Go Karting leaps forward with F1 Style Endurance Championship

Friday, 5 April 2013 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The pioneers of Go Karting in Sri Lanka Speed Drome Battaramulla took a major leap forward in bringing Sri Lankan race enthusiasts a one of a kind event in the form of a F1 Style Endurance Karting Championship.

2013 brought forward a brand new three-round championship for young racing talents in Sri Lanka. Round one was worked off at Speed Drome over the weekend with eight teams and a total of 24 drivers and 16 pit crew.

The Endurance format drew close reference to Formula One where teams had mandatory pit stops where pit crew would work on the karts while three drivers took on the three-hour challenge with driving sessions depending on team strategy. The winning team was decided by the amount of total laps that the team could achieve in the three-hour period.

In round one, eight teams took part with recognised racers in the circuit in Sri Lanka such as Ashan Silva and Nadeera Jinasena who took part in the team Gunners.

The other teams consisted of some of the most talented young karters in Sri Lanka as well as experienced graduates of Speed Drome Battaramulla.

After a hard fought, passionate and physically draining period, AA Racing team consisting of champion race driver Upulwan Serasinghe’s son Devin Serasinghe as well as current McLarens Formula 1300 driver Lasitha Naotunna and young race driving sensation Damith Weerasinghe emerged winners of round one with a total of 348 laps completed and Intek Racing coming in second with a total of 342 laps and third place was won by ETD racing.

Teams managed to win vital points in round one with AA Racing taking home 25 points, Intek with 22 points and ETD taking away 18 vital points while being an underdog team at the event.

The overall champion will be decided after the completion of all three rounds with the team with the highest points being crowned Speed Drome Endurance Karting Champions 2013.

Moving on to the next round of the championship to be held around August 2013, teams will have to concentrate more on their strategies moving ahead as team strategy proved to be a major factor in deciding a winner in Round one.