Austin Forkner started his racing motocross career in 2003 at the age of five. In his first year racing, he won the Show-Me Fall Series. Later on, he continued racing in his home state until 2005, when he entered his first amateur national event at Ponca City, finishing top 10 in either 50cc 7-8 classes.

Racing and being competitive “runs” in Austin’s veins. His father is a smooth motocross rider, and his mother is a barrel racer on horses, making it only natural for them to support Austin. His parents were Austin’s primary support through 2010. In that same year, Austin was the only youth rider to win TWO National Titles at Loretta’s. Since his first AMA National title at Loretta's, Austin has been on the Kawasaki Team Green bikes as a factory supported rider.

In 2015, Austin set his sights on the pro ranks and made a plan on how he would transition to professional racing. He made his last performance as an amateur racer at the Loretta Lynn National Championships in August 2015 with 2 victories. Then he started working on his pro program. In September, in his first pro race, he finished 4th behind 3 seasoned veterans of the sport. In January he raced 2 Arenacross races winning the second one in Greensboro. Austin wrapped up his amateur career with wins at Daytona and Freestone.