Still putting the effort in he was before; his perspective has changed.

“Yeah, I mean, that's the thing,” he said on his current outlook on life. “It's like, even I kind of was thinking about it the other day that, like, I moved past the whole brain thing really, really quick. And yeah, it sucked in the moment, but, like, I got through it, I got past it, and I haven't really thought back about it. But that was a pretty gnarly deal. Like that was that was a that was a pretty like big deal in my life, in my career, kind of.”

“The Dallas crash but then to find out about my head and be able to get that taken care of before it led to something possibly deadly,” he continued. “Like, maybe I didn't even...maybe I wouldn't even be here. Maybe I wouldn't even be alive. You know, that was a potential risk with what was in my head. So, looking back on that, I just literally was talking to my wife about that yesterday is like, that was a pretty gnarly deal. Like when I look back at it. So, yeah, to even be here, to be where I'm very grateful for that. To even be here, I mean, like to even be alive, I'm actually grateful for in the condition that I'm in: able to ride my dirt bike, able to be here, able to hold my son. That's just a blessing in itself. So, yeah, I'm just grateful to be here.”

His results have been up and down this year. A completely new program, a completely new bike (to him and professional racing in general really, just one season in before this year), and a completely new outlook on life. But Forkner has pushed through and put in the work. Most of his riders have been hard-fought charges but go unnoticed as he goes from 20th to tenth or 30th to 20th. An article by PulpMX’s Nick Taylor noted Forkner having the ninth-most net positive positions gained in the 250 Class of 2025 Pro Motocross, tallying 56 total positions gained from the holeshot strip to the checkered flag.

Plus, factor in how many injuries he has had that kept him out of Pro Motocross; this is uncharted territory for the #83 machine.

“It's the first time in my career I've made it this far [in a season],” he said.

“Trying to rebound and just keep fighting to break inside that top five,” he comment. “I feel like fifth to eighth is, I think, where I should be with a good start, with a good ride, maybe even a little bit better. So, that's just what I'm still striving for.”

With being at the races, his confidence grew. His riding was better, even if the results did not show it on paper. He has his loose style back—throwing whips and having some swagger—but he is again more in control while riding, again less reckless than say in 2017.

“It's just confidence,” he said on showing some style. “Yeah, it's just confidence. That's what everybody said whenever I was throwing whips and stuff at Millville. They're like, "Oh! The vintage AF is starting to poke through a little bit!" So, yeah, it's just confidence, comfortability. Which is all just coming around with you know, the more time we get on the bike and me getting better, getting better results, that just all builds confidence.

And while he is no longer racing for Mitch Payton’s team, the two still have a relationship from afar.

“Yeah, me and Mitch, I mean, we still talk,” he said. “Rylee still talks to Mitch's wife, Kristen. And I still, you know, I walk by them, and I walked by them headed up to the podium at Washougal and just patted him on the back and kind of just kept walking. But like, we see each other, you know, I see Ian [Southwell] from the team, I see Mitch and we always just kind of just kind of not a long talk, but just a little, "How's it going, man?" Yeah. Just respect. ‘Hey, what's up? How's it going?’ [Like a, ‘We] Still support you, we still back you from afar,’ I guess, sort of thing is the vibe that I get from them. And, you know obviously I'm grateful for everything that they have done for me, for my career up until this year. Basically, it's they stuck behind me through a lot of injuries, a lot of tough times. You know, I got I got a lot of wins for him, which I'm happy for. But, yeah, I'm thankful for them, for everything I've done for me up until this year.”

Forkner’s post-race quote in the Triumph PR from the Pro Motocross finale says it all, especially that last line:

"It was not a great day, but it was not terrible either. I am happy to complete the season. I could not find a flow as the track broke down, but we learned a lot with the bike. It was a chaotic day of racing, to be honest, with two red flags and a crash in turn one. Being healthy as we enter the postseason is a win."

Give it time. Before we know it, Forkner will once again be a force to reckoned with.

Austin Forkner's 2025 Regular Season Results