Thursday September 1st was the 9th Annual Lyn St. James Women in the Winners Circle Awards Celebration at Don Shumaker Racing’s garage in Brownsburg, Indiana. Lyn St. James has been and continues to be a prominent figure in racing with accomplishments including 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, with 7 Indianapolis 500 starts including 15 IRL and CART starts. Other racing accomplishments include 53 SCCA Trans-Am and 62 IMSA GT races, 31 national and international closed circuit speed records, and racing the 24 hours of Le Mans and 24 hours of Daytona.
Lyn St. James founded Women in the Winners Circle Foundation in 1994. This includes the Complete Driver Academy, which identifies potential women championship drivers with proven success on the track, and provides tools to further women drivers’ careers. Some of these tools include fitness and nutrition training, race driving education, business training, and counseling on meeting and talking with potential sponsors and media. Women from all forms of motorsports have attended the Lyn St. James Complete Driver Academy including karting, midgets, drag racing, oval track, and others. Project Podium was founded in 2007, and provides up to $50,000 in matching funds to women drivers to help promote their driving careers in their respective motorsport. In speaking with the young women at the awards celebration this is one of the biggest hurdles for women and really everyone in motorsports is the funding and sponsorship dollars needed to compete in a full season/s of racing. Project Podium has provided opportunities to young women in racing to pursue their goal of a career in motorsports that they might not have had given ordinary circumstances. Women in Winners Circle Celebration was founded in 2003 as a fundraiser and opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women in motorsports.
Don Shumaker
Melanie Troxel
Opportunity Award Mazda Speed Motorsports Development
Women in Technology Award C&R Racing Incorporated
USAC Kara Hendrick Spirit Award
TJ and Beverly Patrick-Danica Patricks' parents
Past Women in the Winners Circle participants have included Melanie Troxel, Danica Patrick, and Sarah Fisher among others. Some of the young ladies that were recognized this year includes Taylor Ferns who competes in USAC midgets and sprints, is the current USAC points leader and started racing at the age of 9. Taylor has attended the Lyn St. James program and contributes her focus and concentration while racing to the courses at the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation. Other participants include Miranda Throckmorton who started racing at the age of 12 and competes in USAC winged Sprint Car. Miranda is currently a student at IUPUI majoring in exercise science and competes in 20-40 races per year. Taylor Myers at only 13 years old has already been racing for 5 years, and competes in Jr. Drag Racing, and goes 84 mph and 7.90 seconds in the 1/8th mile. Taylor is in the eighth grade and gets straight A’s even while competing in drag racing.
Look for these and other young women coming up through the racing ranks in the coming years. If you would like to learn more about Lyn St. James and the Women in the Winners Circle Foundation please visit http://lynstjames.com/ . I would also like to thank Don Shumaker and his staff for their great hospitality for this year’s Women in Winners Circle Awards Celebration.
-Simon Bollin,, VP Sports Marketing
-Simon Bollin,, VP Sports Marketing
