From Indianapolis to … Palanga? David Malukas Wants to Explore His Lithuanian Racing Heritage

As the one NTT IndyCar Sequence driver with Lithuanian heritage, David Malukas represents practically 2.8 million Lithuanians as he races throughout america. In the latest IndyCar race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway street course, a number of Lithuanians had been having fun with themselves and the racing motion within the Malukas’s suite because the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Motorsports Honda completed twelfth.

Owing primarily to its European location, the Lithuanian motorsports group is especially centered round Method 1. Malukas’s journey from German Method 4 to IndyCar by way of the Highway to Indy has sparked curiosity in IndyCar with followers in a position to observe his profession and watch every race with the Viaplay streaming service.

Malukas’s dad and mom settled in Chicago after leaving Telšiai, one of many oldest cities in Lithuania. The 20-year-old has paid tribute to his roots with just a few visits to Lithuania, most not too long ago when he was 15. Whereas the Lithuanian motorsports scene is rising, there may be one occasion Malukas desires to do in his household’s fatherland: The Palanga 1000km endurance race.

Now often called the 1006 km of Palanga owing to cable/satellite tv for pc channel TV6 turning into the race promoter, the occasion is likely one of the quirkiest endurance races in fashionable motorsport.

Going down on the intersection of the A11 and A13 highways close to downtown Palanga, the observe is 1.675 miles and makes use of the freeway exit ramps and a pair of tire chicanes on the A13 freeway. For tire stops and fixing mechanical hassle, the vehicles pit on the southbound pit lane simply previous the freeway intersection, utilizing the appropriate aspect of the freeway A13 exit loop because the pit entry.

The vehicles journey south on the A13 freeway earlier than sharply turning round at a slender freeway median. To refuel the vehicles, groups use the Orlen fuel station on the alternative aspect of the freeway because the vehicles journey north towards the freeway intersection.

This offers viewers across the globe a possibility to see a GT3 automobile getting fueled up from the identical pumps that might replenish a passenger automobile’s fuel tank on an extended journey to go to kin one would see possibly twice per yr.

Malukas is on board for competing within the race if the racing schedules don’t battle.

“I feel it’d be cool [to do] in some unspecified time in the future,” Malukas advised Frontstretch. “I’ve watched a little bit little bit of the race [and] I feel it’s very cool. I feel it’d be attention-grabbing for me to go over there and expertise it. I feel it could enhance each me and curiosity in IndyCar. Individuals can be like, ‘Oh, we all know the place you got here from,’ I’d be capable to inform my again story after which get folks fascinated about IndyCar.”

The quickest class for the race is GT, made up primarily of GT3 vehicles however a few different homologation specs are allowed. That class is the place Malukas would need to race in, and ideally his co-drivers can be from IndyCar.

“I’d must ask who would need include me,” Malukas stated. “I don’t know, I’d actually wish to type of get my group, like Rinus VeeKay and Kyle Kirkwood to come back with me. I feel that might be very cool and attention-grabbing. I feel I want to make it an enormous deal. That truly can be fairly enjoyable.”

Malukas was seventh quickest within the afternoon session on opening day of follow for the 106th Indianapolis 500 with a quickest lap of 226.448 mph.

Qualifying for the 106th Indianapolis 500 is Saturday (Could 21) and Sunday (Could 22), with the race happening the next Sunday. NBC will air the race stay, beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Follow @CDeHarde

Share this text