Champion Pasindu drives EZY Racing to victory

•  Wins the first race of 2012 in spectacular style

Defending Gravel Champion Pasindu Peiris entertained over 100,000 spectators with a spectacular display of gravel driving, when he drove his new team EZY Racing to a flying start to the 2012 race season by stamping his class all the way to win the race with over a half a lap lead from 2nd placed Dinesh Deheragoda in SLGT upto 3500 category in the recently concluded Carlton Super Cross organized by Tharunyata Hetak.

The 24 year champion who first drove for Sri Lanka’s leading motor racing team EZY Racing in the glamour filled Colombo Night Race where he led the race from start to finish, put on yet another extraordinary show of gravel driving, proving to all present that he indeed deserved his title “King of Gravel”.

EZY Racing who recently completed 3 years into motor racing were given the perfect start to their 4th year into professional motor racing when Pasindu managed to set the fastest timing right from the word go. Pasindu who has previously won on multiple occasions in the Thissamaharama circuit, showed immense control over his EZY Mitsubishi ER9 when he set a blazing speed during the free practices and qualifying session to set the fastest time on Saturday and assure himself of the pole sitter position for Sundays race. Pasindu’s closest competition came from the another great gravel driver Aravinda Premadasa who was also driving for a new team, Exide Racing, while Dinesh Deheragoda managed to qualify 3rd. Pasindu’s team mate Shafraz Junaid who is also the 2010 rally champion participated in this event for the first time and showed great prowess in handling his EZY Subaru ER3, managing to qualify 5th. Junaid unfortunately had to retire out of Sundays race when his car had a mechanical failure during the formation lap of the race.

The SLGT event which is also classified as the super car event, go off to a blazing start as anticipated with (Aravinda) Premadasa getting off to a flying start. Coming into turn 1, Premadasa managed to get the inside line and parallel to Pasindu. where he displayed the fact that he is indeed made of steel and will not crack under pressure when he held onto the outside line while throughout turn 1, in parallel with Premadasa, and kept going all the way to the left handed turn 2 where he held the advantageous inside line. Once Pasindu was able to get ahead of Premadasa out of turn 2, he started pulling off from the rest of the pack and settled into the race halfway through the first lap of the ten lap race. From there onwards Pasindu was just pure entertainment for the crowd as he became a distant image for the rest of the pack. Aravinda Premadasa who was lying 2nd in the race had to retire in lap 8. Pasindu went on to take the chequered flag with ease while Dinesh Deheragoda finished 2nd and Manish Goonatillake 3rd.

“I knew it was going to be a tough weekend and I did expect some stiff competition from both Aravinda (Premadasa) and Dinesh (Deheragoda). The track was watered just before the start and this put me at a disadvantage as I was on the muddy part of the track.

This gave me a slow start and I knew I had to hold my line through and not concede my lead to Aravinda in the first corner. Once I was able to hold it through, I focused on putting everything I could for the next few laps.

Once I knew I had pulled a considerable lead, I got the message from my pitwall that I could ease off and nurse the car through.” said an elated Pasindu after the race.

Pasindu who also took part in the SLH upto 1600CC event in his EZY Honda ER 4 along with his team mate Sajaad Zuhair in his EY Honda ER 6, managed to provide EZY Racing a 4th and 5th place in the event with Sajaad finishing just ahead of Pasindu. Sajaad who started 5th had a good start  and was 3rd throughout the race before a spin on turn 1 made him concede his position. Pasindu on the other hand started last after an engine change the previous day and managed to move up to 5th which was a remarkable achievement.

“We came into the weekend to compete in 2 race categories. We definitely didn’t have the perfect start to it as Pasindu blew his engine in the very first lap of free practice in his ER4, which crippled him from qualifying. Sajaad on the other hand was struggling to gain momentum as he was running on this circuit for the first time. So when Pasindu was able to set the fastest time in the ER9 it definitely gave us a lot of hope for Sunday’s race.  We knew our drivers were able to compete at the front irrespective of where they qualified in the race and both Sajaad and Pasindu proved it in the SLH event” commented Team Principal/ CEO of EZY Racing Shafraz Hamzadeen

Hamzadeen further stated that Pasindu’s win was the exact motivation his team needed and was a great tribute to all the hard work the team put in;  preparing for the weekend. “We are well aware of Pasindu’s capabilities on the circuit. Therefore our focus always has been to provide him all the resources in the build up to a race. The fact that Pasindu has also gelled in very well with the team has made it easier for all of us to ready ourselves with the right focus. Today’s result is the outcome of it. 2012 is a season where we intend to further strengthen our presence in the circuit events. We still feel that there are a few loose ends we need to tighten and expect to attend to them as the season roles on”

At the next event which will be a tarmac circuit event in February organised by Sri Lanka’s oldest motor sporting club, namely the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC), who will organize round 1 of the Speed 2012 which will be conducted at the most technical motor sporting arena in Sri Lanka, the Pannala Circuit, EZY Racing intends on having their entire driver and rider cadres participating for the first time for 2012.