Buggy bosses raring to go

Owners of a sprint buggy racetrack on a strip of farmland in South Staffordshire have applied for permission for the racing to carry on for another year.

Motorsport enthusiasts from as far afield as Ireland, France, Austria and Germany have raced at UK Rallysprint Ltd's 1.5km track, situated at Lower Drayton Farm, Penkridge. Now Dave and Fiona Rainbow have applied to South Staffordshire Council for planning permission to keep the track at Lower Drayton Lane for another 12 months.

It is the only race dirt track of its kind in the country with the sprint buggies reaching speeds of over 50mph and accelerating from 0 to 60mph in less than five seconds. The track has twin lanes with a bridge and tunnel crossover point for head-to-head racing.

The track was given 12 months planning permission by the council last year and the couple from Gnosall, near Stafford, said if permission is granted this year they would look to launch a sprint series competition when the season starts again in March.

Mrs Rainbow said: "We are very happy with the location and the existing design of the track. The feedback from the customers this year has been fantastic.

"If we get planning permission we plan to carry out nothing more than routine maintenance to the track before we start running the experience again in March.

"There is no other place in the country offering this experience. Many customers have been karting and buggy racing before and they are always amazed by how much better our experience is."

They hope the credit crunch will mean businesses and people looking for somewhere reasonably priced but different to hold their corporate event or stag party would come to them.

Mrs Rainbow said: "A year or two ago they may have looked at an expensive weekend away in Europe now a lot more people are looking closer to home for a more reasonably priced activity."