Lyn St. James, professional race car driver, women’s advocate and the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award (1992) in her 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata, as reported to AJ Baime.
In the spring of 1990, I was at a race event in Columbus, Ohio, and the guy who was hosting said, “Hey, do you want to see my new baby?” I said, “Sure”. We went out into his garage and there it was, this little red sports car. I had never seen or heard of a Miata before. I asked if I could sit on it and when I did, I put my left hand on the steering wheel and my right hand on the gearbox. I said to myself, “It feels right.”
Soon after, I started seeing billboards and print ads. Mazda’s motto for the new car was: “It looks like it’s right”. Total coincidence. At the time, I was under contract to compete with Ford Motor Co.
, so I always had Ford cars. I didn’t need a new car, but I bought one anyway – a Miata from your first model year.
There was nothing like the Miata at the time – a new, small, two-seater convertible sports car. And it hit all the marks. It had a nice style, it was affordable, it had durability, performance and economy. I was living in South Florida and it was a perfect place to drive with the top down. Although it had a small four cylinder, it was a double-cam engine at the top. The car loved to move fast. I definitely have a few tickets. It was the kind of car that made you want to go into the garage to say good night.
Now, so many years later, I can look back and say that I have never owned a car for more than three years, except this one, which I have had for more than three decades. I am surprised that, when I saw him for the first time, I had never heard of Miata. Now you see them everywhere. It has its own successful racing series, 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 visiting my daughter who lives in San Francisco and found out that Tom Matano – who led the design of 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 crazy about Ferrari, or Carroll Shelby, if you’re crazy about Shelby. He turned out to be the most humble and charming human being, and it was an honor to meet him.
Nowadays, I still manage Miata to the fullest. When I take it out, I want to take it out. I recently took a road trip with one of my favorite friends to southern Mexico. We were on a straight road with no speed limit. I was transporting at 120 mph. The car was happy as a trailer, as they say, and so was the driver.
In 1985, Ms. St. James won her class in a 500-kilometer endurance race in Watkins Glen, NY. Although she was teamed up with a navigator, she did all 500 kilometers on her own.
Photograph:
Lyn St. James
Mrs. St. James with a Ford racing car at Daytona International Speedway in 1985.
Photograph:
Lyn St. James
Write to AJ Baime at [email protected]
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