Lyn St. James

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Lyn St. James
St. James at the 2015 Indianapolis 500
Nationality	United States
Born	Carol Gene Cornwall (1947-03-13) March 13, 1947 (age 74)[1] Willoughby, Ohio, U.S.
Retired	2001
Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Years active	1996–2001
Teams	Zunne Group Racing Team Scandia Hemelgarn Racing Dick Simon Racing
Starts	5
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	8th Orlando in 1996
Previous series
1992–1995	CART
Awards
1992	Indy 500 Rookie of the Year

Lyn St. James (born Evelyn Gene Cornwall; March 13, 1947) is an American former race car driver. She competed in the IndyCar series, with eleven CART and five Indy Racing League starts to her name. St. James is one of nine women who have qualified for the Indianapolis 500, and became the first woman to win the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award (to date, the oldest driver to ever win the award at 45).^[2] She also has two class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona,^[3] and won the GTO class, partnering with Calvin Fish and Robby Gordon, at the 1990 12 Hours of Sebring.^[4] Additionally she has competed in endurance racing in Europe, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, at which her AMC Spirit AMX team ^[5] placed first and second in class in 1979.^[6][7]

St. James founded the Women in the Winner's Circle Foundation in 1994 and is a motivational speaker. She has served on the board of trustees of Kettering University, and since 2015, serves as an appeal panelist for NASCAR's National Motorsports Appeals Panel.^[8]

Career[]

Achievements[]

Lyn St. James has been invited to the White House on multiple occasions, meeting with Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.  She was also named by Sports Illustrated as among the “Top-100 Women Athletes of the Century." Working Woman Magazine added her to the “Top 350 Women who changed the world between 1976-1996.” In 1994, she was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame,^[9] and is only one of two women in it for auto racing. She was also President of the Women's Sports Foundation from 1990-1993.^[10]

Speed Records[]

Lyn St. James became the first woman driver to reach over 200 mph on a race track. She drove a number of different cars including Aston Martin, Porsche, Ferrari, and Mazda, but for the majority of her career she drove a Ford Mustang. She used a Ford Thunderbird to break a closed course record for women with 227.32 mph.^[11]

Racing record[]

12 Hours of Sebring results[]

24 Hours of Le Mans results[]

American Open Wheel racing results[]

(key)

CART[]

IndyCar[]

Indianapolis 500[]

Female closed circuit speed record attempt car

American Le Mans Series results[]

Personal[]

Lyn St. James was born Carol Gene Cornwall, but shortly after birth, her first name was changed to Evelyn, after her aunt. After her first marriage to John Carusso, she changed her name to Lyn Carusso. Eventually she would adopt the professional name Lyn St. James in her business and racing activities. She got the idea from name of actress Susan Saint James. Upon her divorce from Carusso, she legally changed her name to Lyn St. James.^[12]

References[]

External links[]

• Lyn St. James official website
• Driver Database stats
• Lyn St. James driver statistics at Racing-Reference