WEST FIFE can now boast a motorsport global champion after Dean MacDonald accelerated his way to a prestigious karting title.

The 18-year-old, from Kelty, was one of 504 drivers, across seven categories, who travelled to Le Mans, France, for the 2019 Iame International Final and returned home on top of the world.

After a highly-successful karting career, MacDonald switched to sports car competition two years ago by entering GT racing with the McLaren GT Driver Academy, which is designed to provide a pathway for youngsters to move into sports cars.

While he joined HHC Motorsport team for the 2019 season, driving the McLaren GT4, he went back to his roots in February by competing at the Iame Euro Series Winter Cup in Valencia, which he won by 2.249 seconds.

That ensured he was eligible to compete in the International Final, an event held between October 13-19, and attracted a high-profile entrant in the shape of British Touring Car Championship driver Ashley Sutton.

MacDonald went into the race having finished in an impressive third in the British GT4 Drivers Championship standings, and showed his quality by switching back to karts and steering his way to glory.

Racing in the 'Pro' class, he got off to a great start by putting himself on pole position for the heats and, although a spin in the first put him back to 29th, he fought back to 11th place, only for a bumper penalty to drop him four spots.

However, wins in heats two and three, along with a second place in heat four, saw MacDonald qualify for the pre-final in third, in a field that included Italy's reigning world champion, Lorenzo Travisanutto.

A strong race saw the lead change a few times and, while running second, MacDonald allowed Morgan Porter to pass and finish immediately behind winner Harry Thompson.

In a strong start to the final, MacDonald quickly moved up into second but, in a tight race, found himself in fifth spot at one stage before laps five and six turned in his favour.

Thompson's race ended in the fifth, allowing Finland's Juho Valtanen to take the initiative, but MacDonald roared back to sit immediately behind before taking the lead himself on lap six.

Valtanen then found himself being swallowed up by the chasing pack but the West Fifer increased his lead, which looked unassailable until Taylor Barnard narrowed the gap to under one second in the space of three laps with two to go.

But, despite his opponent's attentions, MacDonald held out to secure a memorable victory and claim the title, finishing 1.938 seconds clear of second-placed Danny Keirle, who found himself on the podium alongside Travisanutto after Barnard received a penalty.