For Rinus van Kalmthout, the 24 Hours of Daytona ended in a deception. The Dutchman was in front when he surrendered his car, but then saw his teammate crash. Veekay logically balks at the final result.

24 Hours of Daytona

Last weekend, Van Kalmthout competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. In TDS Racing's #11 car, Veekay made his appearance at the unique racing event. In 2021 and 2022, Veekay already competed once on behalf of DragonSpeed and Racing Team Nederland. In 2023, he was hoping for a win and for that he seemed well on his way.

Around seven pm local time, Veekay took the wheel and retained the lead position secured by Mikkel Jensen and Scott Huffaker. Veekay was supposed to drive a double stint, but was pulled over by TDS after one stint anyway. Steven Thomas stepped in, but he drove into the back of a GT car not much later. The car was still repaired in the garage, but because of the damage, the Veekay was still brought in by the team. A good result was long since out of reach.

Veekay bitterly disappointed

''Very baleful. You want to finish this race first of all, because to win it you will at least have to drive under the black and white chequered flag. My teammate Steven Thomas collided with a GT car when braking for the Le Mans chicane and then flew into the wall. The whole left side of the car was broken,'' Veekay informed from America.

''To say we were in a good position is an understatement. After Steven's first run, Scott and Mikkel managed to deliver strong lap times and I kept our car in the lead. I think we had a good chance to put this race on our names, but unfortunately it wasn't to be."

"I would like to thank Steven Thomas and TDS Racing for this wonderful opportunity to participate in the 24 Hours of Daytona. I enjoyed it. It was nice to race again, a good preparation for the IndyCar programme. Fortunately, I get to get behind the wheel of my Dallara-Chevrolet again tomorrow. I can't wait for the IndyCar season to start," VeeKay concluded combatively.

Van Kalmthout can fortunately return to action soon, as his IndyCar season is about to start. On Thursday 2 February, Veekay will start with a test at The Termal Club circuit in Palm Springs, California. The first race of the season is on Sunday 5 March in St Petersburg. Veekay will also be in action for Ed Carpenter's team in 2023. GPblog spoke at length to Rinus about it.