Kellymoss Sparks STEM & Motorsports Dreams With Be Your Own Hero Program

Forbes

02-05-2025

PMNA Carrera Cup Test 2025-12, Ashley Freiberg, Kellymoss
For decades, Kellymoss has been a dominant force in motorsports, amassing thousands of podium finishes and more than 48 championships. But beyond the roar of engines and the gleam of trophies, a deeper mission has been quietly taking shape.
At the heart of that mission is Victoria Thomas, CFO and co-owner of Kellymoss. In 2024, she helped launch Race Forward, an initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for women and underrepresented communities—not just behind the wheel, but across all roles within the racing industry.
One of the key components of Race Forward is the Be Your Own Hero program. This effort is designed to engage young people in STEM education and introduce them to potential careers in motorsports. It blends hands-on learning with real-world exposure, pairing trackside experiences with the personal stories of professional drivers.
Participants don't just observe racing from the sidelines. They take part in educational sessions led by professional drivers, where they explore the technical and human sides of the sport. Activities like tire-changing challenges or data analysis tasks are paired with candid conversations about career paths in motorsports, making the industry more accessible and tangible.
As Be Your Own Hero continues to grow, it's offering a new kind of blueprint—one that shows how racing teams, sponsors, and educators can collaborate to foster inclusion. Not by changing the rules of the sport, but by broadening youth participation.
Kellymoss: Race Forward, "Be Your Own Hero". Drivers Lonis Unser and Ashley Freiberg
The Be Your Own Hero program is anchored by two drivers with distinctly different paths but a shared commitment to outreach.
PSCNASebring 3/1/2025 Cayman, Loni Unser
Loni Unser represents a well-known name in racing, but her individual trajectory has been anything but inherited. Competing in endurance and spec Miata series before joining Kellymoss in 2024, she quickly made an impression, securing five podiums and a third-place class finish in her first season. While Unser's pedigree might draw initial attention, it's her hands-on approach and open communication with young fans that has made her a standout mentor.
Unser's participation extends beyond scheduled appearances. At a recent community car show, she spent hours talking with kids and their families—not about wins and stats, but about persistence, learning from mistakes, and staying curious. Her presence in the program highlights how access to professional athletes in informal settings can reshape the perspective on what's possible.
PMNA Carrera Cup 2025, Ashley Freiberg
Ashley Freiberg brings a different kind of story—one marked by resilience in the face of recurring funding and sponsorship challenges. Her career has spanned multiple disciplines, from karting to open wheel to endurance and sports car racing. In 2023, she won the Porsche Sprint Challenge Championship, and in 2025, she moved up to the Porsche Carrera Cup North America, the top level of single-make Porsche competition.
What distinguishes Freiberg in the Meet Your Hero context is not just her racing résumé, but the vulnerability she brings when talking about setbacks. She's candid about the interruptions in her career and how those experiences have strengthened her drive. For kids attending the sessions, that honesty stands out. She doesn't present racing as a dream without obstacles, she exemplifies it as something worth fighting for.
Kellymoss CFO, Co-Owner Victoria Thomas
Q: How did you become involved with Kellymoss and what has your journey has looked like as a co-owner and CFO?
Thomas: It's actually a pretty unusual route into motorsport. I owned an accounting business and was initially brought in by Kellymoss to evaluate the profitability of their different divisions. I gave them some insights that really resonated, and they basically said, 'Oh my gosh, we absolutely need you on board full time.'
In motorsports, like in many passion-driven industries, people get involved because they love what they do. In this case, it's racing. Paperwork isn't usually what excites people, but for me, it is. I've always enjoyed helping business owners understand that financial statements are the heartbeat of their company. I love helping people grasp profitability, improve cash flow, and truly understand their numbers.
So I started out as a consultant, and after being offered a position multiple times, I finally said yes. I closed my business and came on board full time, focusing for years on improving the financial strength of the company. Then I fell in love with the investment potential of the air-cooled Porsche—still one of my favorite things—and eventually with racing itself. Now, I'm about the most devoted motorsports fanatic you'll ever meet. Funny enough, I wasn't even a car person when I started!
Q: We've talked a bit about your personal mission and your commitment to increasing diversity in motorsports, not just among racers but across the entire industry. What inspired the Race Forward: Be Your Hero initiative, and how does it reflect that mission?
Thomas: It came from a few different places. One idea was using superhero-style illustrations of women as a way to engage younger audiences, particularly middle schoolers. I wanted something that wasn't just "girl power", I wanted it to be broader and more inclusive.
The 'Be Your Hero' concept centers around personal empowerment. It's about taking responsibility not only for your successes but also for your failures. I don't think our culture talks enough about how important failure is for growth. That message—owning your journey, embracing the lessons, is something I deeply believe in.
The initiative really came together quickly. I had the idea, found an artist, and within a few hours we were building out the concept. My husband actually suggested bringing the superhero-themed race cars to middle schools, along with our female drivers, to make a real impact, and that's how it all started.
2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge, Kellymoss CFO, Co-Owner Victoria Thomas
Q: Lonni Unser and Ashley Freiberg are key drivers in this initiative. What makes them such powerful mentors and representatives for the program?
Thomas: First and foremost: tenacity. Both of these women understand that what matters isn't how many times you get knocked down, but how you get back up. They've both demonstrated that in powerful ways.
They're also deeply passionate about getting people involved in the sport. When you meet them, it's easy to connect, they're relatable. Lonni has an incredible family racing pedigree, but she's still very much the girl next door. Ashley, on the other hand, has repeatedly had to rebuild and push forward. They're both truly remarkable.
It's been amazing to partner with sponsors like Acumatica, who saw the value in this initiative right away. We're not just inspiring young people—we're also incorporating STEM education. Everything in motorsports is tied to STEM in one way or another, so it's a natural fit.
Q: That's truly inspiring. Have you had any memorable interactions with young fans or families through these events?
Thomas: Yes, one that really stuck with me happened in Sebring. A young girl named Amelia, maybe six or seven years old, came over absolutely lit up with excitement. She told me, 'I want to drive on your race team someday.' She signed Lonni's car, sat in it, and just glowed.
That moment meant everything. A single visual, the image of a female superhero on a race car, was enough to ignite her dream. That's powerful. Remind me later, and I'll send you a picture of her in the car. She's just adorable.
Porsche Sprint Challenge North America, USA West, Endurance Challenge. Loni Unser. Sonoma Raceway, ... More Sonoma, California, 2025.
Q: I'd love to see that. So what's ahead for Race Forward and for Kelly Moss? Are there any new plans or expansions in the works?
Thomas: We're very confident that the Race Forward program will continue next year. Our hope is to expand the number of female drivers and increase representation. Right now, Kelly Moss has four women on the team, which is pretty amazing.
We're also running the Motorsport Mastery program again with the Girl Scouts. It's a hands-on experience where girls use impact guns to change tires and tackle challenges, not just as drivers, but in all the roles motorsports offers. We want to show that there's a place for them as engineers, truck drivers, technicians, and more.
Most of our C-suite are women, and we're proud to walk the walk. Sharing that story helps us change the statistics and inspire the next generation.
Q: That's incredible. Any final thought or insight you'd like to share?
Thomas: I'd say this: there's a misconception that efforts toward gender and racial equity in motorsports are somehow taking something away. That's not the case at all. This work is pro-industry. It helps every team, every driver, every track.
I'm proudly pro-woman—but that doesn't mean I'm anti-man. It's about building a bigger table, not taking anyone's seat away. Someone said recently that the goal is for initiatives like this to feel unnecessary in six or seven years because inclusion is simply the norm. That's the dream.