China's first hilly karting track was built in its island province of Hainan, an investor said in Haikou, capital of Hainan Island, on Friday.

The 400-meter track runs besides farmhouses at the Hill of White Stones, flies into the sky some 4.5 meters high and then hides itself in green trees at the corner.

This was only a minor part of the whole project, said Zhang Yixin, manager of Zhongtian Tourism Co. Ltd. based in China's southernmost province of Hainan.

After the project of some 25 million yuan (3.1 million US dollars) to be completed, there would be a track of more than 7,000 meters around the hill, Zhang added.

The 26 karts, assembled and adjusted already, would be put into business on December 1, but many karting fans have registered for a trial run through the Internet.

Karting is a variant of open-wheeler motor sport with simple, small four-wheeled vehicles called karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down tracks, but are sometimes driven as entertainment or as a hobby by non-professionals.

Michael Schumacher and Ralf Schumacher were reportedly top racing drivers on their fathers' karting tracks.

(Xinhua News Agency September 2, 2005)