Rinus van Kalmthout finished just off the podium at this weekend’s second IndyCar race in Illinois on Sunday. The Dutchman crossed the finish line fourth after a strong catch-up race.
Van Kalmthout started from eighteenth position and quickly worked his way up to twelfth place. He entered as one of the first drivers and was in sixth place after the first series of pit stops.
The nineteen-year-old driver of Ed Carpenter Racing continued his catch-up race afterwards and was even in third place after 73 laps. Moments later, he was passed by Josef Newgarden and dropped back to fifth after his third pit stop.
With 35 laps to go, Colton Herta made a mistake and the American was passed by ‘Veekay’. The Hoofddorper then held onto his fourth position and finished just behind number three Will Power. Because Takuma Sato hit the wall in the final phase, the race finished behind the pace car.
On Saturday, Van Kalmthout already took revenge for his disappointing debut in the Indianapolis 500 by finishing sixth in the first race of this weekend at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison.
Last week, Van Kalmthout got no further than a place in the middle bracket at the Indy 500. He went for the victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but had to settle for twentieth place partly due to a failed pit stop.
For the users of the app: tap the tweet to see Van Kalmthout in action.
Newgarden registers second win of the season
The second race in Illinois yielded a victory for Newgarden. The American outperformed Mexican Patricio O’Ward and took his second win of the season after triumphing in race two in Iowa in July.
In the championship Scott Dixon, who won the first race in Madison on Saturday and finished fifth on Sunday, remains in the lead. The New Zealander has 96 points ahead of number two Newgarden. Van Kalmthout is the best rookie in the rankings.
The next race weekend in the IndyCar is not scheduled for the beginning of October. Then two races will be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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