Mike to be a part of EZY team at Katunayake
View(s):Nothing came easy for Mike Young, whose inner self is not so young. The winner of the Japanese Rally of the Asia Cup series, Young aims to put Sri Lanka on the global map of Rally Racing with a win in the bigger league with his CUSCO-EZY Subaru.
This was revealed by the 22-year-old New Zealander, now living in Australia, when he came down to Sri Lanka on a short tour after the success in Japan.
EZY Racing's Mike Young Driving his way to victory in Stage 9 on Day 2
“I’d like to win Sri Lanka’s first FIA Rally Championship. Next year with EZY Racing I’m aiming for the whole Asia Pacific Championship and with all of them on board probably a World Rally Championship in the future,” an optimistic Young told the Sunday Times.
But Young, who achieved his best win of the career, has two more legs to complete in the ongoing Asia Cup Rally Championship. He hopes to carry forward the energy that he got after the Japan leg and complete the remaining two legs with wins. The gritty young driver pledged to commit himself to deliver more glory to Sri Lanka, as his team, CUSCO-EZY Racing is spearheaded by a Sri Lankan, Shafraz Hamzadeen and the Founder CEO of EZY Racing.
Young, who is currently visiting Sri Lanka on the invitation of his team EZY Racing, plans to meet with the team’s local fans before heading off to Katukurunda to provide trackside support to his fellow team mates Sajaad Zuhair and Dilan Seneviratne in today’s Rotherham Circuit Meet. The four-time Junior APRC Champion and 2013 Asia Cup Champion was identified as EZY Racing’s International Rally Driver earlier this year.
Young who has competed under the Sri Lankan team’s wing for four rallies has an unblemished 100% podium record in every rally he has completed in 2015 for the CUSCO-EZY team. Driving a standard Group N, 4wd Subaru WRX with his long-standing partner and navigator Michael Read, Young has been able to be very competitive in the championship which is dominated by the MRF Skoda Cars which are tailor made for rallies, where he has occasionally beaten the Skoda’s on the fast terrains.
The 2013 Asia Cup winner is currently lying second behind Japanese driver Hiroshi Takayama who holds the advantage over Young who retired out of the Malaysian Rally in the very first stage in Day 1. The Kiwi Driver was however very confident that he would be in a strong position to give the Sri Lankan team more glory as he prepared to close the gap.
Big rallies in different countries, especially in Asia the roads are rough and tough. As a driver you must always have a depth to the country you are competing at. It’s not the same from New Zealand or any other country outside Asia. Young, who will complete his short tour tomorrow, hopes to return to Sri Lanka in a year with other motives related to racing. Initially he will get a bit of pinch of how racing in Sri Lanka is conducted and how the drivers handle situations.
“I have not raced in Sri Lanka but will taste a bit of local racing on Sunday. Probably I will look at competing here in the future. Maybe I’ll be able to do things more than competing here – supporting young drivers with the help of EZY Racing and maybe conducting workshops for them to groom themselves as future potentials. But for now I have plans, to win a Asia Cup and a World title in time to come,” Young stressed.