Clear skies welcomed Austin Forkner and Adam Cianciarulo on Saturday for the FIM World Motocross Grand Prix at Charlotte Motorspeedway in North Carolina.
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team took advantage of the track’s near perfect conditions during practice and snagged the top two spots. Both riders eagerly waited for the gate to drop to ride against the world’s best!
As the start gate fell 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 chequers in third and found himself on the MXGP podium for the first time in his career.
“I surprised myself by having the fastest lap time in qualifying,” said Austin. “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.”
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 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 chequers in second and finished third overall in MX2 at the MXGP of the Americas.
“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,” added Austin. “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 US 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 US champion and a world champion, it was a great experience and I’m leaving with a trophy!”
The team will get another chance to competed against the world’s best this weekend at Glen Helen Raceway at MXGP of the USA.
MX2 Results from MXGP of the Americas
- Webb, Cooper. USA
- Herlings, Jeffrey. NED
- Forkner, Austin. USA
- Covington, Thomas. USA
- Vlaanderen, Calvin. NED
- Seewer, Jeremy. SUI
- Harrison, Mitchell. USA
- Anstie, Max. GBR
- Paturel, Benoit. FRA
- Bogers, Brian. NED
