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2001
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| Q Motorsports Family Scholarship Program | 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.
(material courtesy of Q Motorsports)
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