A business leader has thrown his weight behind a bid to bring a Formula 1 racing team to Warwickshire and believes it will help keep the region's engineering at the front of the grid.
Technical engineering firm Prodrive this week announced a £100 million investment in a new site near Kenilworth which could create 800 jobs.
The company is seeking planning permission for a complex which would include new offices, design studios, research and development laboratories as well as a conference centre.
It also hopes to create a new building to house a Formula 1 team which could compete from 2008.
Dr Brian Woods-Scawen, chairman of Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Partnership, welcomed the announcement as a major boost to the region.
The CSWP is a combination of local businesses and councillors seeking to encourage private, public, voluntary and education sectors to work together for the growth and prosperity of the sub-region.
Dr Woods-Scawen said it would offer support to Pro-drive as it sought to develop 40 acres of the 200 acres site.
He said: "This is great news. The sort of posts this project would create would be exactly the sort of high added value engineering jobs we are keen to see brought to the area.
"With the formation of a new F1 team, these would be the sort of jobs which would attract younger people into manufacturing which is vital for the long-term future of the industry and the West Midlands."
