Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout concluded the fifteenth race of the IndyCar season with a seventeenth-place finish. The Dutch driver started from the 23rd position at the Portland International Raceway, and due to a collision, he could only advance six places. ‘All in all, it was a challenging weekend in Portland, but we learn from that too,’ VeeKay remains combative.
After a turbulent IndyCar season so far – Van Kalmthout achieved seven top-ten finishes, but was driven off the track by an opponent at Laguna Seca – the Dutch driver headed to Portland. The Grand Prix of Portland was held at the Portland International Raceway last weekend. However, the weekend started off on a less positive note for Van Kalmthout when he could not qualify higher than a 23rd starting position. A red flag disrupted the session, and VeeKay was forced to abort his fast lap.”During the main race, it proved difficult for Van Kalmthout to move forward. To make matters worse, the driver was spun around from behind in the eighth lap. As a result, ‘VeeKay’ immediately lost his hard-earned positions. When his team, Dale Coyne Racing, tried to get the driver back in the saddle through an alternative strategy, the tire pressures of the soft tires turned out to be ‘far outside the planned values’. In the end, nothing more than a seventeenth finish was possible.
Challenging Weekend
“Not a great race,” Van Kalmthout says in the official press release. “A seventeenth place turned out to be the maximum achievable. During the qualification on Saturday, we were unlucky with the timing of the red flag. I was on track for a place among the fastest twelve. That’s the risk when you go on track with many competitive IndyCars and everyone is fighting to qualify for the next qualification part. All in all, it was a challenging weekend in Portland, but we learn from that too.”
The Dutch driver is therefore already looking forward to the last races of the IndyCar season, which ends in late August. “Two more races to go, both on an oval. I’m looking forward to racing in Milwaukee and Nashville and will give everything to end my first season with Dale Coyne Racing and Honda with good results. My congratulations to Alex Palou, who has already won the championship.” Palou took third place in Portland, and thus extended his lead in the championship to secure his fourth IndyCar title.
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