Four Wheel Drive Club of Sri Lanka

By Deepal Perera of Daily Mirror

The Four Wheel Drive Club in association with the 4x4’s Negombo put out a phenomenal show thus far in the 4x4 calendar. The Rivers Edge Track in Kochikade stood up to the task of 30 exciting rounds of racing with the track conditions remaining the same for all competitors.

The track was a pioneering design, where two vehicles run at the same time on parallel tracks, both having to go through the same obstacles at the same time. The track distance is equal 0.48 Kms, in the shape of “8”. The track crossed over each other over a log bridge extending over two vehicle lanes underneath with a center island for support. With the current level of 4x4 competition organizers were concerned whether the bridge would hold up for the entire 30 runs of the event. The coconut stump bridge was so long that a Nissan Patrol long wheel base had 2 feet on either side when in the middle of it. The rest of the track which looked naïve took the best of the drivers, tilting and twisting the vehicles to some extreme degrees.

The entries were mostly veterans to the game with high powered, Jeep Wranglers, Land Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, and the Mitsubishi J56 Shorties. The Log Bridge put a few butterflies in the drivers’ stomach as the bridge was nervously high, high enough for the large 4x4 to pass under. As the second round progressed the bridge was conquered with much more ease.

Eight vehicles qualified for the elimination run, and the four that survived the elimination was, Deepti Perera- Jeep Wrangler, Roshan Ratnayake- Nissan Patrol, Dasaman Wijesinghe- Land Cruiser FJ40 and Alain Hertoggs – Land Cruiser BJ40. The crowd over 3000 were treated to a spectacle when these four vehicles ran neck to neck to qualify to the next round. Both Land Cruisers emerged to the next round, where Dasaman in his Petrol FJ 40 eliminated Alain’s BJ 40.

While the track design was done by the FWDC, the tougher job organizing the meet was entrusted to the 4x4’s Negombo, which had organized the event to the last detail. From crowd control to vehicle parking the whole track was staffed to ensure safety. The whole track was marked by tape and debits were in play if markers were broken. The organizers opened the track for a further 30 minutes with the marshals in place for vehicles that were scrutinized to take on the track, and closed the track to avoid any unsafe driving or accidents.

The FWDC club trophy is a rolling trophy, where in the current year will remain with Dasaman Wijesinghe and Navigator Sanjaya Kariyawansa. Next year it will be up for grabs at Rivers Edge once again.

The event main sponsor was Red Bull Energy Drink, and Co-Sponsored by Jeep Chrysler, Jefco Airconditioning, and by Outdoorsman agents for Mickey Thompson Tires & T-Max Winches.