Weerasinghe and Caldera shine at SLAF Rotherham Circuit Meet 2010
9:04pm on Monday 9th August 2010
Speed, nail-biting excitement and great sportsmanship brought an exciting finish to the Rotherham Circuit Meet 2010 organized by the Sri Lanka Air Force at Katukurunda yesterday.
The motor car and bike racing competition worked off at the Katukurunda Airstrip on this Sunday (8th Aug) saw the participation of the big names in the local racing scene. Crowds thronged in numbers to witness the events which saw some fantastic driving skills being displayed on the scorching tarmac track.
Event after event of hotly contested motorcycle and motor car categories saw competitors chase off their opponents with style and skilled manoeuvres. But the most exciting came towards the tail end of the event line up in the 1400 cc class Cars event where Yoga Perera was flagged off to a victory which had the crowd cheering on their feet.
Former champions Dinesh Deheragoda, Ashan Silva as well as Shantha Suraweera and Pasindu Peiris also shone in a number of events, with the Peiris picking up a number of trophies with a winner’s smile on his face!
But it was a beaming Daren Weerasinghe who took the prize of the day when he zoomed ahead to win in the grand finale of the meet by bagging the coveted Air Chief Marshal WDRMJ Goonetileke Challenge Trophy (Cars) beating nearly ten other drivers in his metallic blue car stamped with an O+, Weerasinghe had a clear lead ahead of his fellow competitors.
The keenly contested motorcycle events saw the participation of two brothers Jaden and Aaron, as young as ten competing with the seniors in the 125 cc class. Interestingly, the lady driver to contest in the meet, S.A. Lakshika, picked up silver in the Nissan up to 1000 cc event.
There was no surprise when the UD Jinadasa Challenge Trophy (Motorcycle) for the best rider went to Maduranga Caldera. The rider who had won on the Katukurunda track on several occasions previously, showed why he was, true to his entry emblazoned on his Yamaha XZF R1, number one!
This year marked the fourth year of this much-awaited annual event, which is named after Hank Rotherham, the first Commander of Katukurunda Base during the World War II. The Rotherham Circuit Meet was organized by the Sri Lanka Motor Racing Committee and conducted with the able support of the Sri Lanka Association for Racing Drivers and Riders.
All proceeds of the event will be directed towards the worthy cause of the SLAF welfare project. The funds will be utilized to assist families of Airmen who lost their lives in battle and for those with injuries. A section of them will also be used to uplift sports activities of the current Airmen serving the SLAF.
The motor car and bike racing competition worked off at the Katukurunda Airstrip on this Sunday (8th Aug) saw the participation of the big names in the local racing scene. Crowds thronged in numbers to witness the events which saw some fantastic driving skills being displayed on the scorching tarmac track.
Event after event of hotly contested motorcycle and motor car categories saw competitors chase off their opponents with style and skilled manoeuvres. But the most exciting came towards the tail end of the event line up in the 1400 cc class Cars event where Yoga Perera was flagged off to a victory which had the crowd cheering on their feet.
Former champions Dinesh Deheragoda, Ashan Silva as well as Shantha Suraweera and Pasindu Peiris also shone in a number of events, with the Peiris picking up a number of trophies with a winner’s smile on his face!
But it was a beaming Daren Weerasinghe who took the prize of the day when he zoomed ahead to win in the grand finale of the meet by bagging the coveted Air Chief Marshal WDRMJ Goonetileke Challenge Trophy (Cars) beating nearly ten other drivers in his metallic blue car stamped with an O+, Weerasinghe had a clear lead ahead of his fellow competitors.
The keenly contested motorcycle events saw the participation of two brothers Jaden and Aaron, as young as ten competing with the seniors in the 125 cc class. Interestingly, the lady driver to contest in the meet, S.A. Lakshika, picked up silver in the Nissan up to 1000 cc event.
There was no surprise when the UD Jinadasa Challenge Trophy (Motorcycle) for the best rider went to Maduranga Caldera. The rider who had won on the Katukurunda track on several occasions previously, showed why he was, true to his entry emblazoned on his Yamaha XZF R1, number one!
This year marked the fourth year of this much-awaited annual event, which is named after Hank Rotherham, the first Commander of Katukurunda Base during the World War II. The Rotherham Circuit Meet was organized by the Sri Lanka Motor Racing Committee and conducted with the able support of the Sri Lanka Association for Racing Drivers and Riders.
All proceeds of the event will be directed towards the worthy cause of the SLAF welfare project. The funds will be utilized to assist families of Airmen who lost their lives in battle and for those with injuries. A section of them will also be used to uplift sports activities of the current Airmen serving the SLAF.
