INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar Rinus VeeKay’s Dutch driving force is shaved every day, but not because it wants it. He just likes how he feels, that knife that scrapes his skin. Plus, it makes you feel older, it’s nothing for the younger driving force of the Indianapolis 2020. Born On September 11, 2000, VeeKay is 19 years old. He’s rushing to do something. Greatness, maximum probability.
VeeKay, Chevrolet’s only driving force to collide at Honda’s Saturday speed display at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, breaking Honda’s monopoly on the Fast Nine Shootout by qualifying sixth. It’s Chevrolet’s only driving force in the 12 most sensitive.
“It doesn’t seem fast enough, ” said VeeKay afterwards, because it’s as I’m saying to you: he’s in a hurry. It’s probably going to break a few things along the way, literally, it’s the first driving force to crash this year in the IndyCar 2020 series, a twist on the car destination in practice, but it’ll make it.
On Saturday, he finished early in qualifying, a lucky break on a torrid day. VeeKay arrived fourth by noon, recording the fastest time to date at 231,114 mph. He remained first to Alexander Rossi, the twelfth driving force on the track, and moved to the fifth after crossing the 33-car platoon. Series leader Scott Dixon came out twice more and on his third attempt, VeeKay took fifth place at 231,155 mph.
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VeeKay never subsidized, giving up the fastest time of the day at Marco Andretti’s 231,351 mph, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay, Rossi, James Hinchcliffe and Dixon.
VeeKay’s in a hurry, yes, but he doesn’t make the decisions. He works for Ed Carpenter, you see, and VeeKay has learned to irritate his gentle boss. This happened before this year in Texas, and as VeeKay’s mentor and hero Arie Luyendyk reminded him Saturday: “Listen, Ed.”
In the meantime, let’s listen to James Hinchcliffe, the popular Canadian pilot, after one of the toughest days of the IndyCar season: Indy 500 Qualifying Day, when groups retreat to get thousandths of time off their four wheels. Rockets:
“You have to be crazy to do that, ” said Hinch.
What I’m saying: Rinus VeeKay was born for this.
But he wasn’t born by that name.
His father, Marijn van Kalmthout, was a successful driving force on some of the free circuits in lower Europe. Marijn’s son, Rinus van Kalmthout, a karting prodigy who struck the United States at 16 with a surname that no one can simply pronounce. He shortened it to the sounds of his first two letters – V-K – and was born “Rinus VeeKay”.
What do we have here? Someone did it for the Indy 500 rating. If Rinus VeeKay is made for two hundred trips around the maximum speed 21.2 IMS, we will know on August 23. But the ratings are others, more frightening, drivers will tell you, and VeeKay is not afraid. In this, she is aligned with the best team of Ed Carpenter Racing, whose namesake is an avid speed rating scientist on the circuit in her hometown.
Carpenter, a former butler at a first-call foundation with the pet bulldog Blue III – Ed calls it “Trip”, while Trip calls it … Well, Trip doesn’t say much – he won three of the last seven Posts of Indy 500. It will continue at an impressive speed, such as VeeKay, but Ed Carpenter is 39 years old. You’ve noticed one or two things and you know that the race is limited to natural speed.
That’s why Carpenter’s so angry in Texas.
It is in June, the first race in the IndyCar 2020 series affected by coronavirus and the debut of VeeKay’s The IndyCar. Carpenter signed it after VeeKay ruled the sport’s most productive power system, the Indy Lights circuit in 2019, with six of the 3 most sensible victories in 18 outings. Carpenter saw VeeKay as he had done in 2015 when he recruited Josef Newgarden, 24.
Today, Newgarden runs for IndyCar owner Roger Penske and won the series titles in 2017 and 19. Newgarden also has something interesting to say about VeeKay. You’re going to listen to him. But first, the debacle in Texas.
VeeKay, who ran in education in rookie orientation, advanced on his twelfth turn when he grabbed a corner, dived under the white line and turned against the wall. The twist of fate so severe that your car is not in a position to qualify. He started the race backwards and progressed when he turned to grip: by overtaking Santino Ferrucci on lap 37, he climbed too high and may not walk away from the wall. He turned on the track, getting rid of Alex Palou and frustrating his boss.
“Everything I told Rinus to do, he didn’t: be patient, be careful,” Ed Carpenter told reporters in Texas. “We have some paintings to make about his fluffy character, but he can drive the car. Array… He’ll make it, but it’s going to be hard. We still love him.
He’ll make it, but it’s going to be hard. We still love him.
He’s like me, stealing my puppy.
Before he could drink legally, Rinus VeeKay drank champagne in a wooden shoe. It’s his birthday party at the 2018 Mazda First Pro Series, where he won seven times in 16 outings. They wear wooden shoes in the Netherlands, you know. Something like that. Anyway, he drank in a wooden shoe at 17, even posted a photo on Instagram.
VeeKay still can’t drink legally, thinking about it, but he’s not expecting that well. He even speaks fast and has acquired the ability to say words in Dutch as temporarily as before. Hey, the kid’s 19.
But with young people comes resilience, like how he recovered from his crisis in Texas by completing fifth place at the 2020 IndyCar Grand Prix on IMS. And how he recovered in Iowa after a car accident, mitigated through the new aerodynamic display that provides coverage for the driver’s head. VeeKay needed that coverage on July 17, the first of two Iowa IndyCar 250, when Colton Herta hit him so hard behind that Herta’s car threw VeeKay like a ramp, above his head, off the air screen, into the air.
VeeKay arrived here after that terrible fall, which was probably charged the most sensible five, saying, “Thank you to IndyCar for the big security mobile, and let’s pass tomorrow.”
Children.
VeeKay ran the next day in Iowa and headed for a 10 more sensible when a pits street error loaded him two laps, sending him back to 17th. The winner Newgarden, who had been asked about VeeKay earlier in the season and had predicted the future. Newgarden had said that VeeKay “reminds me how I do” and then:
“I think he’s going to break too many things, personally (to beat rookie of the year),” Newgarden said. “I think it’s going to be quick, but it’s going to take time. Don’t get me wrong; it’s going to be quick, but I think we’ll probably have to inform you about some lessons.”
VeeKay learned classes quickly, making mistakes and falls and a lot of speed in his first six races. In the seventh race, the 104 of the Indianapolis 500, VeeKay will be the only Chevrolet to have controlled a shot from pole. The skills are in the Fast Nine Shootout, as are the configuration of a car and the intellectual fitness of the driver. And what did James Hinchcliffe say?
You have to be a special nut to do this.
Seat belt. Rinus VeeKay is 19, in a hurry and looks for the pole of the Indianapolis 500.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar or www.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.