Hafzel Preena wins Red Bull Kart Fight 2015

After two days of burning rubber, Hafzel Preena took the chequered flag as the winner of the second edition of Red Bull Kart Fight, Sri Lanka’s only international amateur karting competition which took place at the Kanway Autodrome in Mirigama on 19 and 27 December.

“To be honest, this is my very first karting championship, so the feeling is unbelievable,” said Hafzel. “I’ve been watching Formula One for a couple of years now and I am a major fan of Sebastian Vettel. On top of that, I was lucky enough to meet Daniel Ricciardo when he came for the Red Bull Show Car Run in Sri Lanka. Together with my friends’ and family’s constant support these experiences have truly been inspirational and I owe it to them for my victory today.”

Red Bull Kart Fight is an international amateur karting competition that gave drivers across Sri Lanka the chance to experience wheel-to-wheel action and the smell of burning rubber for real. This year’s competition took place on a verdant circuit in Mirigama that offered over a kilometre of long straights, chicanes and inclines over several rounds of qualifiers before culminating in the grand finale. After finishing at the top of the qualifiers, Hafzel Preena emerged victorious from a pool of nearly 300 registered karters with a best lap time of 25.30 seconds in his final race.

“Over the race weekend, I witnessed an incredible amount of budding racing talent and determination,” said Race Director of Red Bull Kart Fight 2015 Mazdayar Vatcha. “The abundance of motorsport potential that Sri Lanka has is overwhelming. Red Bull has done a fantastic job in nurturing this potential talent, and I hope it continues to inspire a new generation of racers that are ready to give Sri Lanka the glory it deserves on circuits around the world.”

As the champion of Red Bull Kart Fight 2015, Hafzel Preena will soon be heading to England for an exclusive tour of the Red Bull Racing Factory to witness all the action behind the scenes of the world famous Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team, and will also get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the thrill of a Ferrari F430 Coupè or an Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the UK’s only Formula One track at the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit.

For those who missed out, catch up on all the action on Facebook at the Red Bull Kart Fight Sri Lanka event page or on Instagram at @redbull_sl.