Proud St James takes final bow.

Lyn St James ran her final two laps of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway before slowly making her way down pit-road and handing her racing helmet to Speedway President Tony George and announcing her retirement from top-line Single Seater Racing.

As is becoming an Indy 500 tradition, veteran team-boss Dick Simon ensured that two of his cars were the first to take to the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway as official practice began with regular driver Stephan Gregoire leading Lyn St James out onto the track.

However while Gregoire's mind was on beginning his challenge for the 85th Indianapolis 500, St James was relishing the track where she made seven starts in her long-career including a tremendous sixth place start in 1994 ahead of one Nigel Mansell.

On Sunday St James brought down the curtain on a history-making career in which she found success in Indy Cars and Sportscars where she was a regular IMSA competitor in the 1980's.

The Ohio native started a total of eleven CART events beginning at Indy in 1992 when she qualified 27th in one of Dick Simon's cars and finished a praiseworthy eleventh to score two points, good enough for 30th place equal in that year's Championship. In 1993 she made six starts for Simon and although she qualified tenth at Michigan, her best finish was 13th at Phoenix.

1994 saw her qualify on the second row at Indy, the best ever for a woman driver at the Speedway and she made her final three CART appearances in 1995 at Indy, Michigan and Milwaukee.

With the formation of the Indy Racing League, St James took her tally of Indy 500 starts to six in 1996 and 1997 before failing to qualify the next two years. In 2000 she came back undeterred and made the field for a seventh time only to be eliminated in an accident with Sarah Fisher, the woman who looks set to emulate St James' achievements in open wheel Indy Racing.

20-year old Fisher has already finished on an IRNLS podium twice and has started from third on the grid but the Walker Racing driver has yet to beat St James' starting record at Indy and has yet to out qualify a former Formula One World Champion.

St James will continue to enjoy her driving in lesser formulae whilst concentrating her time on her racing school, already unearthing real talent of both sexes leaving Fisher to carry on where she left off, beating the men at their own game.