Bri lets experience talk

Veteran driver Bri Ponnambalam had many reasons to celebrate. The Formula Plus Good driver competition 2006 which took place at Greenpath over the last month, saw him taking the overall winners award --the IGP Challenge Trophy at the grand awards ceremony held at Water's Edge. The Formula Plus Good Driver competition organised by Sri Lanka Insurance and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club together with the Sri Lanka Police was held for the second consecutive year to promote good driving habits in Sri Lanka.

Winners were announced at the special awards ceremony by the SSP Traffic, Lucky Peiris. The Runners up trophy was handed out to Mahesh Jayasinghe, while awards were presented to eight 'Good Drivers' who had the vote of the judges. Certificates were handed out to all competitors for their participation, with 4 special certificates being handed out to the lady drivers, appreciating their participation.

The event saw more than 40 participants get into gear and vie for the 'Coveted Trophy'. Participants including male and female lined up opposite the Viharamadevi Park near Greenpath to flag off at around 9.30a.m. setting the clock for a one and a half hour spin around Colombo.

The competition was a test of good driving habits and road values adhered to by motorists, while attention was also given to road rules and proper etiquette on roads. Drivers were required to drive through a pre-defined route in 27km and complete their day's task covering Slave-Island, Galle Face, Bagatalle Road, Thimbirigasyaya, Baseline Road, Narahenpita, Nawala, Rajagiriya and Borella before making their way back to the finish at Greenpath via Bambalapitiya, Thunmulla and Havelock.

Proper driving skills and driving habits were the key focus of the competition as unidentified observers were placed along the route, especially at critical points such as traffic lights, junctions and pedestrian crossings to observe and mark the participants on their driving. Questionnaires were handed out by observers to participants in 'No Parking' areas to judge drivers on proper parking. Finally, participants were put through a driving test at Town Hall, where they were given scores on manoeuvring and reversing their vehicles amidst traffic cones that were placed en route, given a short time frame of 95 seconds to judge the best driver.