Lyn St. James, a professional race car driver, women’s advocate and the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 (1992) Rookie of the Year on the 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata, as he told AJ Baime.
In the spring of 1990, I was in a racing position in Columbus, Ohio, and the host guy said, “Hey, do you want to see my new baby?” I said, “Sure.” I went out to his garage and there he was, this little red sports car. I had never seen or heard of a Miata. I asked if I could sit in it and when I did, I put my left hand on the steering wheel and my right hand on the derailleur. I said to myself, “She’s fine.”
Shortly thereafter, I began to see billboards and print ads. Mazda’s motto for the new car was “It feels good.” Total coincidence. At the time, I was under contract to compete with Ford Motor Co.
, and so I’ve always had Ford cars. I didn’t need a new car, but I bought one anyway – a Miata from its first model year.
At the time, there was nothing like the Miata – a new, small, two-seater, convertible sports car. And it hit every sign. It had a cool style, it was affordable, it had durability, performance and economy. I lived in South Florida and it was a perfect place to drive upside down. Although it had a small four-cylinder engine, it was a twin-cam engine. He liked to drive fast. I definitely have some tickets. It was the kind of car that made you want to go into your garage so you could say good night.
Now, many years later, I can look back and say that I have never owned a car for more than three years, except for this one, which I have owned for over three decades. It amazes me that when I first saw her, I never heard of Miata. Now you see them everywhere. It has its own series of successful races, the MX-5 Cup. [Built in Hiroshima, Japan, the Miata is today, by far, the bestselling two seat convertible sports car of all time.]
About five years ago, I was planning to visit my daughter who lives in San Francisco, and I found out that Tom Matano – who was in charge of designing this car for Mazda – was working in San Francisco. I made an appointment and met him. For me, it was like meeting Enzo Ferrari if you’re a Ferrari nut or Carroll Shelby if you’re a Shelby nut. He proved to be the humblest and most enchanting human being and it was an honor to meet him.
These days they still drive Miata to the limit. When I take it out, I want to pull it out. I recently went on a trip with one of my favorite friends in southern Mexico. I was on a straight road with no speed limit. I was living at a speed of 120 mph. The car was as happy as a camper, as they say, as was its driver.
In 1985, Mrs. St. James won his class in a 500-mile endurance race from Watkins Glen, NY.
Photo:
Lyn St. James
Mrs. St. James with a Ford race car at Daytona International Speedway in 1985.
Photo:
Lyn St. James
Write to AJ Baime to [email protected]
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