16-1-71 Little glamour or romance for racing-drivers' WIVeS Glamour and romance have long been associated with motor-racing - advertisements for many products depict a fast-living driver and his sleek, admiring woman. The woman, however, is rarely pictured as the wife of the driver. For the wives the romance seems to be nil, the glamour minimal. Yesterday at Wigram, during practice for today's racing, the wives were conspicuous by their apprehension and melancholy. Although a certain amount was boredoom, the blame lay mainly in the tension that builds up before a race. While their husbands could busy themselves adjusting their cars their wives sat around chain-smoking and making sandwiches. For some. time-keeping provided a diversion from thoughts of danger; for others it was their link with the dedicated, solitary world of the drivers. Mrs D. O'Sullivan, wife of the Australian driver, timekeeps to help her husband. 1all, slim, dark and very attractive, Mrs O'Sullivan was once interested in entering her mini-car in trials but her husband discouraged her. Although there is a lot of i "hanging about," Mrs O'Sullivan said, "Don likes me to here as long as happy." Able to relax Strange as it may seem in a sport that requires a high level of concentration and alertness, Mrs O'Sullivan considers that racing drivers can relax while they are on the circuit. "Their minds are relaxed, their thoughts completely on : their driving and nothing else." she said. Like most wives of drivers, Mrs O'Sullivan is waiting for the day her husband decides ¡to give up racing. Again, like ¡the other wives, she realises it will be his personal deci- ¡sion, when he feels he has gone as far as possible in the sport Mrs O'Sullivan almost had the last word on glamour- "The only glamour is for the people who are not in it," she said. Thrill of speed But there still seemed to be an element of, if not glamour, then excitement and sophistication surrounding the drivers and their vehicles. For two young girls the the thrill of speed was the main attraction, for another (a girl friend of a saloon-car driver) it was the variety of travelling from track to track. The virtual absence of long-legged beautiful girls• made it seem that the aura surrounding drivers had dim-. inished, but the girls are expected to be in full evi-i dence at the race today. Even Teddy the - one bachelor in the national class, was SuT-1 rounded only by small boys! and mechanics. One young woman who had: industry in Britain certainlt dampened any suggestion of glamour in the sport. "It's now too commercial. the whole thing is just a rat ¡race." she said "You would find more handsome men and better conversationalists among the ordinary men in the street. It's the money that attracts the women." Too busy The drivers and their mechanics certainly appeared to be too busy adjusting their powerful cars to notice the two or three giris in smart trousers and cling! tops. There mar still be a cloud of glamour surrounding motor racing if vou don't stand too close, but the silver lining. is often little тоге than the smell of burnt rubber. The photograph shows Mrs F. Matich, Wife of the Australian driver, wipingher husband's goggles before he set out on lap trials yesterday. HOTHMANS® "THAT'S THE END OF THAT ENGINE!"—C. Amon looks unhappy as he inspects the metal spattered spark-plug from the faulty eylinder of his Lotus-Ford's S-litre engine at Wigram yesterday. The engine burned a piston, and Amon will drive a 2.5-litre March-Ford in the race today. 100 NEAR MISS AT HANGAR BEND.—R. Cook's Austin Cooper S spins at Hangar Bend during race practice at Wigram yesterday, while one of the Ford Escorts dodges past through the tyre smoke. Neither car was damaged.