Forkner, Pro Circuit Racing Nab First Win of 2020 for JE Pistons

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Forkner St. Louis Supercros JE

Austin Forkner took home his first win of the 2020 Supercross season under the lights in St. Louis aboard his JE Pistons powered Pro Circuit KX250. See the full official release here.

With a renewed focus and a fresh approach to the 2020 season, Austin Forkner secured his first Western Regional 250SX Class Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, win of 2020 Saturday night at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis.

Forkner St Louis Podium SX 2020
Forkner’s first win in 2020 was the result of months of hard work coming off 2019 injury.

Forkner, a native of Richards, Mo., turned in a dominant performance before the home-state crowd and picked up his eighth career 250SX Class win aboard his JE Pistons-powered No. 52 Kawasaki KX250 with 51,000-plus in attendance.

After a handful of close calls in 2019, a practice crash in Nashville that left him with a torn ACL, and losing the Eastern Regional 250SX Class championship, he seemed destined to win. Forkner exorcised the demons of last year with an impressive flag-to-flag victory.

Forkner St. Louis JE
Making his first win a flag-to-flag performance is a testament to both Forkner as an athlete and the commitment of the entire Pro Circuit team.

“It was good,” commented Forkner who finished fifth in last week’s Anaheim opener. “I was obviously happy to get a win in St. Louis. It’s kind of like a bucket list type win. This is the closest race to home and I’ve been coming to this race for a long time. Also, this is my first win since my ACL, so it just proves to myself I can still do it and still get up here, on the podium. Hopefully I can keep it going and keep clicking wins off. It’s just been a special night for me. I wasn’t feeling the best about how I was riding and where I was last weekend, but this weekend couldn’t have been more different. I felt good all day and comfortable on my KX250. I hope we can keep that momentum going.”

With the win, Forkner climbed the points ladder where he currently sits second, trailing leader Justin Cooper by just five points.

Forkner St. Louis JE 2
Forkner has established himself as a contender in what will likely be a challenging title fight for the 2020 West 250SX Championship.

Forkner’s Pro Circuit Racing teammate Cameron McAdoo was forced to withdraw from the event after a crash during the first qualifying left him physically unable to compete.

Meanwhile, JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Racing’s Alex Martin rode his JE-powered Suzuki RM-Z250 to a spirited fourth-place effort and his best showing of the season. Martin was ninth in both qualifying sessions, finished third in his heat race, and rode that momentum to his first top-five of the year. The solid effort also powered Martin into the top five in points where he sits just five points outside the top three.

Alex Martin St. Louis JE
Alex Martin put in a consistent night aboard his JE-powered JGRMX Suzuki for a third in his heat and a fourth in the main event.

“It was nice to be back racing in the Midwest,” commented Martin. “I’m from Minnesota, so St. Louis is the closest Supercross race to home for me. We made small changes to the bike for the main and that seemed to help. It was the best I felt and rode all day.  We’re only five points out of third in the championship. I’m excited to keep the momentum going heading into Anaheim next weekend!”

Monster Energy AMA Supercross returns to Anaheim, Calif., this weekend for the second visit of the season to Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The third of 17 races on the 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross schedule will be televised on NBCSN Sat., January 18 beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 7 p.m. Pacific.