Ryan Phinny gets comfortable in first IndyCar test with KV Racing Technology - MotorSportsTalk

KV Racing Technology is yet to name its second driver alongside KVSH Racing driver Sebastien Bourdais, who will be with the team for his second season.

But American rookie hopeful Ryan Phinny has now had his first outing with KV Racing Technology, Monday at Sebring International Raceway’s short course for a one-day test.

Phinny has spoken openly of his ambitions to get into the Verizon IndyCar Series and now with this first test, should be a step closer.

“The situation at the team itself is fantastic,” Phinny told MotorSportsTalk on Monday night. “Leaving today, I feel positive.

“My biggest thing is getting seat time. I feel comfortable and acclimated to the car. It’s drastically different than anything I had driven before, but I’m not over my head.”

Phinny, the 25-year-old Los Angeles resident who would seek to be a rare L.A. native in the series full-time, studied copiously in advance of his first test.

Surprisingly, considering his experience in sports cars and Indy Lights over the last eight to nine years, his test Monday marked his first ever run on Sebring’s short course.

It was also interrupted midday for a mechanical issue that cost him about two and a half hours of running. But thanks to the KV Racing Technology crew, Phinny was able to get back out for the final half hour of the day and bring his lap total north of 40 overall.

“‘I’ve been here, but never on the short course,” Phinny said. “Jumping in a car like this compared to even an LMP or DP car or GT car makes for a drastic difference, but still a great experience.

“Doing the Lights stuff last year, has helped me get ready for this test. It made a lot of sense. I feel confident and I’m thankful the team is happy with me. They’d be the first ones to say if they weren’t.”

Phinny said the biggest adjustment in stepping up from an Indy Lights chassis into an IndyCar is learning the braking on the Dallara DW12, as the car fitted with Brembo’s carbon brakes.

“Primarily the braking is the big thing,” Phinny said. “I’ve driven cars with similar horsepower, but weigh a lot more. But to drive one that’s as light and quick as this, to have the braking power that it has was a cool experience. I spent the first session, session and a half getting acclimated to that. Having all the controls on the steering wheel is really nice.”

KV Racing Technology is yet to decide on a driver for the second car. Stefano Coletti impressed the team in his last test at NOLA Motorsports Park, and Phinny would be another potential rookie candidate in contention for the seat, which is now the No. 4 Chevrolet engineered by Matt Curry.

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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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