2015 Rolex 24 Preview: PC class - MotorSportsTalk

We continue our look at the runners slated to compete in the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona with the second prototype category, Prototype Challenge. Of the four classes, this is the one with the single biggest odds-on favorite.

2014 RECAP

WINNERS: No. 54 CORE autosport, Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins, James Gue

PODIUM: No. 25 8Star Motorsports, Enzo Potolicchio, Tom Kimber-Smith, Rob Huff, Michael Marsal, No. 38 Performance Tech Motorsports, Raphael Matos, David Ostella, Tomy Drissi, Gabriel Casagrande, Julio Campos

POLE: No. 54 CORE autosport, Colin Braun

2015 FORECAST

ROAR RECAP: CORE autosport was a regular atop the sessions with Braun, although either Bruno Junqueira (RSR Racing) or Renger van der Zande (Starworks Motorsport) made the occasional impression to top the orange-and-white No. 54.

RACE OUTLOOK: Armed with an identical lineup as last year, CORE is odds-on favorite for a repeat and is poised to do so provided they have another trouble-free run. RSR or Starworks could upset the apple cart, but if someone other than those three factors into win or podium contention, it would serve as a fairly big surprise.

WIN CONTENDERS: As mentioned above, CORE, RSR and Starworks seem the only realistic win contenders, with CORE having a sizeable advantage over the others. The other five cars entered in class have some combination of new drivers, inexperienced drivers, or race inexperience as a team.

THE REST OF THE RUNNERS: Neither 8Star nor Performance Tech had what you would deem an “all-star” lineup last year but made it to the podium via largely trouble-free races. That’s the hope here for the leftover five. Some standout drivers to watch should include a trio of Englishmen in Kimber-Smith (No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen), Martin Plowman (No. 61 BAR1) and Johnny Mowlem (No. 16 BAR1). The Performance Tech and JDC-Miller entries will be looking, mainly, to avoid staying out of trouble. Performance Tech features a quartet of drivers all making their first Rolex 24 starts.

CLASS ENTRY LIST (8 cars, all Oreca FLM09)

8 Renger van der Zande, Mirco Schultis, Alex Popow, Mike Hedlund, Enrique Bernoldi, Starworks Motorsport
11 Bruno Junqueira, Chris Cumming, Jack Hawksworth, Gustavo Menezes, RSR Racing
16 Johnny Mowlem, Tom Papadopoulos, Tomy Drissi, Brian Alder, BAR1 Motorsports
38 Jerome Mee, James French, James Vance, Sean Johnston, Performance Tech Motorsports
52 Mike Guasch, Andrew Novich, Andrew Palmer, Tom Kimber-Smith, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
54 Colin Braun, Jon Bennett, Mark Wilkins, James Gue, CORE autosport
61 Martin Plowman, Marc Drumwright, Chapman Ducote, Cody Ware, BAR1 Motorsports
85 Stephen Simpson, Chris Miller, Rusty Mitchell, Mikhail Goikhberg, JDC-Miller Motorsports

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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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