Drive starts off in Motherwell, passing East Lothian (5)
I believe the answer is:
impel
'drive' is the definition.
(I know that drive is a kind of hit)
'starts off in motherwell passing east lothian' is the wordplay.
'starts off' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letters of 'in motherwell passing east lothian' is 'IMPEL'.
(Other definitions for impel that I've seen before include "Urge or force to action" , "Urge forward - push" , "'Drive, force (5)'" , "Oblige" , "Force forwards" .)