>> Jason: WE ARE BACK LIVE IN STUDIO, DOWNTOWN DETROIT.
SHE IS A RACING LEGENDS AND SHE
IS HERE.
IS HERE. LYNN ST. JAMES WILL BE RACING IN
THE 2020 CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND
PRIX THIS SPRING.
BETTER YET, YOU CAN MEET HER
THIS WEEKEND.
THIS WEEKEND. ALSO WITH US, DETROIT GRAND PRIX
PRESIDENT MICHAEL MONTREE.
>> GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> Jason: AT THE TENDER AGE OF
39, HOW DO YOU KEEP GOING?
[LAUGHTER]
[LAUGHTER] >> THANK YOU.
WHEN YOU SEE RACING LEGEND, THAT
MEANS I’M OLD.
>> Jason: SHE SAID, YOU WERE A
DEEJAY, I WAS A DEEJAY.
BUT A RACE CAR LEGEND, ALWAYS A
RACE CAR LEGEND.
AND HOW CAN OTHERS COMPETE, TOO?
>> IT’S MALE DOMINATED BECAUSE
MORE MEN SHOWED UP.
THE FIRST THING IS, SHOW UP!
UNDERSTAND YOU COULD DO IT.
AND YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN BE
IT.
IT. A LOT OF WOMEN IN THE SPORT AND
IT’S NOT JUST THE DRIVER.
WE HAVE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING,
PIT CREWS, AND VERY INTEGRATED,
IT’S JUST THAT YOU CAN’T ALWAYS
SEE THEM.
SEE THEM. BUT THE THING IS TO SHOW UP.
IF IT’S YOUR PASSION AND YOU’RE
INTERESTED, THEN WORK REALLY
HARD, BECOME THE BEST N RACING,
EVERYBODY ON A RACE TEAM HAS TO
BE THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO.
THERE ARE NO SLACKERS.
SO THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE WANT.
THEY ONLY WANNA HIRE THE BEST
AND BE THE BEST.
BE THE BEST AND SHOW UP.
>> Jason: SHOWING UP IS WHAT WE
DID WAY BACK WHEN.
MY DAD TOOK ME TO THE INAUGURAL
GRAND PRIX BACK IN THE EARLY
’80s.
’80s. >> I RACED IN THAT.
I LOVED IT.
>> Jason: I KNOW.
AND WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO?
>> WE’VE BEEN ON BELLE ISLE
SINCE 2012 IN THE LATEST
LITERATION.
LITERATION. AND IT IMPROVES EVERY YEAR.
AND WE LOOK FOR BETTER
ENTERTAINMENT AND ACCESS.
WE HAVE TWO NEW GRANDSTANDS.
GREAT SHOTS, GREAT VIEWS OF THE
RACE COURSE.
RACE COURSE. WE ALSO HAVE SOME SPEED TRAPS
WE’RE CALLING THEM AND SEE FROM
THE GRANDSTANDS, WE HAVE
TELEMATIX IN THE CARS, AND YOU
CAN SEE HOW FAST THEY’RE GOING.
>> Jason: COOL!
>> AND IT WILL HAVE RUNNING
ORDER, SO YOU’LL BE MORE IN TUNE
WITH WHO IS LEADING THE RACE.
>> Jason: HOW WOULD IT BE
DIFFERENT RACING ON BELLE ISLE
AS OPPOSED TO WHAT YOU DID IN
DOWNTOWN DETROIT ON THE DETROIT
CITY STREETS?
CITY STREETS? GIVE ME A SENSE FROM THE RACE
CAR DRIVER’S PERSPECTIVE.
>> FOR ONE THING, I’VE RUN THE
OLD CIRCUIT, DOWNTOWN BY THE
RENCEN, THE LONG BEACH GRAND
PRIX, THE MIAMI GRAND PRIX,
SEVERAL STREET RACES.
BUT IF YOU’RE RUNNING ON
HIGHWAYS OR ROADS THAT ARE BEAT
UP ALL THE TIME BECAUSE AS IT
WAS IN THE DETROIT, AND NOT JUST
MICHIGAN BUT ANYWHERE, BECAUSE
POTHOLES ARE EVERYWHERE, BUT
WHEN YOU RACE AT BELLE ISLE,
YOU’RE GONNA RUN ON NATURAL
STREET CIRCUITS, NOT USED AS
MUCH, SO IT’S A MUCH BETTER
RACING CIRCUIT AND ALSO REALLY
CONTAINED BEAUTIFULLY ON A
BEAUTIFUL PARK THAT THE PEOPLE
GET TO COME AND BE IN A VERY
BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
BEAUTIFUL PLACE. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE
TO -- SO THE DRIVERS LOVE IT AND
THE FANS LOVE IT, TOO.
>> Jason: YOU BECAME THE FIRST
WOMAN TO WIN ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
HONORS AT THE INDY 500 IN 1982.
>> I’VE ALWAYS BEEN GOAL
ORIENTED.
ORIENTED. AND I WANTED TO RACE IN THE INDY
500 AND RACE INDY CARS.
MY GOAL WAS NEVER TO BE ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR.
BUT I KNEW THERE WERE 9 ROOKIES
THAT YEAR, SO I’M LIKE, THERE’S
NO WAY, AIN’T NO WAY.
AND WHEN THEY ANNOUNCED MY NAME,
THE BIGGEST PART THAT MADE IT SO
SPECIAL IS DICK SIMON HAD TAKEN
MORE ROOKIES TO INDY THAN ANY
OTHER DRIVER AND HE HAD NEVER
WON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR HONORS.
SO THAT WAS REALLY COOL.
IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAM.
>> Jason: YOU AND I SHOULD TEAM
UHM ON THE LODGE, M-10.
>> JUST COMING HERE, I THINK THE
CORNER, I REMEMBER THAT CORNER.
[LAUGHTER]
[LAUGHTER] >> Jason: WHAT CAN WE LOOK
FORWARD TO THAT WE HAVEN’T
TOUCHED ON THIS YEAR?
>> WE HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
WINNERS CIRCLE AND IMPROVING IT
WITH LARGE TVs.
>> Jason: IT’S MAY 29 THROUGH
THE 31st AND MEET LYN ST. JAMES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> GREAT TO BE BACK IN DETROIT.
>> Jason: I LOVE AUTORAMA.