Deraniyagala Jeep cruise

The"4x4 Challenge 2006" was successfully worked off in December at Deraniyagala where 19 competitors took part in Sri Lanka's toughest 4x4 event organized by the Four Wheel Drive Club (FWDC) with the assistance of SLARDAR.

A combination of rally driving and obstacle driving was introduced to the competitors for the first time in the event history. The first stage was a TSD (Time/Speed/Distance) rally plotted along 35km of off-road trails. The competitors started tackling this stage at 7.30 pm from Kithulgala and ended at Deraniyagala around 2.00am the following day having to put up their own camp and prepare for the next two days of competition. Each competitor was given a set instructions with waypoints to the finish line where FWDC marshals were placed along the track to observe any offenders of the TSD.

A firm favorite for the TSD, veteran rally driver Pubudu Wickrama of SLARDAR with his trusty Land Cruiser BJ40 took part and performed well in the stage. Surprisingly, all novices to the TSD stage also performed extremely well without getting lost on their way in reading the map and instructions given. Due to the five ties in the TSD, declaring the stage winner was an impossible task.

Day 2 saw all 19 competitors getting ready for the Four Special Stages that were designed to simulate some extreme conditions of off-roading. These stages were aptly called "Deep River" - SS1, "River Wild" - SS2, "Bogg Hill"- SS3 and "Excavator Hill" - SS4. Competitors had to tackle each obstacle continuously. Veteran off-road drivers were put to the test by the some of the new competitors in the 4x4 scene. One such competitor was Amal Wijeyrathne in his brand new Jeep Wrangler and his first ever 4x4 Challenge being the fastest up Bogg Hill taking most of the experienced drivers by surprise. Though having DNF's (Did Not Finish) both Luxman and Saumy (novices) performed well in trying to achieve their targets of finishing. Themiya Abeywickrama, Deepthi Perera and Roshan Ratnayake also displayed their experiences at all these stages.

Dawning of Day 3, the competitors were convoyed to Maliboda for the next Special Stages. 3 Stages were to be worked off on rotational basis where teams of competitors were broken up to compete at each stage and then were transferred to the next. The weather was an uninvited guest that day when rain started to deteriorate SS5 which was a deep marsh area specifically designed to simulate real life "getting stuck in the mud" scenario. SS5 then had to be cancelled with only 4-5 competitors battling to get through. It was a disappointment to see Saranga Gunawardene, a favorite poised to perform well had to give up hopes of completing rest of the event due to various problems with his Toyota Hilux at SS5. Suresh Chathuranga who performed well at SS1 in a modified Range Rover encountered mechanical failure in the SS6 and had to be recovered by the marshals. SS7 was nicknamed "Rock and Rolling" by the marshals as it was the obstacle competitors had to put the most of the work into.

An assortment of off-road competition prepared vehicles entered this year's 4x4 Challenge including the popular Nissan Patrols, Land Rovers, Mitsubishi's and the new Petrol driven Jeep Wranglers. Competition levels were also on high gear as the 4x4 Challenge was organized at a time when the off roading community was starved for action. Veteran drivers Indika Sanjaya and Osanda Maligaspe missed Sri Lanka's premier 4x4 event as they are in Malaysia competing in the Rain Forest Challenge during the same time.