Hulkenberg avoids first lap woes, ends "maximum" seventh in Mexico (VIDEO) - MotorSportsTalk

From fifth place on the grid, the hope was high that Nico Hulkenberg could finally secure his first podium finish in a Grand Prix Sunday in Mexico City. The Sahara Force India driver, who will join Renault next year, outqualified both Ferraris – but was always concerned they’d get ahead of him on race day.

Hulkenberg could well have been the beneficiary had either Lewis Hamilton or Nico Rosberg been penalized for going wide through Turns 1 and 2 on the opening lap – Hamilton running wide after a lockup and Rosberg continuing through the grass after contact with Max Verstappen – but in the end he was fourth behind them once the Virtual Safety Car, then actual Safety Car was deployed following the Pascal Wehrlein accident behind them.

Hulkenberg would later drop behind the first of the Ferraris as Sebastian Vettel played the long game on softs to start the race, with 31 laps running.

Hulkenberg was still poised for sixth place though, running ahead of Kimi Raikkonen, before a late spin with contact between the two dropped him back behind the second Ferrari.

It was a slightly tough end but otherwise a good weekend, as Hulkenberg explained, because the Force India did not have the measure of the Ferrari in race pace.

“We weren’t fighting with same weapons. He had a massive car and tire advantage. I was surprised to keep him behind so long!” Hulkenberg told NBCSN.

“When it got serious, you could see he was trying to overtake me. He just had a big enough advantage. Braking on a dirty track with 60-odd lap tires is quite tricky. He turned in on me and I had no possibility to stop the car more. I had to spin to avoid a crash.”

Additionally, with Hulkenberg having gone out on the first lap of several Grands Prix this season – Austin and Singapore being the two most recent examples – it was a huge day for him to end seventh and secure valuable points. It’s his best result since coming fourth in Spa.

“This was the strategy for us. Two stop, we had nothing to gain. Seventh was the maximum today, as expected,” he said. “Nice as it was yesterday, you see with Seb, he’s way up the road. We don’t have the power or pace to fight them. I’m quite happy with my weekend. Yesterday was the highlight but today was a good drive.”

Hulkenberg was surprised Hamilton wasn’t investigated further for the first turn dust-up.

“I think so. I’m quite surprised. He was far from making Turn 1 and 2,” he said.

“The fact it wasn’t looked at is surprising to me. Otherwise you’re losing positions. I cant understand why that wasn’t looked at.”

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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.”

Hulkenberg avoids first lap woes, ends “maximum” seventh in Mexico (VIDEO)

Vicki Golden and 805 Beer tell a unique story from an Inverted Perspective

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