Mikkel Haarup, Austin Forkner Dig Deep at Ironman

Pristine Auction Triumph Factory Racing’s Mikkel Haarup has put his TF 250-X in podium contention once again, as he took sixth overall at the ninth stop of the 2025 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Ironman. Haarup was joined in the top 10 by teammate Austin Forkner, on what was a day of mixed fortunes for the Triumph outfit.

Haarup has proven to be a top six mainstay in the 250MX division, despite his inexperience on American tracks. A poor start in moto one hindered him – he was 16th at the end of the first lap and had to make immediate passes to maintain any hope of a trophy. Countless moves helped him climb all the way to fifth at the chequered flag. The second moto was less eventful; he started fourth and ended ninth to take sixth in the overall classification. Sixth is the position that he holds in the championship standings as well.

Forkner's ability to make passes late in the moto was useful once more at Ironman; he sat on the cusp of the points early in moto one before unleashing an incredible burst of speed and climbing all the way to 11th! Encouraged by what had just happened, he captured a better start in moto two and once again lapped considerably faster than those around him at the end to steal 10th. Consistency paid off for Forkner. 11-10 scores put him ninth in 250MX.

A terrific first stint left Jordon Smith with podium aspirations; he was sixth in the race and showed positive form in the latter moments when his competitors started to fade. A top-10 start in the second moto left him in a position to capitalise on that fitness, but a fall on lap one dashed all hope. Dropping down to 33rd place, Smith climbed all of the way to 19th to salvage 12th overall.

Jalek Swoll had an issue in the second qualification session that left him with a suspected muscle injury. Despite salvaging a 10th in moto one, he was forced to retire after a collision on lap one of moto two. Swoll will undergo medical evaluation on Monday to investigate the root of the pain that he experienced at Ironman and determine his status for the rest of the 2025 season.

Unadilla, the site of Triumph's maiden Pro Motocross podium, looms for the Triumph quartet. The round is set for August 16 and marks the penultimate stop of this outdoor series. Now, with Ironman complete, race-worn racewear and plastics will be available on Pristine Auction.

Mikkel Haarup

"That's round nine done! I thought it was a strong showing overall. I did not have the best start in moto one, but I fought really hard to get fifth. I was proud of that effort – I gave everything that I had! I improved my start in moto two and was chasing a podium position, but my body was done. I had to cruise it over the finish line. I am looking forward to the next two races!"

Jordon Smith

"I came from around 10th to sixth in the first moto, which I was happy with. My fitness felt very good too. I got together with another rider on lap one of the second moto and went down, then everything just snowballed from there. It was not a great moto, so my focus has already shifted to redemption at Unadilla."

Austin Forkner

"It was not a bad day at Ironman! I qualified terribly and had some pain in my leg after dabbing it. I did not have the intensity at the start of moto one either, but I was so strong at the end! I passed for 11th in the final corner. I used a lot of energy, which made the second moto tricky but I was happy with 10th. I will take ninth overall on the day and I was happy with the bike, especially as the track got rougher."

Jalek Swoll "The day started well, but injuries suck. That ruined the day for me. It has been an uphill battle, after tweaking my leg in practice. I honestly did all that I could. Racing injured was tougher than I thought, however, so now I want to get healthy."

Jeremy Coker – General Manager, Triumph Racing America

"This was a tough event. The team worked hard to get Jalek and Austin feeling good, after mishaps in the second timed session. Jalek had a superb start in moto one but slipped backwards due to pain and eventually retired from moto two. We will evaluate his health once back at our base. All the riders rode great at points in that first moto. We knew that the second moto would be a challenge with the heat, but everyone put their heads down and gave it their best. It was not our best showing but we still had two riders in the top 10 – Mikkel was sixth with Austin ninth – with Jordon just missing out in 12th. The team will work harder than ever this week and come back stronger."

250MX Results: 2025 AMA Pro Motocross, Round Nine – Ironman

1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 1-1

2. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 2-2

3. Tom Vialle (KTM) 3-3

4. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) 4-6

5. Drew Adams (Kawasaki) 8-5

6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 5-9

9. Austin Forkner (Triumph) 11-10

12. Jordon Smith (Triumph) 6-19

16. Jalek Swoll (Triumph) 10-39

250MX Standings: 2025 AMA Pro Motocross, Round Nine – Ironman

1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 418pts

2. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 367pts

3. Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) 286pts

4. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 265pts

5. Tom Vialle (KTM) 242pts

6. Mikkel Haarup (Triumph) 239pts

10. Jordon Smith (Triumph) 171pts

15. Austin Forkner (Triumph) 132pts

18. Jalek Swoll (Triumph) 115pts