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 award with her 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata, she told AJ Baime.
In the spring of 1990, I was at a racing function in Columbus, Ohio, and the boy I was hosting said, “Hey, do you want to see my new baby?” I said, “Sure.” We went out to his garage and there he was, that little red sports car. I had never seen or heard of a Miata. I asked if I could sit there, and when I did, I put my left hand on the steering wheel and my right on the shift lever. I said to myself, “I feel good.”
Soon after I started seeing billboards and printed advertisements. Mazda’s motto for the new car was, “It’s okay.” Total coincidence. At the time, he had a 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 year of modeling.
At the time, there was nothing like the Miata: a new small, two-seater convertible sports car. And this one touched all the marks. It had a fresh style, it was affordable, it had durability, performance and economy. I lived in South Florida and it was a perfect place to drive from top to bottom. Although it had a small four-cylinder, it was a twin-cam air engine. The car loved to go fast. I definitely got some tickets. It was the kind of car that made him want to get into his garage so he could have a 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 over three decades. It amazes me that when I first saw her, 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 I learned that Tom Matano — who directed 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 a new Ferrari, or Carroll Shelby if you’re a new Shelby. He turned out to be the most humble and delicious human being, and it was an honor to meet him.
These days I still drive the Miata to the max. When I take it out, I want to take it out. I recently took a road trip with one of my favorite friends, in southern Mexico. We were on a straight road that had no speed limit. It was transporting at 120 mph. The car was as happy as a motorhome, as they say, and its driver too.
In 1985, Mrs. St. James won his class in a 500-mile endurance race at Watkins Glen, New York.
Photo:
Lyn St. James
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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