The 26th edition of the SLT Mobitel Speedup 2022 ended last Sunday on a grand scale with over 100 drivers and over 90 riders competing for supremacy in hill climbing which was also the first event conducted for the National Championship 2022.
Driver Ushan Perera and rider Sangeeth Suriyage were the most outstanding performers on this day.
Ushan recorded the best time for car events clocking 32.943 secs which was also the best time of the day for car events. He drove his SL-Gt 3500 vehicle in a well controlled manner expecting to erase Ashan Silva’s record of 31.260 secs set last year. Ushan also made it a double when he went on to win the Open for Diesel and Petrol Vehicle events clocking 36.215 secs.
Meanwhile Sangeeth Suriyage became the best rider when he clocked a time of 33.689 secs in the Supermotard 450cc Class. He too failed to go past the record set by Jaden Gunawardena (33.630) last year.
It was highly interesting to see the Wahab family of four members father and three sons Ishraq, Zaakir and Javid competing in different classes. In certain events father and sons too were engaged in a contest for supremacy.
The other notable incident was the participation of father and son in the same class and the father becoming the winner and son finishing as runner-up in both events. Susantha Gunawardana the father (40.34) and son Shenal Gunawardana (40.383) in the SLN Cars up to 1300cc- Ford Laser/Mazda 323 and SLN Cars up to 1500 cc - Ford Laser/M contesting.
The other combination of father son combination was with Dhammika Pieris and Mihan competing but it was only Dhammika who was able to reach the podium in the SLN Cars up to 1300cc- Ford Laser/Mazda 323 as the second runner up-
The only woman driver seen in action was S.A. Lakshika who also hails from a racing family.
Mevan S. Perera who started his racing career as a participant in Go-Karting came up with a good performance to win the Formula Cars Modified (Up to 1665 cc) clocking a time of 36.803 secs ahead of the experienced Chandima Gunaratne.
The second race of the Formula McLarens 1300cc EFI saw Chandima Gunaratne 38.156 secs come back with a fine performance to beat Mevan S. Perera (38.752).
Cassim Wahab the oldest competitor in the Diesel up to 5500cc – T&J went down to his son Zaakir when he had a better time of 42.56 secs while Cassim the father could manage only 56.067 secs. Zaakir Wahab who clocked 36.882 secs in the SLS Cars up to 1500cc won to make it a double on this day.
In the SL H Cars up to 1600cc One-Make young Kesara Godage (35.651) had a slight edge over Viren Boteju (35.755) to go away with the win in this event in a very close battle.
The other rider to excel on this day was MG Sarath Kumarasinghe winning the Classic Standard Motorcycles 250CC (39.131) and the Classic Standard Motorcycles 250cc and the Street Trail 250cc 2T/4T classes.
Susantha Gunawardena also recorded two wins in the four-wheel category outsmarting his son Shenal in both events SLN Cars up to 1300cc- Ford Laser/Mazda 323 and SLN Cars up to 1500 cc - Ford Laser/M.
In the SLN Cars up to 1300cc- Ford Laser/Mazda 323 the first was Susantha Gunawardana (40.472) followed by Shenal Gunawardana (40.525) and Dhammika Peiris (40.697)
Results:
Cars up to 3500CC - 1. Ushan Perera (32.943), 2. Abeeth Dangalla (32.985), 3. Darin Weerasinghe (34.02)
Classic Standard Motorcycles 250CC - 1. M. G. Sarath Kumarasinghe (39.131), 2. S.Vasudevan (41.197), 3. Jayampathi Dissanayae (41.629)
Diesel Up to 5500CC - 1. Zaakir Wahab (42.56), 2. Cassim Wahab (56.067)
Formula Cars Modified (Up to 1665CC) - 1. Mevan S. Perera (36.803), 2. Chandima Gunaratne (37.138), 3. Ryan Gray (37.562)
Formula McLarens 1300CC EFI - 1. Chandima Gunaratne (38.156), 2. Mevan S. Perera (38.752), 3. Ashan Siriwardena (38.786)
Open for Diesel & Petrol Vehicles - 1. Ushan Perera (36.215), 2. Sanjeewa De Mel (37.822), 3. Javidh Wahab 40.095
SL H Cars up to 1600CC One Make - 1. Kesara Godage (35.651), 2. Viren Boteju (35.755), 3. Zaakir Wahab (35.92)
SLA cars up to 1050CC - 1. Chamika Ranatunga (37.623), 2. Dilupa Palliyaguru (37.831), 3. Dilanka Wijesuriya (38.122)
SLA Mini 7 - 1. Imraz Fayroze (39.251), 2. Sandaru Weerasinghe (40.128), 3. Neil Weerasinghe (41.217)
SLE Cars up to 1000cc One make Nissan March - 1. S. K. Kisal (40.398), 2. Daham Jayanith (40.662)
3. Adeesha Kithwith (40.822)
SLE Cars up to 1300CC Ford Laser/ Mazda 323 -1. Thenuka Liyanarachchi (40.239), 2. Rashitha Pasan WM (40.562), 3. Chamath Palliyaguru (40.652)
SLH Cars up to 1275CC One Make - Mini - 1. Sandaru Weerasinghe (39.844),2. Chanaka Ratnayake (40.137),3. Neil Weerasinghe (41.352)
SLH Cars up to 2000 One Make - Subaru Legacy - 1. Asanka Bandara (37.394), 2. Malinda Gunasekara (37.604), 3. Malika Dilshad (37.69)
SLN Cars up to 1300cc- Ford Laser/Mazda 323 - 1. Susantha Gunawardana (40.472), 2. Shenal Gunawardana (40.525), 3. Dhammika Peiris (40.697)
SLN Cars up to Cars up to 1500 cc - Ford Laser/M - 1. Susantha Gunawardana (40.34), 2. Shenal Gunawardana (40.383), 3. Tharindu Dharmaratna (40.721)
SLS Cars up to 1500CC - 1. Zaakir Wahab (36.882)
Sports Touring Motorcycle over 700CC - 1. A.D.S.A Supun Suraj (35.735), 2. K.D.S Sandaruwan (41.352), 3. Mangala Pathirage (42.33)
Sports Touring Motorcycles 600CC - 1. A.D.S.A Supun Suraj (36.967), 2. Mangala Pathirage (39.701)
3. K.D.S Sandaruwan (41.185)
Standard Modified Motorcycles 125CC 2T - 1. W.M. Heshan Pasindu (36.885), 2. T.A Rusith Shamika (41.49), 3. W. M. Dhammika Nishantha (41.492)
Standard Motorcycles 125CC 4T - 1. Maheel Pavithra De Silva (42.355), 2. Sanjeewa Udaya Kumara (42.442), 3. W.H Dilan Ratnayake (43.475)
Standard Motorcycles 160CC 4T - 1. Vinula Pathirage (37.746), 2. K.L.A. Janaka Dinesh Priyankara (39.573), 3. Nikila Pathirage (40.17)
Street Motard 250CC - Club Event - 1. Maheel Pavithra de Silva (37.768), 2. R.M. Mimshad (38.417)
3. H. A.Udara Chandimal (38.794)
Street Trail 250CC 2T/4T - 1. M. G. Sarath Kumarasinghe (38.283) - 2. Maheel Pavithra De Silva (38.337) 3. S Vasudevan (39.436)
Super Sports 1000 cc 4T - 1. Basith Bakir (37.572) - 2. Maduranga Caldera (38.144), 3. Isuru Lakshan Muramudalige (45.365)
Super Sports 250CC 4T - 1. Vinula Pathirage (35.942), 2. Nipun Dilanka (36.455), 3. K.L.A. Janaka Dinesh Priyankara (37.346)
Super Sports 600CC 4T - 1. Nipun Dilanka (38.97), 2. K.L.A. Janaka Dinesh Priyankara (39.496). 3 Dumindu Koswatta 41.769
Supermotard 250CC - 1. Dushan Mudalige (34.064), 2. Isuru Maduranga (34.235), 3. Sachira Rajakaruna (35.19)
Supermotard 450CC - 1. Sangeeth Suriyage (33.689), 2. Vinula Pathirage (39.758), 3. Nikila Pathirage (42.394)
Fastest driver of the day: Ushan Perera 32.943
Fastest rider of the day: Sangeeth Suriyage 33.689
Twelve year old Akash Sethum Weerasinghe set a first in Hill Climbing becoming the youngest ever to ride a Honda CBR 150 motorcycle along with experienced competitors.