ASHAN, AARON DAZZLE
AT KUKULEGANGA SPEED HILL CLIMB
The inaugural Kukuleganga Speed Hill Climb conducted by the Army Motor Sports Committee in conjunction with Motor Racing Association and sponsored by Hutch Telecommunication Sri Lanka held at the newly laid track at Kukuleganga Army Base Camp track ended with tremendous success.
The event saw the participation of 200 entries with 116 in the 14 motor car events and 84 in the 12 motorcycle events, which showed the enthusiasm and hunger for events of this nature which came to a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic for over an year.
Events wise it was the ace motor car driver Ashan Silva who came out on top again as he dazzled with his usual flamboyant appearance on the track. Silva ended the meet with the best timing of the day of 32.13 achieved in his pet event of Group GT Cars up to 3500cc, which in fact was his third successive best driver of the year following the Eliyakanda Hill Climb and the recently concluded Mahagastota Hill Climb in which he established a new record.
Champion rider Aaron Gunawardena turned the tide against his elder brother Jaden to bag the top award with a timing of 33.50 in the Group M Super Sport Motorcycles 900cc up to 1000cc 4T event.
Jaden in fact bagged the top riders award in two hill climb meetings previously, which were the Eliyakanda Hill Climb and the Mahagastota Hill Climb.
Meanwhile, Mihan Peiris, an up-andcoming driver, son and brother of Dhammika and Kushan, who are motor car racing drivers of repute, had the honour of being the only participant at the meet to win two events. Last week his father Dhammika had a successful stint at the Mahagastota Hill Climb as he won two races and Mihan is continuing the tradition of his father who has been in the racing for almost three decades.
The organizers came in for high praise with the drivers’ and riders’ view of the newly laid track being the fastest and challenging from all the hill climb events that are being held in Sri Lanka.