SLARDAR champions receive awards

Bernard PERERA

AWARDS: The Sri Lanka Association for Racing Drivers and Riders (SLARDAR) will hold their fourth annual championship awards ceremony today at the Waters Edge, Battaramulla commencing 8.30 p.m. Drivers and riders who competed in six championship events during the year 2006 and gained the highest number of points during the year in six different venues.

All eyes were focussed on the super car event which was very competitive with all top drivers engaged in a tough battle to overcome three time SLARDAR champion Aravinda Premadasa who was looking for his fourth title. He was not that lucky this year when he had to face many difficulties on the track.

His closest rival and three-time runner-up Dinesh Deheragoda and Janaka Dias shot in to the lead and maintained it until the final stage. Premadasa was unlucky this time when he had to pull out of the two final races at Kutukurunda last week due to technical problems which propped up on the track.

Deheragoda who was in the lead made sure of his first SLARDAR title when he won both events to collect maximum of 20 points which put him right of on top with 65 point to grab the super car championship for the year 2006. Young Janaka Dias followed him 50 points and Reyaz Farook also with identical number of points took the runners-up positions.

In the motorcycle championship it was none other than young Gayan Sandaruwan who will be crowned as the king on two wheeler, Sandaruwan competing in only four events out of six managed to be right on top with 66 points and will receive the award for the third successive year.

W.A.G. Rangana (74) Nisel Perera (48) and Abeeth Dangalla (58) are the other drives who have performed exceptionally well to win the championship awards in group SLN cars Fordlaser, Mazda, group SL 'A' cars upto 1600 and group SLH cars upto 1600 cc respectively.

Ishan Dias will receive the award group MX-Racing upto 85 cc Motorcycle championship. He has a tally of 48 points.

The awards ceremony will be followed by a grand get-together of all drivers and riders who were engaged in the championship right through the year.