By Lars Niven

TWO FIFE businessmen are hoping to set up a £3 million karting academy that could help to produce the next Lewis Hamilton or David Coulthard.

Property developers McKenzie Law and William Peters hope to cash in on the phenomenal success Hamilton has had in his first season in Formula One.

The rookie came within a hair’s breadth of becoming the first driver to win the F1 Championship in his debut season.

His rise to the top began when he took up karting as a youngster. Coulthard, too, cut his teeth in karting.

Now Fife could be set to get a slice of the action provided the council backs the partners’ plan.

They want to turn land to the east of the Andrew Antennas factory on the outskirts of Lochgelly into a motor sports centre capable of attracting European events.

The 50-acre site, bought from Powguild Farm, has already been used for motocross.

Mr Law, who describes himself as a local businessman with a background in motorsport, told The Courier the idea includes plans for stock car racing, karting, motocross and grass tracks.

If the local authority approves, the first races could be held in early 2009.

“Basically, it’s just a short, oval circuit, the same as they have at Cowdenbeath, but we’re hoping to put an international go-karting centre in there as well,” Mr Law said.

“We are also hoping to put a motocross track in there.

“There used to be a motocross track and there are still people using it unofficially with motocross bikes, but we’re trying to stop that at the moment.

“Out idea is a small motorsports centre, basically, central to the whole of Fife.

“We think it would be quite good for the local economy as well.

“We are hoping to attract kart racers from all over Europe.

“The idea is to start kids from scratch and bring up all ages on it.”

He added, “I think the karting is the main element, because you get quite big numbers of entrants in karting.

“Obviously the fact that Lewis Hamilton has done so well, every kid wants to go karting at the moment.

“It’s going to be the full range of all different types of karts, so kids can go from one stage to the next.

“It’s quite an expensive project for us. It’ll cost just under £3 million to build it—the track, the infrastructure, the services, everything like that.

“So far at the moment we’ve had a good response from the few councillors and the public we’ve spoken to about it.”

Their plans also include a stand for spectators and a control tower.

Scottish Motor Sport Ltd has lodged its plans with the council’s development officials in Dunfermline.

They can be inspected by members of the public at the planning office at New City House during normal office hours.