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Rinus van Kalmthout Latest racing news about Rinus van Kalmthout

The latest news on IndyCar driver Rinus van Kalmthout.

IndyCar driver gets suspicious looks from competitors: "They say the steward is biased"
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IndyCar driver gets suspicious looks from competitors: "They say the steward is biased"
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Biography of Rinus VeeKay

Rinus van Kalmthout was born on September 11, 2000, in Hoofddorp, Netherlands. His father Marijn van Kalmthout is also a racing driver. VeeKay started karting in his youth and was soon recognized by coach Pierre Redeker as having a unique talent. After several years in international karting, VeeKay moved to the United States. In 2017, he joined the USF2000 National Championship, the American counterpart of Formula Ford. In fourteen races, the Dutch driver finished on the podium an impressive twelve times, including three wins. VeeKay finished second in the championship and moved up to the Pro Mazda Championship.

In the Pro Mazda Championship, VeeKay immediately showed his talent. During his debut at the Saint Petersburg street circuit, VeeKay won both races. He went on to win a total of seven races and was crowned champion with 412 points for Juncos Racing.

Rinus VeeKay Indy Lights

In 2019, the man from Hoofddorp once again raced for Juncos Racing, but this time in the Indy Lights, the junior program of the IndyCar Series. Of the eighteen races, he finished on the podium fourteen times, including six wins. He finished second in the championship.

During his time in the Indy Lights, VeeKay also competed in the Asian F3 Winter Series, which he convincingly won. His strong performances in both the Indy Lights and Asian F3 Winter Series earned him a spot in the IndyCar Series.

Rinus VeeKay IndyCar

In July 2019, Ed Carpenter Racing announced that VeeKay would be participating in an IndyCar test at the Portland circuit. Later in 2019, the team announced that VeeKay would compete in the IndyCar Series starting in 2020.

VeeKay's debut race did not go well. He crashed in free practice, damaging his car so severely that he was unable to participate in qualifying. During the race, he crashed again. His second race went better, finishing fifth at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He earned his first podium at the same track, finishing third in the twelfth round of the 2020 IndyCar Series.

Rinus VeeKay Indy500 2020

As part of the IndyCar Series championship, VeeKay also participated in the 2020 Indy500. VeeKay made an impression right from the start, setting the fastest time in the first practice. He also performed well during the first qualifying session, securing sixth place in the Fast Nine, the last qualifying session that determines the starting lineup for the first three rows. During the Fast Nine Shootout, VeeKay recorded the fourth-fastest time, making him both the fastest rookie and the fastest Chevrolet driver on the grid.

VeeKay started the Indianapolis 500 from fourth place. The race started well for the Dutchman; he drove in the top five for a long time. However, during his pit stop, he made a braking mistake and hit one of his mechanics. This resulted in a stop-and-hold penalty. Thanks to his penalty, VeeKay fell far behind and finished twentieth.

First victory

In 2021, VeeKay once again competed for the Ed Carpenter Racing team. He started the season strongly with six finishes in the points out of seven races. During the fifth round of the championship, VeeKay achieved his first victory in the IndyCar Series. Once again, it was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where VeeKay showed his true talent. The next race took place again in Indianapolis, this time on the oval (outer ring) of the circuit. During a training session on April 8th, VeeKay had a heavy crash, breaking his finger. On May 22nd, VeeKay participated in the qualifying for the Indy500, where he joined the Fast Nine, as he did the previous year. During the Fast Nine qualifying, VeeKay clocked the third fastest time, behind Scott Dixon and Colton Herta. VeeKay started the 2021 Indy500 in third place and fought for the lead for a long time. He eventually finished eighth. One race later, VeeKay stood on the podium: he finished second in Detroit. After this race, VeeKay's year fell apart: in the second half of the season, he failed to finish a single race in the points.

Rinus VeeKay during the 2022 season

In 2022, VeeKay was also under contract with Ed Carpenter Racing. He had a mixed season, with the highlight being a third place at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. VeeKay's Indy500 weekend was also mixed. VeeKay set the fastest time during the first qualifying session. Thanks to a strong lap in the Fast Six Qualifying, he started the race - just like in 2021 - from third place. In lap 39, the Dutchman lost control of his car. He ended up in the wall and finished last with a DNF. In 2023, Rinus VeeKay will once again compete in the IndyCar Series for the Ed Carpenter Racing team.

Why is Rinus VeeKay called 'VeeKay'?

"Why is Rinus van Kalmthout called VeeKay?" is a question that is frequently asked at RacingNews365. When VeeKay moved to the United States, he decided to adopt the surname VeeKay. This is because Van Kalmthout is a difficult name to pronounce for the American audience. VeeKay is derived from 'VK' [pronounced as vee-kay], the initials of the Dutchman's surname. Using a different name in 'The States' is not an unusual thing for Dutch racing drivers. Robert Doornbos went by 'Bobby D' during his IndyCar days and Arie Luyendijk changed his surname to Luyendyk.

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