Darin fastest driver at Mahagastota

S M Jiffrey Abdeen - Kandy Sports Correspondent

Thirty year old Darin Weerasinghe become the fastest driver at the oldest bill climb perhaps in the world when he clocked 34.348 seconds to lower the nine year old course record at the 79th Mahagastota Speed Bill Climb organised by Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC) and sponsored by Mobil Lubricants, McFoil, Avon Tyres and Wurth Sports worked off at the upgraded Mahagastota track at Blackpool Nanu Oya last Sunday.

Darin Weerasinghe behind a Subaru Stix 2000 cc competing in the SLGT 3500 cc competition made a breath taking first run when be timed 34.692 second which broke the existing course record 35.57 seconds registered in the year 2004 by Rohan de Silva in a Modified Ford Formula 1600 cc. Darin Weerasinghe's second when he bettered his first run timing by clocking 34.348 seconds was more spectacular as a stunned motor racing fans watched in amazement.

Darin Weerasinghe is an old boy of St. Thomas Prop School and Colombo International School where he played rugby and a little of other sports before going over to 'Old Blighty' and graduated. In the University too he did sports and Go Karting and underwent a little training to sharpen his skills.

When first returned to his homeland, he resumed motor racing and at the very hill climb for the year held at Eliyakande he did well to finish second to Ashan de Silva and was behind by a were 4 micro seconds.

Darin Weerasinghe is a chip of the old block - his father the illustrious Bandula Weerasinghe a live wire of the CMBC was a top class racing driver and held three class records at one time at Mahagastota till they were lowered with the advent of improved vehicles and one stood for a long time till it was broken a few years back. His son Darin's performance was a dream come true for Bandula Weerasinghe and he had achieved much more than his father did. Did someone say "racing runs in the blood".

Placed second in the same event was Shirendra Lawrence behind a Subaru Imprezza timing 35.211 seconds which was faster than his second run of 35.577 seconds. In third place was Dinesh Jayawardena (Subaru) with a timing of 35.769 seconds.

In a surprise turn of events the results of SL-N cars upto 1000 cc was with held following a protest lodged against another competitor who was not even placed among the first three and did not qualify for any prize.

Ananda Sampath Weerasinghe was one rider who really stole the limelight when he clocked 36.364 seconds in a Akashi Special 250 cc to erase the best timing for motor cycles held by Saffras Junaid since 2004 and the earlier record 37.66 seconds on a Honda 125 cc.

Mastro Rohan de Silva whose course record was eclipsed was a happy man and said that our efforts in upgrading the track has yielded result and many timings had been bettered and this is our objective and records are meant to be broken and this has happened. Young Praveen Madugalle for the first time behind a Formula competing in event Formula McLarens 1300 timed 39.206 seconds to better the earlier class of 40.102 seconds established by Rohan de Silva in 2011. Praveen Madugalle was locked in a close battle with Shrian Samuel (39.509) and Clement Senaratne (39.740 secs) with fraction of a second separating them.

Veteran racing driver Hafis Gader using his old Mini Austin which he claims is older than himself did extremely well with a clean drive to win the event for SL-A Cars upto 1050 cc with a timing of 44.479 seconds.

Another point of interest was fifteen year old Kushan Peiris the younger ever competitor to participate in this climb secured a third place in the one make - Ford laser/Mazda 1300 cc event. He pushed his father the famed Dammika Peiris into fourth position after the father and son had used the same vehicle in this event which the fact that it is the man more than the machine which is more important.

The results: Motor cars

SL-H Cars upto 1600 cc

1 Ashan Silva (Honda Civic) 38.131 secs. 2. Dilan Senaviratne (Honda STR) 38. 191 secs. 3. Dinesh Jayawardena (Honda Civic) 38.321 secs.

Formula Ford 1600 cc standard

1 Saffras Junaid (Formula Ford) 36.919 secs. 2. Rohan de Silva (Formula Ford) 37.043 secs. 3. Shirendra Lawrence (Reynard Formula Ford) 39.153 secs.

Formula Ford 1600 cc Modified

1 Ashan Silva (Formula Ford) 35.773 secs. 2 Rohan de Silva (Formula Ford) 35.777 secs. 3. Dilan Seneviratne (Formula Ford) 37.512 secs.

Formula McLarens 1300 cc

1 Praveen Madugalle (Formula McLarens) 39.206 secs. W Shrian Samuel (Formula McLarens) 39.509 secs. 3 Clement Senaratne (Formula LGB) 39.740 secs.

One Make Event Ford Laser/Mazda 1500 cc

1 Dammika Peiris (Mazda Familia) 44.378 secs. 2 Susantha Gunawardena (Ford Laser) 44.445 secs.

SL-A Cars 1050 cc

1 Hafis Cader (Austin Mini) 44.479 secs 2. Michael Wijesuriya (Nissan March) 44.824 secs 3. Dilan Madugalle (Austin Moke) 46.343 secs.

SL-N Cars upto 1000 cc Results withheld following a protest.

SL-H Cars upto 1500 cc

1 Dinesh Senanayake (Honda FIT HS) 40.642 secs 2. Sri Ponnambalam (Honda Civic) 41.962 secs.

One Make Mini 7 1000 cc

1 Shashika Lakmal Wijayaratne (Austin Mini) 43.304 secs.

2 Dilan Perera (Morris Mini) 44.904 secs 3. Ravin Vanniathamby (Austin Mini) 46.074 secs.

One Make Event Ford Laser/Masda 1300 cc

1 Janith Kumarage (Ford Laser) 44.091 secs. 2 Prasanna de Alwis (Ford Laser) 44.257 secs. 3 Kushan Peiris (Mazda Familia) 44.276 secs.

SLGT Cars 3500 cc Super Cars.

1 Darin Weerasinghe (Subaru STI) 34.348 secs. (New course and class record) 2. Shirendra Lawrence (Subaru Impressa) 35.211 secs. 3. Dinesh Jayawardena (Subaru) 35.769 secs.

Fastest Timing Motor Cars: Darin Weerasinghe 34.348 secs.

Overall Fastest timing and course record Darin Weerasinghe 34.348 secs.

Fastest timing motor cycles: Ananda Sampath 36.364 secs.

The results of the motor cycle events have been not released by the organisers.