Speed at Night races on March 17

S M Jiffrey ABDEEN- Kandy Sports Corr

Twenty six thousand sand bags will be stacked around the route of the race and the Start and Finish has been re-located to give the racing drivers and riders the last minute spurt said the media spokesman for Kandy Off Road Adventure Club John Baskaran.

He said this at a media briefing of the second Kandy Night Street motor racing "Kandy Speed at Night" organised by the Kandy Off Road Adventure Club and the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle Club which will be worked in the streets of Kandy on the night of March 17 (Saturday) and races are expected to commence at 8 p.m. The streets will be closed for the public around 6 p.m. to make the other arrangements.

John Baskaran said that when the races were conducted for the first time in Sri Lanka last year, the Start and Finish was opposite the Queens Hotel and was downhill first. But this time it has been re-located along Yatinuwara Veediya opposite the Army Camp to give the competitors a chance to speed up in this flat and straight stretch. Apart from this the stretch of road at this point is wide.

The President of the Kandy Off Road Adventure Club Chula Ratwatte said that 134 high powered electric bulbs of 2,000 watt capacity will be installed at key places to light up the streets in addition to the normal street lamps. Ten generators will be used to generate the extra power required to light up the streets. Already the extra lamps have been installed.

Thusith de Silva said that the distance of a lap will be 1.6 kilometres. The start will be at Yatinuwara Veediya and proceed along Hill Street, Municipal Junction, D S Senanayake Veediya, turn off at Cross Street, Kotugodella Veediya, Colombo Street, D S Senanayake Veediya, Dalada Veediya and to the finish at Yatinuwara Veediya.

The Secretary of the Kandy Off Road Adventure Club Rohan Dhammapala said that already stacking of the sand bags on the race route has begun with the help of the Sri Lanka Army and the Police as filling, transporting and stacking 26,000 sand bags is no easy task.

Also helping in the organising of this event are Mayor of Kandy Mahen Ratwatte, Deputy Mayor Sena Dissanayake and club members Kushan Wekadapola, Ravin Soysa, Errol Kemps, Roshan Bambaradeniya, M Ziaffudin.

M Arthmalingam - the Cordinating Secretary of the Sri Lanka Motor Cycle said some of the top racing drivers and riders have entered this race. The Super Cars event has received 15 entries which is good and a very keen contest is expected. Among the top drivers who have entered the night races are Dinesh Deheragoda, Rizvi Farouk, Shaffraz Junaid, Nalaka Dias, Janaka Dias, Pasindu Peiris, Ashane Silva, Nigel Perera, Tharindu Lokuge, Dhammika Peiris, Upulwan Serasinghe, Israq Wahab, Javid Wahab, Mahen Madugalle, Sujeewa and Sachith Pathirana.