Sri Lanka finally hosts international Karting with season opener
Sri Lankan drivers at X30 SEA Round 6 -- Eshan Pieris (Centre), Aanish Ranasinghe (L) and Jason Caron (R)
Sri Lanka will finally host an international Karting event when next season’s opening X30 Asia Cup Challenge will be held at the Sri Lanka Karting Circuit in Bandaragama, on Jan.13-14, 2018. David Peiris Racing & Leisure (Pvt) Ltd (DPRL) will sponsor the 2-day competition.
The X30 Asia Cup 2018, is an invitation event and will mark the start of Asia’s Go-Karting season. This event will be the precursor to the 6-Round Championship Race Series held throughout the year in Singapore and Malaysia. Regional and international Karters from Asia and Europe are expected to participate in this International Class event.
The event has also received strong backing and endorsement from Niroshan Pereira, the President of the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC) and the Asian Zone Coordinator to FIA, which is the world governing body for motorsports.
A concept of the IAME- the global manufacturer of Karting engines and promoter of Karting events- the X30 is now a full racing programme with more than 25 countries running X30 Challenges. With a Class structure for racers starting from 8 years, 6 different engine models, 2 international events and several continental events, it is one of the most diverse and successful Go-Kart Racing concepts.
Competitors on the track at X30 SEA 2017 final round
DPRL Head David Peiris, a name synonymous with local Motorsports, who has been spearheading attempts to host an international event in Sri Lanka, struck pay-dirt for all his untiring hard work. Back in March, Peiris was instrumental in bringing down international experts to restructure and lengthen the existing track of 775 metres to a 1,215-metre track, which will enable it to host an international event. The intentions of Pieris and his clan of enthusiastic Motorsport lovers are the same, to bring a leg of X30 Asia Karting Series to Sri Lanka, which is now a reality.
“We missed a very good opportunity of hosting an international event last season. It was the X30 Championship, a very popular and classy event, not only spread in Asia, but also in Europe and other parts of the world. The organisers of that championship were keen to hold a Leg in Sri Lanka. It has 6 or 7 Legs involving 50 to 60 drivers. With the intention of holding that event and taking Karting further in our country, we made plans to expand the track to a 1,215-metre course, to meet the minimum standard required to hold an international event. Furthermore, this track is already under certification of the CIK. With that we hope to go forward,” said Peiris, in an interview in March.
The 2-day X30 Asia Cup to be held in Bandaragama, will have 5 Race categories. They are Cadet Class (8-12 years), Junior Class (12-14 years), Senior Class (14-30 years), Masters/Veterans Class (Above 30 years) and the Super Shifter Class. The winners of X30 Asia Cup will be awarded free entry to the IAME International Final held in Le Mans, an invitation-only event and one of the world’s largest and most prestigious professional Karting races.
Teams from various countries participated in Round 6 of X30 SEA 2017
“This will be the first time that a race of this nature and magnitude is taking place in Sri Lanka and the first of its kind in South Asia. We are expecting around 80 world-renowned Go-Kart drivers, accompanied by about 300 overseas guests, including mechanics and technical support teams, family members and Motorsports enthusiasts, to attend this race. We also anticipate the event will attract at least 2,000 local Motor-racing enthusiasts to the Bandaragama circuit,” said DPRL Managing Director Dinesh Jayasundera, commenting on the development.
The event is promoted by Auto Inc. Euro Sports of Singapore and DPRL, supported RL Karting of Malaysia. The event is organised by the CMSC.