Rinus van Kalmthout finished in the middle bracket on Sunday with his debut in the Indianapolis 500. Partly due to a failed pit stop, the Dutchman had to settle for twentieth place in the famous race, which was won by Takuma Sato.
Nineteen-year-old Van Kalmthout qualified fourth a week ago and was at the forefront in the first phase of the race. At his second pit stop, things went completely wrong when he hit a mechanic, causing him to fall back to the rear. After a catch-up race, he still ended up in the middle bracket.
43-year-old Sato was the first to cross the finish line behind the pace car due to a heavy crash by Spencer Pigot in the final phase. Scott Dixon, the 2008 winner, finished second and the podium was completed by Graham Rahal.
Sato won the Indy 500 for the second time in his career. The Japanese was first the strongest at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway two years ago. With his second victory, he is level with, among others, Arie Luyendyk, who won the race in 1990 and 1997.
Fernando Alonso played a supporting role in the 104th edition of the Indy 500. The two-time world champion in Formula 1 started in 26th and was fifteenth for some time, but he fell back to the rear after a failed pit stop when his McLaren crashed. The Spaniard eventually crossed the finish line in 21st place.
As a result, Alonso has to wait at least a few more years before he can make another shot at the coveted ‘Triple Crown’ in motorsport. Due to his return to Formula 1, he will not be able to compete in the Indy 500 for the next two years. He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Grand Prix of Monaco in Formula 1 in the past.
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The 104th edition of the Indy 500 had some serious crashes. (Photo: Pro Shots)
Van Kalmthout hits mechanic at pit stop
Van Kalmthout dropped from fourth to fifth place at the start and ended up in seventh place after the first neutralization. Thanks to a second pit stop by several drivers, he worked his way up to third place.
In the 63rd lap, however, things went wrong for ‘Veekay’. He failed to brake in time at his second pit stop and came into contact with a mechanic, for which he was given a stop-and-go penalty. His car stalled and he fell back to 29th, two laps down.
Van Kalmthout had to start a catch-up race and partly due to a heavy crash by Conor Daly and Oliver Askew just before a restart, he was able to make up one lap behind. Halfway through the race, he was in 25th place, with Scott Dixon in the lead.
Crash Pigot ensures the finish behind the pace car
Due to heavy crashes by Álex Palou and Alexander Rossi, who had previously been in the lead for some time, the pace car entered the circuit twice more. In the meantime, Van Kalmthout continued his catch-up race, taking 21st place with fifty laps to go.
Not much later, Dixon lost the lead to Sato, while Van Kalmthout worked his way up to the middle bracket. However, with 15 laps to go, Ed Carpenter Racing’s driver had to make another pit stop, dropping back to 21st place.
At the front, Sato and Dixon made it a blood-curdling fight, but the Japanese retained his leading position. Five laps before the finish, the pace car had to re-enter the track due to the crash of Pigot. There was no restart, so Sato won the race for the second time and Van Kalmthout finished twentieth.
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