfectly understandable.
The crash that Forkner had at Arlington this year was truly the worst crash I’ve ever seen. I honestly hope that the powers that be at Feld decide against having that crash replay on any broadcast this season. I watched the crash live on TV and well…I got emotional after watching that.
It could have been any rider and I’d have felt the same way. The way that Forkner hit, the impact, and the fact that it was concrete was truly a recipe for a worst case scenario situation. My heart sunk. Then, for some reason, we kept replaying the crash…which is something I often think about. Why did we do this? That is someone’s child, husband, and sibling out there. Are we really so focused on views that we need to replay that over and over again? Then of course we have to put it on social for more views. I’ll never understand it. I’ll never willingly watch that crash. It’s too much.
Anyway, my point is, Forkner is clearly one of the toughest motocross racers of all-time. Not only did he have the crash, but then he also found out that he would have to have brain surgery on top of those injuries for something completely unrelated. When you add all of those setbacks this year with all of the setbacks and injuries from years past, well you clearly have a rider with some unfinished business.
Forkner can win on any given weekend. That is evident by him having the most wins in 250SX by current riders in that class. He should be at least a one or two-time champion by this point, but those injuries truly got in the way of that.
Can you imagine the story of Forkner when he stays healthy and wins an SX championship? They are going to have to make a movie about it! He’s already on the Mount Rushmore of toughest riders that this sport has ever seen. I couldn’t believe it when he posted that he was back riding. I assumed he still had some ways to go considering he just had brain surgery this summer!
Here we are heading into 2025 and Forkner has a fresh start with Triumph. He hasn’t ridden anything but a Kawasaki since the end of 2010, so this is going to be a big change. Triumph hired him because they know that when he’s healthy he can bring the brand to reach new heights. He puts them from podium contenders to championship contenders immediately.
I’m a big fan of Austin Forkner. From what he’s had to overcome in his career and he’s never given up. I hope nothing but the best for him in 2025.
Main image: Triumph
