‘SLT-Mobitel Speedup Katukurunda 2021’ on Dec. 4-5
Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) – Mobitel will power the high profile tarmac racing meet organised and conducted by the governing body for motorsports in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Automobile Sports (SLAS) scheduled to be run at the Katukurunda Circuit on the 4th and 5th of December. The sponsorship check was handed over at a press briefing held at the Olympic House auditorium on Tuesday (23).
The meet is to be conducted exclusively for cars, is supported by the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Ministry of Sports. There will be no spectators in attendance but health and safety regulations will be adhered to.
SLAS has restricted the meet to eight classes of racing, with the top-flight SL ‘H’ Honda 1600 CC and SL ‘GT’ 3500 CC Supercars given two races apiece.
The practice and qualifying rounds are scheduled for the 4th of December, the live coverage of the meet (on both PEO TV and YouTube) will commence at 9 AM on the 5th.
Given the relative easing up of the pandemic-related restrictions, the SLAS National Council took the initiative to provide drivers and enthusiasts with the tarmac racing-meet after a lapse of almost two years.
Addressing the media Rohana Ellawala, Deputy Chief Marketing Officer, SLT, said “We are extremely pleased to be the title sponsor of the SLT-MOBITEL SpeedUp Katukurunda 2021 races and to witness an exciting road back to the podium. As motorsports witnesses, a resurgence to the circuit after a lapse due to the pandemic, the excitement surrounding it also continues to grow. SLT-MOBITEL’s advanced telecommunications network, technology, and services will support the live broadcast of the races and provide our customers with electrifying entertainment and an exclusive experience during the racing weekend and enable us to also connect with a new generation of racing fans.”
SLAS President Ashhar Hameem said “We are very excited to bring all 10 SLAS Member Clubs together to put on an event for the drivers. Motorsport is the second most-watched spectator sport in the country after cricket, so as soon as we got the green light from the authorities, we worked hard to put this event together, and to ensure that the highest possible standards are maintained. We know the drivers will appreciate the initiative and look forward to the spectacular action that the Katukurunda tarmac track delivers.”
He said that SLAS and its member clubs were hopeful that a continued easing of restrictions will see the announcement of a full motorsports calendar in the future. “With several new developments for motorsports planned, the Association will be working closely with the relevant ministries to announce their plans” he added.
A record number of entries (129 as of Tuesday 23) were expected in all classes with star drivers such as Ashan Silva, Ushan Perera, Aravinda Premadasa, and Janaka Dias expected to battle it out in the SL GT class, while the SL H Honda class will see the usual contenders Irfan Fuard, Randika Niroshan, Zaakir Wahab and Shehara De Silva vying for victory.
Sri Lanka Insurance, Marx, CEAT, Exide, Freelan, MSN, 3M, How to Drive and Mobil are co-sponsors of SLT-Mobitel Speedup Latukurunda 2021.