Second IndyCar outing for Rinus VeeKay
Rinus VeeKay’s very successful IndyCar debut on a test day at Portland will have a follow-up. The TeamNL driver who turned 19 only a few weeks ago was invited by Ed Carpenter Racing to join the team for the second time on October 15th for a test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “I’m really honoured that the team has invited me again and it’s a great opportunity to show what I’m capable of,” said an elated VeeKay.
Thanks to his great results in the Road to Indy categories in recent years, and his great performance in this season’s Indy Lights Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, Rinus VeeKay was offered a test day early August at Portland International Raceway by Ed Carpenter Racing in one of the team’s NTT IndyCar Series cars. Still 18-years old, VeeKay from Hoofddorp in the Netherland impressed with quick lap times, ending in the top of the timesheets and beating several experienced IndyCar drivers. Ed Carpenter’s team was impressed by the pace and consistency of the young Dutch racing talent, his flawless driving and professional approach.
That VeeKay really impressed during the test and attracted the attention of several IndyCar teams was loud and clear when the Dutchman, who turned 19 only a few weeks ago, was invited by Ed Carpenter Racing for a second test. The test day is on October 15th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington Ohio, a 2.258-mile, 13-turn extremely technical road course where VeeKay claimed two podium finishes in this year’s Indy Lights races and two race wins in his 2017 Indy Pro 2000 campaign.
“I’m really honoured that a team as highly regarded as Ed Carpenter Racing invited me for a second test. It’s a great opportunity to show what I’m capable of and that I’m ready to join the NTT IndyCar Series. The testing opportunities in the NTT IndyCar Series are limited, so when they invite you for a test, that’s a real sign of confidence,” said an enthusiastic VeeKay, who can’t wait to be back behind the wheel of a car from the NTT IndyCar Series.
From the very first moment VeeKay joined the American Road to Indy motorsport ladder, the young Dutchman impressed and made a name for himself. In his maiden season VeeKay finished as the runner up in the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, stepped up to the Pro Mazda Championship (Indy Pro 2000) to claim the title and the Mazda Scholarship.
This season VeeKay stepped up to the highest level of the Road to Indy, the Indy Lights, and with six wins and 14 podium finishes out of 18 races, the TeamNL driver claimed the second position in the championship. VeeKay’s next step and ultimate goal is the NTT IndyCar Series, the premier level of open-wheel racing in America. The world famous Indianapolis 500 is the unchallenged highlight of the NTT IndyCar season. In the three seasons he raced in the Road to Indy categories VeeKay claimed 16 race wins and 36 podium finishes out of 48 races, a score rating of 75%.
