Full recap: Block kicks off Red Bull GRC season with win in Fort Lauderdale - MotorSportsTalk

A year ago, Ken Block opened his Red Bull Global Rallycross season on his roof in Barbados.

On Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, he opened his 2015 campaign in victory lane.

The full release from Red Bull GRC is below. Meanwhile, a separate link out video to Block’s win, via Ford Performance, is linked here on MST.

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Ken Block backed up his season-ending win in Las Vegas last year with a victory to kick off the 2015 Red Bull Global Rallycross season, taking top honors in the season-opening race at the Bahia Mar Resort in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Block held off strong charges from Formula 1 veterans Scott Speed and Nelson Piquet Jr., who completed the podium.

“Racing these two really talented tarmac drivers was really tough!” Block said after the race. “They really pushed me and our team all weekend, and it was a lot of fun. It came down to starts, and I got lucky—I got quick on the starts, was able to put some good times in, and came out with the win. It’s a great way to start the year!”

Block, who finished third in his first heat after an aggressive overtake attempt on Speed put him into the tire barriers, took second place in the second round and converted the front row starting spot into a victory in his semifinal. In the main event, Block used the Kobalt Tools Joker Lap immediately to grab the lead, then extended his gap over the field to take his fourth career Supercar victory.

In GRC Lites, Austin Cindric took a commanding victory in his first race for Olsbergs MSE, winning every on-track session he competed in. The American driver defeated Colombian Alejandro Fernandez and Swede Oliver Eriksson for the crown, heading home with the maximum 56 possible points.

Unofficial results from Red Bull Global Rallycross Fort Lauderdale are as follows:

1. Ken Block, #43 Hoonigan Racing Division Ford Fiesta ST
2. Scott Speed, #41 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
3. Nelson Piquet Jr., #07 SH Racing Rallycross Ford Fiesta ST
5. Tanner Foust, #34 Volkswagen Andretti Rallycross Beetle
6. Austin Dyne, #14 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST
7. Steve Arpin, #00 Chip Ganassi Racing Ford Fiesta ST
8. Victor Gonzalez Jr., #99 Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Veloster
9. Sverre Isachsen, #11 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
10. Bucky Lasek, #81 Subaru Rally Team USA WRX STI
11. Patrik Sandell, #18 Bryan Herta Rallysport Ford Fiesta ST
12. Joni Wiman, #31 Olsbergs MSE Ford Fiesta ST

Red Bull Global Rallycross heads to the Circuit of the Americas next for X Games Austin, a non-points, invitational round on the 2015 schedule. The next points-paying event for Red Bull GRC is a doubleheader at Daytona International Speedway on June 19-21.

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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