Racing hopes revived Macar ¡ENCY PAUL PAN Mrs Pannell and her Datsun racing "a bit of a buzz 17 - 1 - 86 By Linda Powell One of the city's fashion leaders. Mrs Maree Pannell. will take to the Wigram racetrack on Sunday to help promote women's racing "where it should be." Mrs Pannell, the director of the Spotlight Model Agency, was a keen 'club-day racer' about 10 years ago. She needed only a slight amount of urging to return to the track tor the women-only event in the Lady Wigram Trophy competition. The Quinn's Fashion Cup with prizes valued at $3000 is believed to be the first women's race held at a national level in New Zealand. Mrs Pannell believes women's racing should be back where it was in the 1950s when drivers such as Sybil Lupp competed often. 'There were quite a crowd of women who used to drive their old open-top sports cars." Mrs Pannell says she sees no reason why there should not be more women's races today. "I'm not in a competitive car:.. I just thought it would be good to support the race. Mrs Pannell will race the four laps in a $13,000 Datsun 240Z, because her Lotus entry car was not accepted. "But I'm happy ... racing gives you a bit of a buzz. The cars driven by Mrs Pannell over the years include her favourite, a three-litre Austin Healey, and a Lotus Elan. which she says was "a little darling. She says she is more nervous about Sunday than she was for her previous races. "In the men's races you could hide away among the other competitors - in the women's race we'll be a bit more obvious." Another of the nine women competing on-Sunday will be Mrs Jenny Steere, of Kaiapoi. Mrs Steere has been racing on and off for about 15 years. Her sparkling red Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, which was bought in Auckland, is valued at $85,000. Women drivers need a bit of courage and grit" but on the whole are just car enthusiasts. She says. In spite of the Ferrari's top speed of 225kmh, she says 203kmh will te more probable on Sunday because otherwise the car will "run out of back straight." Racing on the track tends to improve genera: driving. because of a gain in confidence, she believes. She says women are more cautious on the track but men are good sports when there are women in the race. Ladies are more gentile ... naturally, they don't want to hurt their cars. The top contender for the women's title Debbie Lester is of Palmerston North. She has been competing successfully in Formula Vee comeptition this season and two weeks ago had a win at the Grand Prix meeting at Pukekohe. Her father, Rob Lester, is the present Formula Vee champion and her brother also races successfully.