So Sad:”I May Not Return” Austin Forkner Declares After Surgery.
After a strong start to the 2024 Supercross East Region Championship, Forkner found himself in a big crash during round 2 in February. He was ejected off the bike and track where he suffered spine and scapula injuries.
Expected to make a full recovery and return to racing the AMA Pro Motocross series currently underway, he has missed the first 4 rounds.
Forkner announced today that while preparing for the outdoor season the doctors recommended testing his head before returning to racing.
In that, they found an AVM (arteriovenous malformations). Essentially a “cluster of blood vessels that are abnormal.” A condition Forkner said he was born with and has known about since 2017 when it bled once before.
To avoid any future complications, Forkner removed it just two weeks ago. After a successful surgery, he now hopes to return to riding in 3 months and is eager to prepare for the 2025 season.
Austin Forkner has been sidelined from racing since his crash at the Arlington Supercross back in February.
The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider was about two laps away from taking his second straight win to start the 2024 250SX East Region Championship in Monster Energy AMA Supercross when he had a scary crash that saw him ejected from his bike.
A few days later, he posted a video to his Instagram that detailed what he believed happened in the crash and the injuries he suffered. He was expecting to make a full recovery and compete in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, but he was unable to race the first four rounds.
Today, the long-time Kawasaki rider posted another Instagram video update. In the video—over ten minutes long—Forkner explains he was going to race Pro Motocross but had to get his head tested before returning to racing since he had such a brutal hit during his crash.
Doctors wanted to take a look at an issue he had problems with years ago: an arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), which he said are basically a “cluster of blood vessels that are abnormal.” Forkner said he has known about this issue since 2017 and is something he was born with, but doctors recommended they fix sooner rather than later.
Forkner said he underwent brain surgery last week (two procedures and a surgery) to get the issue taken care of hopefully for good.
He said the doctors are expecting him to make a full recovery and he is anticipating returning to riding on a turn track in about three months. This will end his 2024 campaign as he looks ahead to the 2025 season. You can watch his full Instagram video below.