Team STC Karting from S. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia hogged the limelight at the 6 Hour Endurance Karting Championship held at the Sri
Lanka Karting Circuit, Bandaragama last Saturday. Excellent driving skills,
combined with exceptional teamwork, took STC Karting to the top of the podium.
Led by Anish Ranasinghe, the team comprised Linal Goonetilleke, Jinuka
Vitharana, Kavish Ruwanpura, Upul Janaka and Ishfaaq Rizny as the Manager.
They
completed 542 laps within six-hours. Thunderbolt Racing, who
finished 536 laps, were placed second while BKMS Racing, who completed 534 laps
were placed third. The young drivers of STC Karting outshone the competition on
Saturday taking on karting veterans in qualifying rounds and showing great
speed in the dry heat at the 6-hour Endurance Championship which is organised
by the Bandaragama Go-Kart Racing Club at the international karting track
managed by David Pieris Racing and Leisure (DPRL).
Eleven
teams with a maximum of six members each, comprising drivers and pit crew,
competed in this race where drivers maneuvered their karts through the
straights and turns continuously for six hours, putting team strategy and a
heady mix of speed, stamina and skills to the test. The teams according to
performance; STC Karting , Thunderbolt Racing, BKMS Racing, SLR Golden
Phoenix, Target Racing, RHC Racing, Rebellion Racing SL, SLR GP Autosports,
Stallion Riders, SLR GP Motorsports, Team Pulsar. Commenting on his team’s
victory, S. Thomas College Master In Charge of Go-Karting, H.
Kapila Ruwan de Silva said that the school introduced motor sports in 2016.
“With
the help of our Coach, Dinesh Pathirana there has been considerable progress in
motor sports with the boys having improved tremendously from where they were
when they first startedâ€. “The college motor sports began under the captaincy
of Pratharshan Vignanantha last year who was the first captain of Go-Karting.
Presently the senior team captain is Kinura Kandanearachchi, vice captain is
Isika Anujaya, the secretary is Ishfaaq Rizny and the junior team captain is
Anish Ranasinghe, vice captain is Linal Goonetilleke, the secretary is Nevaan
Jayawardene. Altogether there are about 20 boys in the squad,†de Silva said.
“All
boys love to race. A racing track gives the boys a safe venue to quench their
thirst for speed while building skills. It will be nice for see other schools
coming forward so then inter school races can be held,†he added.
Congratulating the winners, team STC Karting, Chief Operating Officer of the
David Pieris Racing and Leisure, Niroshan Serasinghe said, “The young drivers
from S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia demonstrated the skills, stamina and speed
required and were in perfect control from the start. If Sri Lanka is to make
its mark on world motorsports, the drivers need to start young and karting has
been the starting point for most of the successful F1 drivers.
This
win for the talented school boys shows the potential we have, and we are proud
to provide one of the best facilities in Asia and even globally for them to
hone their skillsâ€. After concluding the X30 Asia Cup 2018 in January, the
circuit received good responses from motor sports enthusiast globally. Since
its expansion, the circuit has held many events specially targeting the
corporate sector and racing enthusiasts, Serasinghe said, adding that SLKC
would be expanded into a world class theme park in the future.associated with
go karting can make you feel more alert, while helping to sharpen your senses.
Keeping your mind and senses alert can help with concentration and memory.
- Event Date: 13 May, 2018
- Published Date: 13 May, 2018