Image: Octopi Media.

Round eight of the Pro Motocross Championship in Washougal marked a season-high fifth overall for Triumph Factory Racing’s Austin Forkner, still racing his way back into shape following an extended hiatus from competition last year.

A frightening fall while leading Arlington’s Monster Energy Supercross 250SX East main event in 2024 left Forkner with fractures to his L3 and L4 vertebrae, as well as a broken scapula, before undergoing corrective brain surgery in June.

After nine seasons with the Mitch Payton-led Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team, Forkner then made a high-profile off-season switch to the Triumph Factory Racing program, and has since been further developing the new TF 250-X.

An eighth-place result at Millville was followed by Saturday’s fifth in the Pacific Northwest, with the 26-year-old indicating that all signs are pointing in the right direction as he continues to build back to true form.

“I made a big change for this year to a whole new team, which is the first time in my career that I have done that,” commented Forkner. “I also took the longest time I have taken off… I was eight months off the bike with my crash in Dallas and my brain surgery, so I am kind of racing my way back into shape.

“We’re also learning more about the bike after every race, and we finally pulled a couple of good starts today – it’s amazing what a good start will do. I put together my laps, rode within my limits, and we finished with 5-5 for fifth, so I think we are right where we need to be at this point in the year.”

After eight rounds of racing, Forkner sits 17th in the 250MX standings, as well as 14th in the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) points tally, where the top 20 seeded riders will earn an entry into the post-season finals starting in September.