It's not every day you spot an Indy Racing League two-seater zipping around the streets of Milwaukee. (You don't have to keep this one on the d-low ... it's street legal.)
It's exactly what happened on Thursday, as the race-related spectacle aimed to create some buzz about this summer's IRL race event at The Milwaukee Mile, July 23.
And, no, your eyes did not deceive you if you spied one of the Klement's Racing Sausages in the passenger seat. The car hosted a number of rides on Thursday, though mechanical problems forced the team to shut things down right before OnMilwaukee.com's Andy Tarnoff got in for a spin.
The rides came courtesy of driver Arie Luyendyk, Jr. He will attempt to race in the Indy 500 with Luyendyk Racing, fielded by his father, a two-time Indy 500 champion, as a driver.
The legendary Luyendyk racers even have Milwaukee-area ties; the Luyendyk family lived in Brookfield during Arie Jr.'s childhood. Arie Jr. has been modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch and other high-profile companies in addition to driving race cars.
"We moved here from Holland when I was two years old," said Luyendyk. "My dad started his Indy car career, and I moved away in 1990. But I still remember Milwaukee and going to elementary school here.
The IRL IndyCar Series is set to compete in the 90th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 28, and will race at The Milwaukee Mile on Sunday afternoon, July 23 in the ABC Supply / A.J. Foyt 225 event.
"I've raced at the Mile the last few years. I haven't had the best luck here," said Luyendyk. "But hopefully that can change this year."
