Rinus VeeKay was on a 75-mile coaching trip when he misplaced management of his bicycle, flew over the handlebars and landed so arduous that he cracked his helmet and left shoulder.

He mentioned he twice practically blacked out on the path from the ache, and his coach needed to depart him to go to the principle highway and name an ambulance. VeeKay was taken to a hospital in Hobart, Indiana, the place X-rays confirmed a damaged collarbone.

The rising IndyCar star will miss Sunday’s race at Highway America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, however advised The Related Press on Thursday that he’s decided to be again within the automobile at Mid-Ohio in two weeks and salvage his promising season.

“Everybody may be very, very positive that I can drive in Mid-Ohio,” VeeKay mentioned.

Oliver Askew will as a substitute drive for VeeKay at Highway America in Askew’s second consecutive race in its place driver. Askew stuffed in for Felix Rosenqvist on Sunday in Detroit when Rosenqvist was injured in a crash a day earlier.

VeeKay might be at Highway America all weekend supporting Ed Carpenter Racing and attempting to not be upset to see another person driving his automobile. The 20-year-old Dutchman scored his first profession IndyCar victory in Might on the highway course at Indianapolis and is fifth within the standings, 56 factors behind chief Pato O’Ward in a altering of the guard season of IndyCar.

“I believe it is going to be somewhat bit arduous, in fact, to get reminded when you see the vehicles take off,” VeeKay mentioned. “I am simply going to be on the monitor attempting to study as a lot as potential and nonetheless be an enormous a part of the staff.”

VeeKay and his coach, Raun Grobben, left Detroit following the IndyCar doubleheader and headed towards Chicago for his or her coaching trip Monday. VeeKay’s dad and mom went to the seaside whereas he and Grobben went for a trip that dipped into Indiana on a “path with good asphalt. No vehicles, no motorcyclists. We had been simply the one ones on the market and taking it simple, simply chatting.”

He mentioned he does not know what triggered him to lose management of his bike however that Grobben tried to seize him and cease the autumn and suffered tire burns on his arm and knee.

“He is like, ‘Are you OK?’ and I mentioned, ‘Properly, I believe I broke my collarbone,'” VeeKay mentioned. “I simply stored hoping it was pulled out of the socket or one thing.”

VeeKay acknowledged he was “somewhat bit scared to name my father” as a result of he knew Marijn van Kalmthout was going to be offended.

“You recognize it takes a variety of effort [to make it in racing], and he was positively not joyful. I’ll simply name it very upset,” VeeKay mentioned.

His dad and mom picked him up and drove VeeKay and his coach to Indianapolis, the place VeeKay underwent surgical procedure Tuesday to insert a plate in his collarbone.

VeeKay mentioned his dad and mom had been scheduled to be at Highway America this weekend, however they’ve returned to the Netherlands as a result of he isn’t racing.

He has since related with two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden, who broke his collarbone in a 2016 crash at Texas whereas driving for ECR. Newgarden had the identical surgical procedure and did not miss a race, getting again within the automobile on the subsequent scheduled IndyCar occasion two weeks later and ending eighth.

“I talked to Josef in regards to the ache and something he felt when he was driving so I can put together for that,” VeeKay mentioned. “We’re a part of a really unique ‘Driving with a Titanium Collarbone Membership.’ Josef thinks I’m going to be all proper and he seems fairly good the previous few years, so a damaged collarbone is likely to be sooner, who is aware of?”