26 June 2012 Last updated at 12:30 ET

American delegates visit Northamptonshire's motorsport industry

The mayor of Indianapolis in the United States has led a delegation to Northamptonshire to meet leaders of the motorsport industry.

Mayor Greg Ballard and six delegates are working to strengthen co-operation between high-tech companies on both sides of the Atlantic.

Indianapolis is a leading motorsport city in the US and has many high performance technology (HPT) companies.

Motorsport is seen as vital to Northamptonshire's economic future.

Mr Ballard said: "We just took a tour of Mclaren recently and there are many similarities between the Indy 500 race and F1 which is why we are here to build relationships."

The event was organised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership (NEP).

Northamptonshire's specialist skill, technology and knowledge has led to a large hub of HPT companies in the county, according to the NEP.

It said there are more than 1,000 businesses employing 21,000 people and contributing £2bn to the local economy.

Tim Bagshaw, from the NEP, said "By working together internationally we are best able to continue to support and develop the sector and maintain the county's position at the forefront of the industry here in the UK."