Mobil Racing Rally team wins Pelwatta Rally 2014

Friday, 7 March 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ashan Silva and Dinesh Jayawardana excel in opening event

Mobil Racing Rally Team, featuring champion race drivers Ashan Silva and Dinesh Jayawardana won the Pelwatta Rally 2014 – Team Award, held recently at Pelwatta, off Buttala. The event, organised by the Motor Racing Association (MRA), was the first round of the ‘MRA Speed Rally Championship 2014’.

This was the first time two rallies took place in one event as the TSD Speed Rally for novices was also held alongside the main event. “It was a great win by the Mobil team in tough conditions,” stated Ashan Silva. “It’s always good to start the season with a win under your belt as it gives confidence to the whole team. I am glad I managed to come out on top in Stage Three and it felt even better to win the whole event as a team. The Mobil team has big plans for this year and we hope to continue the good run in the next round as well,” he added. Speaking about the team’s performance, Dinesh Jayawardana stated, “The Mobil team sets very high standards and I am happy we were able to achieve them in the first event of the year. The entire team worked very hard to gain this win against some very tough competition.” He added that it was exciting to see more rallying events in Sri Lanka and that the island has huge potential to develop this sport even further. “Sri Lanka has a variety of terrain that is ideal for this kind of racing. We hope to see more events being organized throughout the country,” Dinesh added. The MRA is an active Sports Club that organises events at a national level throughout the country. The Association is credited with pioneering speed rallying in Sri Lanka over a decade ago. Speed rallying is the same form of rallying that is seen in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and its regional competitions. In addition to Pelwatta, speed rallies takes place at Sevanagala off Embilipitiya, Kukuleganga off Matugama and Kantale off Trincomalee.