Ten young drivers on starting grid this Sunday for Speed 2012 Championship

The Speed 2012 Championship commences tomorrow, 12 February, at the Pannala Racing Track with a new set of 10 drivers in action.  

These young drivers made their way into the Racing Championship arena through the Pro Karting Championship conducted by Speed Drome (Private) Limited during the year 2011.

A total of 26 young drivers, including three ladies, underwent a rigorous training in January 2012, in both, theory and practicals, at the Pannala Race Track, under the guidance of FIA Trainer from India, Akbar Ebrahim.

A qualifying round was held to select the top ten drivers who will participate in the Speed Championship 2012, in the McLarens formula 1300cc category, at which Ebrahim was one of the selectors.

Tharindu Gamage who recorded the best time at the qualifying round emerged in first position while the other nine drivers were selected according to their timings.

Competitors in the Speed Championship 2012 will be considered for the National Championship 2012, organized the Sri Lanka Automobile Sports (the governing body for Motor Sports in Sri Lanka), and depending on the points scored by them.

Meanwhile, drivers who raced for the Speed Championship in the year 2011 in the McLarens Formula 1300cc category will be given the opportunity to race in the new McLarens Alto K10 Cup. These cars were specially purchased by McLarens/Speed Drome from Associated Motorways Limited and will run as a One Make Series. AMW has shown a keen interest in taking Motor Racing to the next level and views racing as the ideal platform to showcase the prowess and performance of Suzuki Maruti, Sri Lanka’s best-selling brand of vehicles

Speed Drome has once again made arrangements to conduct the annul Pro Karting Championship for 2012.  This championship will be raced over three rounds and the top drivers will make their way to the McLarens Formula 1300cc category where they will undergo training under the guidance of Akbar Ebrahim, before entry into the racing arena.

Ebrahim will be in the island one week before every Meet to conduct theory and practical sessions for all Pro Karting drivers who are aspiring to become Formula drivers in the future.

Qualifiers for 2012 Speed Championship 1300cc McLarens Formula are  Tharindu Gamage, Zaakir Wahab, Sabry Abdul Salam,  Rumesh Rajakulendran, Rukshan Halpita, Rangana Budawatte,  Raees Uvaim,  Clement Senaratne, Andrew Choksy and Chandima Gooneratne.

Drivers who participated in Speed Championship 2011 in the McLarens Formula 1300cc category and now  eligible to compete in the McLarens Alto K10 Cup during the Speed Championship 2012 are  Thiwanka  Wijesekara,    Dharsha  Pathirana,    Praveen  Madugalla,    Viren  Botheju,    Asela  Ekanayaka,    Gayan  Ranathunga and Varuna Ranatunge.    McLarens Lubricants Limited, distributors for MOBIL Lubricants in Sri Lanka, has come forward with a sponsorship in order to encourage and promote motor racing amongst the younger generation.