Karting in Sri Lanka: From humble beginnings to 1st ever CIK approved event in Colombo

Wednesday, 10 January 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Go-Karting (or Karting as its commonly known) is an entry level form of the sport which offers great thrills and challenges as the driver sits just millimetres from the ground, and compared to other forms of motoring, totally exposed to the elements.

Karting in Sri Lanka goes back to the early 1980s when the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC) brought down 6 karts from Bill Sisley in the UK. Initially these Karts all had 125cc motor cycle engines, which with the kind help of the Cinnamon Gardens Police Station, were raced in a cordoned off area around Independence Square.

As interest in the sport grew, the CMSC decided to run 2 separate classes – one for the 125cc motor cycle engine Karts, the other for the internationally recognised class of 100cc 2 stroke. The latter was made possible with the assistance of Frank Perera who was then working in Oman, and this connection culminated in the CMSC inviting a team of drivers from Dubai to participate

With no track to race on, the first option was the Car Park at Isurupaya, where the Ministry of Education was then housed. The Ministry of Education was at that time under the purview of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Through his very kind intervention, approval was obtained for the inaugural event, with the Prime Minister being the Chief Guest!

Isurupaya continued to be the venue for a few more events, and thereafter the racing moved to the car park of the Taj Samudra Hotel, the BMICH, Pegasus Reef Hotel and what was Alcatras restaurant opposite the current parliament building.

During this period, a team of Sri Lankan Karters were invited to participate in Dubai and the interest in Karting was growing amongst the Juniors as well as the Senior Category. With over 30 active Karts in play there was a dire need for a purpose built track, both for safety and for facilitating the sport.

One of the regular Karters at the time was Rohan De Silva, who took on the great initiative to build and operate the Speed Drome in Battaramulla. This location was a huge step forwards for the sport as there was finally a dedicate place for this growing group of petrol heads. It’s pertinent to mention here that many F1 drivers have started their career in Karting making this truly the cradle of Motor Sports. Incidentally Eshan Pieris who is currently a front runner in the Asian Circuits is one of those who began his racing at Speedrome.

As many will know, we now have the Sri Lanka Karting Circuit at Bandaragama operated by the inimitable David Peiris of DPMC. Peiris is no stranger to the motoring fraternity in Sri Lanka and this location in Bandaragama has been the source of great competitions, and more importantly opened the doors of the sport to a whole new generation of Karting enthusiasts.

The track has been closed for expansion and will shortly open to host the first ever International Karting event, by hosting a round of the IAME X30 championship on 13 and 14 January 2018. The CMSC is proud to be associated with DPMC in the conducting of this event. The CMSC officials have been to view similar regional events, and there will be a number of officials from the region in Sri Lanka to help with this event. The new track is truly spectacular and will offer a great challenge to the drivers.