Distinguished racing driver, Lyn St. James, will serve as Honorary Chairperson for the 2010 Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival.  Ms. St. James was the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of The Year (first woman to ever win).  She competed in 7 Indianapolis 500s and 15 Indy Car events.   She set the world record on a closed-course for women – reaching 225.722 mph during the 1995 Indy qualifying.  She also enjoyed success in sports car racing with class victories at Sebring and Daytona.  She has competed internationally at the 24 Hours of LeMans and the Goodwood Motorsports Revival.  She was the only female to ever win an IMSA GT race (1985 Watkins Glen). 

Lyn has just released her new book “Lyn St. James – An Incredible Journey” which she will be making available at the Lake Mirror Classic.

Today Lyn is actively engaged with Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation and working to celebrate the achievements of women in the motorsports and automotive industries.  The foundation provides mentoring and leadership programs to create more opportunities for women in racing.

Previous Lake Mirror Classic Guests of Honor have included:
‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits, Brock Yates, Sir Stirling Moss, Bobby Allison 
and Hurley Haywood.

The Lake Mirror Classic will feature a pair of exquisitely prepared Miller 122 racing cars  from the early 1920’s.   Collector Dan Davis of Jacksonville will present a 1922 Miller 122 Indianapolis race car.  An image of this car , by photographer Peter Harholdt, will also be featured on the 2010 Lake Mirror Classic poster.  A second Miller is entered by The Collier Historic Motorcar collection in Naples.  It is a 1924 Miller 122/91 board track racer.  Both of these cars will be presented in the Lake Mirror Amphitheater on Saturday, Oct. 16th.

 

Registrations Are Up 25%

Vehicle registrations for the Lake Mirror Classic are running 25% of last year.   According to event chairman, Ford Heacock, the current pace would increase the show field to about 600 vehicles.  This would fill up every nook and cranny available for displaying cars in the designated areas around Lake Mirror Park and downtown Lakeland.  600 vehicles is estimated as maximum capacity and registration will close once that number is reached.

Salvador Dali’s 1933 Rolls Royce Sedanca “Rainy Taxi” will debut at the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival.  In 1933 Salvador Dali created what he called the “Rainy Taxi” where it literally rains inside the car – needless to say the original car has long since rusted away.  However, The Tampa Bay Automotive Museum has dutifully recreated the “Rainy Taxi” for the new Salvador Dali Museum which is scheduled to open in St. Petersburg, FL in 2011.  This car (similar to the image shown) will be on loan to the Dali museum for 5 years.