Legendary
Indy Race Car Driver, Lyn St. James, visited St. Petersburg,
Florida in March to meet the scholarship winners of the Q
Motorsports Family Scholarship Program, talk to the Grand Prix of
St. Petersburg organizers about the upcoming race event and to
visit the St. Pete YMCA's youth program.
St. Petersburg's YMCA Director, Karen Galinowski, was pleased to
have a visit from this celebrity racecar driver. Ms. St. James
visited the Y Achievers class, an academic based program that
works on homework skills, nutrition and arts and crafts. She
enjoyed a tour of their new facility that will be the new home of
this youth program. She spent time with the class explaining
safety gear while racing over 100 miles per hour.
The children were very curious about the fire proof suits, gloves
and shoes, as well as the elaborate helmet with radios to
communicate to the crew while racing. Ms. St. James explained to
the children it is important to pursue your dream, whatever it may
be. She is proud to have accomplished her life goal, that of
becoming a professional racecar driver. Ms. St. James is an
inspiration to young people and a great role model.
Ms. St. James began her racing career in 1974 in the Florida
Region of the Sports Car Club of America. Since that time, she has
started seven Indianapolis 500 races and won the Rookie of the
Year Indy 500 award in 1992. She had seven Indy 500 starts in nine
years and qualified sixth in 1994, the highest ever for a woman at
Indy. She also set the world record on closed course speeds for
women reaching 225.722 mph during the 1995 Indy 500 qualification
weekend. Her best finish was eleventh in 1992. The 2000 Indy 500
race was Ms. St. James last Indy race when she decided to retire
from Indy car competition.
Lyn St. James has earned the title of "The American Woman
Racing Icon of the Century" through her dedication to her
motorsports career. She was selected by Sports Illustrated for
Women as one of the Top?100 Women athletes of the century. Ms. St.
James actively promotes her charitable foundation, the Lyn St.
James Foundation. This foundation is an educational organization
that focuses on worldwide activities and programs for automotive
safety and driver development, especially for aspiring race car
drivers who are female. Ms. St. James is also busy promoting her
new book The Ride of Your Life due out in May of this year.
Ms. St. James met with several scholarship winners of the Q
Motorsports Family Scholarship Program. This academic charity
awards scholarships to young people who actively drive in
competitive motorsports. The program selects winners annually
based on grades 'in school, community service/self promotional
activities and racing performance. One of the scholarship winners,
Michael Abbott, of Coral Springs, Florida, attended Lyn St. James
Driver Development Program last year, where Ms. St. James first
learned about the Q Motorsports Scholarship Program. Since 1998,
the scholarship program has awarded 38 scholarships totaling
$31,950.00. Funds are held for the benefit of the scholarship
winner and can be used for post high school education towards
tuition, books or educational expenses.
In addition, Ms. St. James met with Tom Begley of the 2003 St.
Pete Grand Prix race event. While this famous racecar driver
recently retired from the Indy 500 competition, she is considering
racing in this event.
For more information, please contact: Leonard McCue, Attorney and
President of the Q Motorsports Family Scholarship Program, phone
800-332-1992. |
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