Arie Luyendyk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arie Luyendyk
Luyendyk in 2010
Born	Arie Luijendijk (1953-09-21) 21 September 1953 (age 71) Sommelsdijk, South Holland, Netherlands
Championship titles
Major victories 12 Hours of Sebring (1989) Indianapolis 500 (1990, 1997) 24 Hours of Daytona (1998)
Champ Car career
141 races run over 13 years
Best finish	6th (1991)
First race	1984 Provimi Veal 200 (Road America)
Last race	1997 Marlboro 500 (Fontana)
First win	1990 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last win	1991 Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix (Nazareth)
Wins Podiums Poles 3 13 1
IndyCar Series career
28 races run over 7 years
Best finish	6th (1997)
First race	1996 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World (Orlando)
Last race	2002 Michigan Indy 400 (Michigan)
First win	1996 Dura Lube 200 (Phoenix)
Last win	1998 Las Vegas 500K (Las Vegas)
Wins Podiums Poles 4 5 4
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	1989
Teams	Nissan
Best finish	DNF (1989)
Class wins	0

Arie Luyendyk (born September 21, 1953) is a famous Dutch former auto racing driver. People often called him "The Flying Dutchman" because of his speed. He is best known for winning the exciting Indianapolis 500 race twice, in 1990 and 1997.

Arie Luyendyk is a true legend in racing. He was added to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame in 2009. Later, in 2014, he joined the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. He won a total of seven major Indy car races. All of these wins happened on oval tracks, which are special circuits shaped like an oval.

Racing Career Highlights

Arie driving his father's car at Zandvoort after his father, Jaap, won the European Formula Vee championship in 1972.

Arie Luyendyk began his racing journey in the early 1970s. He quickly showed his talent by winning many Dutch national titles. In 1977, he became the champion in the European Formula Super Vee series. This is a type of racing where cars use special Volkswagen engines.

After moving to the United States in 1984, Arie's career really took off. He immediately won the Super Vee championship there. This success helped him move into the bigger Champ Car series.

First Big Win

Luyendyk's Lola-Chevrolet car that won the 1990 Indianapolis 500 for Doug Shierson Racing.

In 1985, Arie raced his first full season in the Champ Car series. He earned the "Rookie of the Year" award for the season. He also won this award for his first Indianapolis 500 race. His first victory in the Champ Car series came five years later, in 1990. This was a huge win at the 1990 Indianapolis 500, the most important race of the year.

Arie set a new record for the fastest average speed in the 1990 Indianapolis 500. He drove at an amazing 185.981 miles per hour (299.307 km/h). This record stood for 23 years! It was finally broken in 2013 by another racer, Tony Kanaan.

Indianapolis 500 Success

Luyendyk in 1991, driving for Vince Granatelli.

Arie Luyendyk was always a strong competitor at the Indianapolis 500. He earned the "pole position" (meaning he started first) three times: in 1993, 1997, and 1999. This shows how fast he was in qualifying.

Sometimes, even when leading the race, he had to stop early due to problems with his car. This happened three times. In 1995, he had an incident that put him several laps behind. But Arie was determined! He managed to make up all those laps and finished on the lead lap.

Luyendyk's car that set a track record in 1996.

In 1996, Arie set an incredible qualifying lap record at Indianapolis: 237.498 mph (382.216 km/h). Even though he was super fast, he didn't start from the pole that year. This was because he set his record on the second day of qualifying.

He won the 1997 Indianapolis 500 starting from the pole position. He beat his teammate, Scott Goodyear, in a very close finish.

Texas Race Incident

At a race in Texas in 1997, there was a mistake in scoring. Another driver, Billy Boat, was first announced as the winner. Arie Luyendyk knew he had won and protested. Officials reviewed the race video and found that Arie had indeed finished first. He was then declared the official winner. Because the other team refused to give up the trophy, Arie was given a special duplicate trophy.

Later Career and Retirement

After his amazing 1997 season, Arie had a tougher year in 1998. He won one race but had several races where he didn't finish. After 1998, Arie decided to race less often. He only competed in the 1999 Indianapolis 500, where he started from the pole but crashed out.

He officially retired from racing after the 1999 season. For a short time, he worked as a TV commentator for ABC Sports, explaining the races. He made brief returns to the Indy 500 in 2001 and 2002. In 2003, he planned to race at Indianapolis one last time. However, he had a crash during practice and decided not to qualify due to injuries.

Other Achievements

Besides his Indy car wins, Arie Luyendyk also won other important endurance races. These include the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. His son, Arie Luyendyk Jr., has also become a racer, competing in off-road and Indy Lights series.

A special honor for Arie is that the last corner of the Circuit Zandvoort track in his home country, the Netherlands, is named after him. In 2016, he was chosen to be a "chief steward" for the IndyCar Series. This means he helps make important decisions during races, like a referee.

Indianapolis 500 Results

Images for kids

• 

  Arie driving his father's car at Zandvoort after his father, Jaap, won the European Formula Vee championship in 1972.

• 

  Luyendyk's Lola-Chevrolet car that won the 1990 Indianapolis 500 for Doug Shierson Racing.

• 

  Luyendyk in 1991, driving for Vince Granatelli.

• 

  Luyendyk's car that set a track record in 1996.

See also

In Spanish: Arie Luyendyk para niños