Mercury Tracer
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A Special Advertising Section from Mercury Tracer ince then, she has a high level of auto racing, according to for "jumping on planes the way other learned not only how to Mark Raffauf, vice president and chief people pick up the telephone." This affin- swim but how to drive steward of the IMSA. ity for travel comes in handy in her role as fast without crashing. "There were many times last year a consumer advisor and spokesperson And on those rare oc- when Lyn was driving and people for the Ford Motor Company and Lincoln- casions when she has thought it was her co-driver, Pete Mercury. She'll visit more than 30 cities in crashed-at Riverside (Calif.) Interna- Halsmer-you couldn't tell the differ- this capacity in 1987. And when she tional Raceway in April, 1986, for exam- ence," says Raffauf. "Ability-wise, Lyn speaks about the salety and engineering ple, where her car was rear-ended at 180 can do it." features built into cars like the Mercury miles per hour-she has learned how to According to Raffauf, the only thing Tracer, she knows what she's talking crawl through a wall of flames to survive. separating St. James from a group of about because she serves as a test driv- She knows what it's like to be tormented about a dozen male drivers who domi- er for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury. by failure. She also knows what it's like to nate the premier IMSA circuit, GTP Speaking out on behalf of wom win a GTO race all by herself at historic (which features specially built. one-of-a- also something St. James does regu 8- Watkins Glen-the first and only time a kind prototype cars), is the fact that week Iy, whether she's suggesting 'lays "or woman driver has ever done so in an IMSA after week these drivers follow their cars Ford engineers to tailor the " :dm of the GT (International I:"i., Motor Sports Asso- /ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA- ciation) event-and yet have none of her male crew members show up in the vic- tory lane to offer congratulations or douse her with champagne. She has pitched in and gotien her hands dirty in the pit area, while somehow keeping her finger- nails nice enough to pass for those of a successful busi-RQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA nesswoman-which t.: -, ':o-(~ she is away from the track. And in an ef- fort to diminish whatever physical discrepancies exist between her and her male competi- tors, she has en- tered into a rigorous physical fitness pro- gram tailored to the specific bio-me- chanical needs of a race car driver. Watkins Glen, 1985: lyn becomes the first and only woman driver to win an IMSA GTO race by herself. In short, Lyn Sl. James has tried to do around the country, testing and fine-tun- steering wheel to a woman's frame or everything possible to be the best at ing both the vehicles and their own skills. helping the Women's Sports Foundation what she does. It's this fighting spirit that Whereas St. James goes home to Fort lobby to restore Title IX legislation to its has enabled this ex-piano teacher Lauderdale between races and tends to originai strength (Title iX prohibits sex turned Grand Prix driver to make a name the half-dozen other professional en- discrimination in schools receiving fed- for herself in a male-dominated business deavors which pay her bills. eral funds). She is in demand as a rnoii- where women customarily make sand- To begin with, she is an entrepreneur vational speaker, and in 1987 will ad- wiches and wait with fingers crossed in having owned and operated Autodyne, a dress five national women's conventions, campers for their husbands or boy- wholesale automotive parts supply com- including Women in Communications friends to return from racing. pany in Fort Lauderdale, since 1974. and the Society of Women E .gineers_ "I am the kind of person who. if Isee a This makes her so conversant in things St. James doesn't have an aqent. so light at the end of the tunnel. I go for it." automotive that it provides a natural she handles all these arrangements. says St. James. who teamed with stock communications link with men in the rac- plus auto show appearances. herself. car great Bill Elliott to win this year's 24 ing business-and with men at her local And as recently as 1983. before she be- Hours of Daytona. driving a production- fitness club who might strike up a con- came a full-fledged member of Ford's based Ford Mustang. St. Jamess victory versation with her because of the way factory racing team. she not only did the was her fourth shared or solo win in the she looks in a leotard. but who end up driving but acted as her own team man- last 17 months on the IMSA GTO circuit. enthralled with her advice on torsion bars ager-a catch-all job with never-ending No other American woman has ever and McPherson struts. headaches of its own. achieved that degree of success at such St. James says she has a reputation This regimen explains why Raffauf INTRODUCINGRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBATHE REEBOK~FITNESSWALKER. Isit possible forwalking to be ing device that works like a po go in soft, supple garment leather and as exhilarating as love!Yes,if you stick: with each step, th ey'll absorb in a wide variety of colors. pick up the pace a bit. And do it in your heel's impact, then return that Altogether, they could well be the proper equipment. _ . energy back into your stride. the best walking shoe you can buy Reebok Fitness ~~-~- ,j". And to make the sport of today. For love or money. Walkers are made with - ~ - _;' /_____________.. walking even more an excl~sive Sprin.g ~._ ..._.__/'~ appealing, new ~itness ~C!(!bok~qponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA System'heel-cushion- . ~~. Walkers areavailable FITNESS WALKERS .----------- •.. qponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA..ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA-~.-.~ -.~ ~-.-... ~..--------------------------------------------, A Special Advertising Section from Mercury Tracer feels St. James may need to narrow her "Andrews taught me how to live with piano. She took a job as a secretary with focus slightly if she is to mount a chal- other kids," she recalls. "and it was my U.S Steel in Cleveland, hoping to work lenge for the driver's championship in friend Karlene who got me involved in her way up the corporate ladder. She IMSA's GTO class. St. James, who radi- sports I was captain of the field hockey supplemented her income by giving pi- ates positivism in a tactful, bright-eyed, team and I also played basketball. vol- ano lessons to children. friendly package, says she knows she's leyball and tennis. In public high school In 1970. Lyn moved to Florida and spread too thin, but maintains she can alii could have been was a cheerleader. married John Carusso. with whom she win the GTO title anyway. That would and Iwouldn't have made the cheerlead- shared several interests-he owned an probably vault her back into GTP compe- er squad. Sports taught me that Just be- electronics firm where she could apply tition, where she has driven before and cause things aren't going right doesn't her business skills. and they were both would like to compete again. In GTP, she mean people are picking on you I never crazy about cars. However, she was not would get to drive a more exotic breed of could have related with my all-male rac- crazy about being called "Mrs. Carusso" race car and have a shot at beating such ing teams if I hadn't learned that. and she had never liked her maiden well-known racing names as A.J. Foyt, Lyn didn't date in high school. But un- name. Cornwall. One night. while watch- Danny Sullivan and AI Unser Jr.' likely as it may sound. she did hang ing actress Susan Saint James on "Me- "My immediate goal is to win the driv- around with a group of public schoo! kids Millan & Wife" on TV, she suddenly blurt- er's championship in GTO, and this is my who liked drag racing, and they began to ed out. "That's itl That's my new name." year to do it," says St. James. "I have the bring her out of her shell. Actually, she From then on, she has been known as equipment, the team and the support of had always been interested in cars. and Lyn St. James. the Ford racing program behind me. I've one night out at the local strip she got up Lyns first racing car was the Pinto that waited a long time for this opportunity." enough nerve to climb into one of the got dunked in the lake. After that soggy dragsters and race it. She still has the mishap. it took 36 hours in a 250-degree Imost· anyone who trophy in her Fort Lauderdale office. oven Just to dry the motor that ran he knew Lyn as Evelyn In 1963, t.yn's drag racing friends de- car's windshield wipers. Lyn con- Cornwall, the introvert- cided to attend the Indianapolis 500. Lyn tinued to drive the Pinto ed only child of a Wil- begged her parents to let her go, loughby, Ohio sheet too. and her mother metal worker and his said it was okay as wife, would have a hard time believing long as she could who she is today. go along as chaper- "I grew up literally and figuratively on one.