Land Rover dominate 4x4 Racing in the Hills
Chandima Gooneratne produced a brilliant drive to clinch the fourth consecutive annual 4x4 event conducted by Nuwara Eliya 4x4 Club as part of the festivities in the Nuwara Eliya Season.
Gooneratne who is the the head of Marketing at SML Frontier - the agent for Land Rover in Sri Lanka recorded a time of 1:46 seconds to win the championship by over eight seconds. He drove his Land Rover with a mix of caution and aggression showing complete mastery of the vehicle he drove and also a very accurate reading of the terrain.
Sri Lanka Motor Racing legend of yore David Pieris, who is now a business icon also drove his Land Rover Defender to glory finishing the runner up. Pieris showed his brilliance giving spectators a display of his mastery to read the terrain and to control his Defender over a very undulating and arduous course. He gave those present a magnificent display of his driving skills and showed that he was very much a force to be reckoned with.
The event was organised in a very professional manner and all competitors enjoyed their day out immensely.
The event held on April 16 was for 'Standard Vehicles' and the track was designed to prove the capability of an unmodified vehicle and the drivers and navigators skill. The track set by the club whilst being very challenging, was well within the capability of the vehicles and their crew. Hence, the event ran smoothly without long pauses whilst vehicles were being recovered.
Many other 4x4 vehicles competed against the Land Rover, and in third place was Priyan Perera, who drove very strongly in an Isuzu Trooper.
The camaraderie between competitors and the firm but efficient manner in which the race was conducted set this event apart.