Rinus van Kalmthout just missed the top-6 in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500, a 500-mile race, on Sunday afternoon. Starting from seventh place is his worst result ever at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, yet he was extremely satisfied. No wonder, as just 30 hours earlier, the world looked very different.
On the morning of Saturday, May 18th, just after 11:30 am, Van Kalmthout was the fourth to take to the track. The goal: on this first qualifying day, secure a spot among the top twelve with a good average over four laps, allowing him to fight for pole position on Sunday for the race a week later. The warm-up lap went well, though he felt he had slightly less grip on the front wheels—understeer, it’s called. Then, in his first fast lap and going into turn three, things went wrong. A bit more understeer, and suddenly the car broke loose at 380 km/h out of nowhere. He couldn’t correct the car and hit the wall hard.
This article was originally published in Dutch on NRC: https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/05/24/rinus-veekay-van-kalmthout-is-altijd-sterk-in-indianapolis-tot-hij-met-375-kilometer-per-uur-de-muur-ramt-a4199900
“This feels like a pole position.”
Rinus ‘Veekay’ van Kalmthout – IndyCar driver at Ed Carpenter Racing
Later, outside the medical center, Van Kalmthout spoke to the media. He was physically fine but mentally shaken. For a moment, he had the same expression as in Texas in 2020, when he crashed twice within 24 hours during his very first race weekend in the American IndyCar Series. He was very disappointed. This crash was a major setback, and the top-12 now seemed far away. The Dutchman had to hope his team could repair his car in time. His wife Carmen watched from a distance and shed a tear: “I want it so much for him.”
“Success at Indianapolis” is what she wanted. This is, after all, the biggest race in IndyCar, the American counterpart to Formula 1. In fact, many consider it the greatest car race in the world. Winning this race means eternal fame and hero status.
At just 23 years old, Rinus ‘VeeKay’ van Kalmthout is almost a veteran at the Speedway. He also plays this role within his team, Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR). Of course, team boss Ed Carpenter (43) traditionally trades his shirt for a racing suit this month in his determined attempts to win the Indy 500, but he is now only a part-timer. Teammate Christian Rasmussen (23) is talented but participating for the first time. In short, Van Kalmthout has to lead the ECR team more than ever this year.
2024 is important for other reasons as well. While the first two seasons were promising and resulted in a first pole position and victory in IndyCar, the last two years have been a struggle. 2022 was a mediocre year, and 2023 was even worse in terms of results: only one finish in the top-6. IndyCar is becoming increasingly competitive, partly due to the arrival of several drivers from Formula 1 and Formula 2 and investments by major teams like Penske, Ganassi, and McLaren.
ECR was always a relative underdog in the field, but standing out positively is becoming increasingly difficult, just as RKC typically struggles to compete with PSV and Feyenoord. The limited financial resources at ECR are also becoming more apparent visually. For the popular Indy 500, there is, of course, a sponsor, but at other races, Van Kalmthout’s green-black car has already raced several times this season without major sponsor stickers.
Moreover, this is his last contract year with ECR. A great team to start with, but friend and foe agree that it’s time for a transfer to a bigger team. According to the grapevine in the paddock, he is on the list of several such teams. To give himself the best position in the transfer market this summer, he must perform well now. There is hardly a better year to follow in the footsteps of mentor Arie Luyendyk (two-time winner of the Indy 500). And Van Kalmthout is strong at Indianapolis. A good race result has eluded him for various reasons, but he has qualified in the top four every year since his debut in 2020.
Around 1:30, an hour after his crash, Van Kalmthout enters his motorhome. He looked defeated outside the medical center, but now he sounds determined: “The team thinks they need about three hours, so hopefully we can drive again around four.” He hugs his dog Rosa, and his father Marijn encourages him: “You’re going to make it, you’re one of the best here.” His sister Michelle calls shortly afterward from the Netherlands. She saw the crash on TV and wants to hear from her brother himself that everything is okay.
Meanwhile, the ECR mechanics perform a heroic feat in their garage. Head mechanic Austin Shepherd directs the repairs with a loud voice and clear instructions, like a conductor leading his orchestra. Mother Evelien, who closely follows the repairs, is impressed and compliments him: “Good job!” But Shepherd isn’t ready to accept praise yet: “We’re not done. I want to see four laps on the board.”
Agent Adrian Sussman, the man who must help Van Kalmthout secure a new deal for 2025, is philosophical about the crash: “If plan A doesn’t work, we switch to plan B. Ultimately, it’s all about next Sunday. The race is what really matters.” If Van Kalmthout performs well in the race, everyone will soon forget this incident.
Three hours after the mechanics started working, the Dallara Chevy is rebuilt. The IndyCar resembles a jet fighter on wheels: similar to a Formula 1 car but equipped with additional driver protection in the form of an aeroscreen, an aerodynamically shaped windshield made of extra-strong material. Switching to the backup car wasn’t necessary; the chassis and engine were undamaged, so the backup car was stripped of parts. Some panels don’t fit perfectly, and the aerodynamic efficiency isn’t optimal; a car built in three hours is always inferior to one that has been prepared for weeks.
But the car works. When Van Kalmthout makes another attempt shortly after 4 p.m., he sets the 29th fastest time, at least securing his place. But he can feel that the car was hastily assembled and compares it to a parachute—there is too much air resistance compared to the highly efficient car he started the day with. He’s no longer thinking about the top-12, which will compete for pole position the next day.
In the final hour, the question is whether Van Kalmthout can go out again. Several Chevy drivers had experienced a misfire in their engines during downshifts shortly before, where the injection system doesn’t function properly and can lead to an engine failure. Nevertheless, ECR takes the gamble, and five minutes before the end, Van Kalmthout hits the track again. He agrees with his engineer and the Chevy technicians to shift up to sixth gear and complete the entire run in that gear without downshifting. Not ideal, but it protects the engine, and a better time should be possible.
It proves to be the case. His first lap is a 233.4, and loud cheers erupt from the stands. To make the top-12, he needs to average at least 232.316 mph (almost 375 km/h), and this opening lap is a huge step in the right direction. The drop-off in the next three laps is relatively large, but with an average of 232.419, Van Kalmthout is eleventh. That he can’t keep up with the dominant Penskes and McLarens the next day and finishes seventh is almost beside the point. After such a weekend, he’s thrilled to start seventh, and after qualifying, he treats all his mechanics to ice cream. They certainly deserved it after such a long day.
In the run-up to next Sunday, the Penskes and McLarens are too strong on paper, but at Indianapolis, anything can happen. There are so many factors and variables, and the race is so much faster and longer than all the others on the schedule that predicting a winner with certainty is almost impossible. Talk to any of the countless old-timers who have occupied the same seat for decades, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: you don’t choose Indianapolis; Indianapolis chooses you.
The Speedway ‘chose’ living legend AJ Foyt four times, but a great like Mario Andretti only once. Andretti’s son Michael never won, even when he seemed unchallenged and dominant on his way to victory in 1992 until his engine failed. That’s another mantra at Indianapolis: never count your blessings too soon. Just ask J.R. Hildebrand, who led as a rookie in 2011 and crashed out after 499.5 miles when he misjudged a backmarker in the final corner.
Van Kalmthout knows this too. Speed alone is never enough. He can make mistakes, as he did last year. And motorsport is a team sport. The Indy 500 is often won or lost in the pit lane, and pit stops are ECR’s Achilles’ heel. Especially this season, Van Kalmthout has already missed out on several good results due to tire changes or refueling not going smoothly. After another disappointment in the last race, ECR held extensive internal discussions, where Van Kalmthout emphasized how crucial good teamwork is for this race. It worked in qualifying. Now it just needs to work on race day Sunday.
