Colombo Night Races to rock city

Chinthana WASALA

A whole new experience in Sri Lankan motor racing will be on offer when the Colombo Night Races take the roads in the heart of Colombo on December 16 and 17 after sunset.

The inaugural version of the Colombo Night Races will see some of the best driving and riding skills in action, while a combined race for GT3 and GT4 cars will rock the city providing maximum entertainment for a large number of spectators expected to be present.

This event will see some of the best machines in current international racing arena, including Lamborghini Diablo, Mosler MT900, Aston Martin and Porche 911 Carrera while Sri Lanka's premier international racing star Dilantha Malagamuwa will also take part in the GT3-GT4 category. Subaru Impreza STi, Mitsubishi Evolution, Ford Laser, Nissan March, Honda Civic SiR and the world famous Mini Minor and Formula Ford will be among the other cars, while a few events will be held for motor bikes too..

The races are scheduled to start in front of Galadari Hotel and proceed towards Fort and take a left turn towards Chatham Street. Then it will take a right turn to Duke Street towards Main Street opposite Gaffoor Building. Riders and drivers will then turn left on Sir Baron Jayathilaka Mawatha, pass Cargills Building on York Street. The racers will then take a right turn to Bank of Ceylon Mawatha and towards Ceylon Continental Hotel and turn left towards the roundabout opposite Galadari Hotel to finish a lap.

The main race will be on December 17, where the drivers and riders compete after qualifying on December 16 races.

"Night racing was a dream of motor racing fans and competitors and today it has come to a point where almost everything is a possibility. We initially planned on nine races but decided on 10 including an international event. The Colombo Night Races will surely help Sri Lanka motor racing reach the level it is longing for," said Sri Lanka Automobile Sports (SLAS) president Rizvi Farouk .

"Sri Lankan fans will get the opportunity of seeing Aston Martins, Porsches, BMWs, Moslers, Lamborghinis and other racing cars competing on home soil. There is also a possibility of seeing Sri Lanka's only international driver, Dilantha Malagamuwa taking part in his new Lamborghini. But we have a challenge to lay a clean and flat track for that race because the ground clearance of those cars is very low. We are working on it with extra attention," added Farouk.

The races will be conducted by SLAS and Federation of Motorcycle Sports in Sri Lanka (FMSSL). Carlton Sports and Tharunyata Hetak are the chief organizers of the entire event.

The second Electric Peacock festival will also join hands with motor racing to provide a weekend packed with speed and musical entertainment.

The festival will rock the city on December 16 near the Galle Face Lighthouse. Big names in the music industry including British electro Chicane and BBC radio one DJ Nihal along with local artists will add colour to the Colombo Night Races.