IndyCar: Foyt expands to 2 cars, adds Hawksworth alongside Sato - MotorSportsTalk

A.J. Foyt Enterprises confirmed Wednesday its long-rumored expansion to two full-time cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, which marks the first time for the team to do so since 2000.

Jack Hawksworth will shift over from one Honda-powered team to the other, and take the reins of the No. 41 ABC Supply Co. Honda, while Takuma Sato will return to the team for his third season, and sixth overall in IndyCar, in 2015. As he has the last two seasons, he’ll continue in the No. 14 ABC Supply Co. Honda.

Additionally, ABC Supply Co. has extended its current contract with the Foyt camp through the 2016 season.

“Running two cars is nothing new for me but it’s been a while,” said the four-time Indianapolis 500 champion in a statement. “I always said we wouldn’t do it again unless we had the proper people and support to do it right.

“We’ve got two drivers who love winning – almost as much as I do – and our sponsor ABC Supply, whose support is only outdone by their loyalty. I’m looking forward to next year being the best one yet.”

Hawksworth was a bit of a revelation in his rookie season at Bryan Herta Autosport in 2014, with several Firestone Fast Six appearances and his first career podium at Houston race two (third).

“This is a great opportunity for me,” Hawksworth said. “Ultimately, I want to win races and I feel that this is the place I can do that. We’ve got everything in place, a great sponsor in ABC, and good people who build quick cars, so we have the potential to build something really special.

“That’s what excites me. It’s a growing project and I want to grow with it, be a part of it and be a part of its success.”

Sato scored two pole positions and a best finish of fourth (Sonoma) in the 2014 season, and finished 18th in points, just one spot behind Hawksworth. It was a season where bad luck frequently got the better of him and prevented him from producing more standout results.

The former F1 pilot acknowledged that “we need more improvement” but feels the expansion to two cars will help in that regard.

“That is just the nature of racing,” he said. “So as a two-car team, it should boost these things massively. The track time is very limited nowadays but there are always tons of things to try. That will be especially true with the new bodywork that’s coming.

“To have quality testing and maximized running time to evaluate the car is essential. I am very much looking forward to starting winter testing right away.”

As for team director Larry Foyt, he touched on the team’s expansion and addition of Hawksworth. The team recently added a new shop in Indianapolis to go along with its long standing one in Houston.

“It’s hard to express in words how thrilling it is to be expanding our operation,” said Foyt. “It has been a goal of mine for years, and to finally see it become reality … All I can say is that it has already been a special and busy offseason. I can’t give enough gratitude to ABC Supply for their continued support of the ABC Supply/AJ Foyt Racing program.

“How quickly 10 years goes by. There have been many ups and downs, but they have stuck with us and helped us grow into a team that will be a force to be reckoned with next year.”

With the partnership between Sato and engineer Don Halliday providing continuity, plus Hawksworth’s commitment to the team (which includes his own move to the Foyt team’s home base in Texas), Larry is naturally optimistic about the team’s chances next IndyCar season.

Soon, it will be time to try and put it all together. The boss won’t stand for anything less.

“Now we have to put the finishing pieces in place and produce because you know with A.J., only one thing matters – winning,” Larry said in closing.

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Vicki Golden has earned a career worthy of a thousand stories and 805 Beer tells at least one of them, as “Inverted Perspective” premiered March 30 on the company’s website and YouTube channel.

Golden did more to break the glass ceiling in SuperMotocross than she ever thought possible. She knows this because riders have never felt the need to explain any of her accomplishments with the disclaimer, “for a girl”.

At this point in Golden’s career, she’s been the first woman to finish top 10 in AMA Arenacross Lites, the first woman to qualify in the Fast 40 in Monster Energy AMA Supercross and the first woman to compete in freestyle Moto X competition, earning a bronze medal by doing so.

Her love for moto came from childhood while she watched her dad and brother ride. By seven she was on her bike and making waves throughout Southern California.

Golden, 30, is still madly in love with the sport and has no plans on moving away but her career is already one to talk about. 805 Beer’s film series wanted to do exactly that.

“I’m taken aback by it all,” Golden told NBC Sports about the documentary. “It’s just crazy to see your story, it’s one thing to live your life and battle everything that comes about but it’s another to just sit there and talk about it.”

805 approached Golden about the feature by asking, “Do you even realize that what you do, and your story is special?”

Golden took the question as a blank canvas to map out the highs and lows of her career and life.

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The title “Inverted Perspective” came from a brainstorming session with Dominick Russo and it highlights Golden’s outlook on the sport of SuperMotocross and her life in general.

“My whole life, my whole career was thinking differently and looking at things that shouldn’t be done and aren’t there, while being able to make a place for myself, where no one thought there should be a place,” Golden said. “It’s inspiring someone to think in different ways. It sums up my life.”

*Vicki Golden is not “fast for a girl”; she’s just fast. – 805 Beer*

While Golden is no stranger to the spotlight, this was the first time she’s been fully involved with the storytelling and creation of a feature about herself.

“It’s not like a full new experience,” Golden said. “Obviously, you get your standard questions about your upbringing and accomplishments, but I’ve never really put into perspective things that happened in my past with my dad and putting that to light. Also, certain other things that maybe got overlooked in previous interviews or films. I wanted to touch on these and Dom wanted to create a story. It’s just cool to see it come to light, it’s a nearly impossible thing to tell somebody’s life story in 40 minutes.”

Golden’s father was left paralyzed after an ATV accident, robbing him the opportunity to ride again. This happened a few months before the father-daughter duo was set to compete in the Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Nationals when Vicki was 12. While she might have been unable to grasp the severity at the time, it’s something she carries with her. Golden continues to ride in his honor.

Years later, an accident in 2018 nearly sidelined the then 25-year-old Vicki when a freestyle accident almost resulted in the amputation of her lower leg.

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Golden 805 Beer — *Vicki Golden has ridden a variety of disciplines in SuperMotocross, which gives her a unique perspective. – 805 Beer*

“Inverted Perspective” highlights her father’s diligence in helping Vicki continue with her career and the kindness and strength he carried while fighting his own battle.

“My dad was the entire reason that I started riding in the first place,” Golden said. “So, to honor his memory and to honor what we went through and how hard he pushed to keep our dream alive and keep everything going – in that sense then, it was really special to be able to honor him and talk about him.”

The 40-minute feature was filmed entirely in black and white, a stark contrast from the oversaturated world of motocross where the brighter the suit the easier it is for fans to find their rider and follow him in the race. By filming in monochrome Russo and Golden had the chance to focus on the race and track from a different perspective.

“It was cool to be able to film it differently,” Golden said. “It created a challenge in the sense of what was going to be more visually impactful for the film.

“I couldn’t be here without the companies that back me but at the same time, it’s not like the logos or colors disappeared, it’s just different lights shed on different spots. It’s just a cool way to do it and to take color away and still be impactful. When you think of black and white, you think of old school, the OG way of doing things.”

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