SLARDAR 1000 4x4 Rally - 2007
It's late i know but, found this article on my pc and thought it'll be nice to upload for all to reminice about the event...enjoy :)
SLARDAR 1000 4x4 Rally – A Co- Drivers Story
It all started at the 4x4 challenge 2006 awards ceremony when SLARDAR president announced they are to re instate the SLARDAR 1000 Rally with a twist for the off road enthusiasts, with this information I approached my brother in law who is also a keen off-roader and a seasoned outdoorsman to take up the challenge of participating in the rally in June 2007.
Preparations started almost immediately, we were expecting the worst thrown at us from the organizers. With this in mind we set of to design the perfect vehicle to cope with the terrain, we chose a Toyota Land cruiser BJ-70 Series vehicle as it was small and agile to take the beating. 6 months and counting…the worn out vehicle was entirely stripped down to the chassis and inspected for any damages, all the body panels were removed including the electrical wiring for close inspection. Damaged parts were re molded or bought second hand. We were lucky enough to have a dedicated team of mechanics who worked round the clock to have the vehicle ready.
3 Months and counting, after chatting with many seasoned SLARDAR 1000 Rally drivers we opted to install a 2L Intercooler Turbo Charged engine with a Automatic gear box to cope with the ruff terrain…the vehicle too was being prepared with custom accessories including two tire carriers, internal roll cage, 4inch lift kit, Coil suspension, Snorkel, M8000 winch, additional lights, etc. Time was catching up fast the engine we wanted took about 2 months to arrive in Sri Lanka, but by this time Thushara (BIL) and I decided to change the vehicle and use his other Toyota Land Cruiser LJ-74 with a 13BT engine that was powerful enough. The time frame we anticipated to have the first vehicle ready was over due. It was wise to drive a vehicle that has already been driven and tested.
1 month to go, Several driver briefings were held to give us information about the rally and the terrain and locations we will be required to pass through, taking all these notes down and having to remember them was not easy. 35 other co-drivers were also plotting their strategies to complete the rally.
I was also entrusted with finding sponsors to finance the entry; we would like to note the assistance given to us by firstly Capital AEI (DHL) who immediately granted us a bulk of the required sponsorship and also the other sponsors and well wishers who assisted us. We had to change the color of the vehicle from Olive Green to Canary Yellow as this was a requirement for the DHL sponsor. Down to the last two weeks prior to the race day. Thushara and I were running around to get the rally meter, map reading lights and the other additional lights fixed to the vehicle. We also had the mechanical side of the vehicle checked too; replacing worn off clutch plate, brake shoes, Throttle cable and anything we felt might fall apart during the race. I had only 2 days before the event to study the rally computer, to work off the time sheets against the speed averages. Mind you this was my first time running a TSD rally and this entire math was really confusing me. My other worry was not being able to stay up as the first 2 stages were run during the night, it was my responsibility to keep the driver informed (Thushara) of the way points and instructions given.
Race day, 20:36hrs that was the departure time for our vehicle from the start line. The morning was spent with much anticipation, we were running around doing the last minute check up of the vehicle, sponsorship stickers were pasted, all the electrical and electronic components were tested; last minute shopping for toiletries and snacks were done. I tried to rest in the afternoon but too many butterflies were flying around my stomach…what if I make a mistake in the instructions? Will I be able to keep correct time? These were some of the questions that ran trough my mind and I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. 19:30hrs both Thushara and I make our way to the grounds in our fully prepared vehicle for the start of the rally. 20:36hrs our time was up as we were flagged off from the start line on the first stage of the 1000km. Stage 1 was from Colombo to Arachchikattuwa. We were sent off towards Malabe junction and trough to Kirillawella. Luckily I got the hang of reading the instruction out loud to Thushara who was concentrating on keeping average times and speeds permitted; we were encountered by the first check point much to our surprise; I vaguely remember being debited 1 minute for being early at the check point, rest of the rally went on with out any hitches all the way to Arachchikattuwa, A water crossing was to be done at Daduru Oya, but to our luck/unluck the water levels were too high and the stage was stopped at the entry point of the river. We were then asked to convoy all the way to the next stage start line at Anawilundawa Junction.
Stage 2, started off at 2:06hrs on Saturday morning, we were given instructions to proceed towards the Udappuwa Beach (LTTE hotspot). A 6km beach section; the weather gods had their say as it was a blistering sand storm awaiting us. With all the lights fixed on to the vehicle 6 in all, we were not able to see 10 meter ahead. Many of our co competitors had lost their way, we were lucky enough to stumble onto all the way points to complete that section. Driving out of the beach we were once again on the tarred roads heading off to the next stop at Naula our ETA was 6:36hrs. We managed to arrive with out serious problems although we took a wrong reading got lost for 5 minutes, but eventually found our way and caught up the lost time to finish at the correct time slot. Breakfast was arranged for us by the organizers a String Hopper and Potatoes curry was served, we did not have an appetite as both of us were munching on biscuits during the drive up to Naula. A 2 hour break was given to all competitors. We had our service crew look into the vehicle as the Air Conditioner was not working and also to make sure everything was fitted properly as the vehicle took a beating on the beach. After a small rest we had to start of the 3rd stage to Maduru Oya.
8:36hrs was our start time. This route took us mainly on dirt tracks designed to simulate off-road conditions, Thushara and I felt at home as we were both seasoned drivers in these scenarios. Keeping to speed limits and average times were not easy as certain sections were so slow that both of us were literally falling asleep, at one point we stopped for a morning cup of tea near a was side boutique, to our amusement we hear a couple of locals saying “Mara race ekkak ne, nawathwala the` bonatha puluwa” (what a race…they are stopping and having tea as well) by this time we had Alain Hertogs stopping behind us and pushing us to proceed as we had fallen back on time. Each competitor had to maintain a time gap of two minutes from the competitor in front as well as the back. The trail took us trough some scenic locations I have not seen or known that our little island have. We were soon enthralled by the beauty that we forgot all about the checkpoint marshal who was waiting for us at Hunasgiriya junction, we also made the biggest mistake of taking the wrong turn and traveling the opposite way for more than 15km till we noticed it was the wrong direction. Having lost a good 30 minutes we found our way back to the original route, but the delay now extended to almost 1 hour. Just 40km to the finish were pressed on fast to catch up on what ever time was possible through Mahiyanga to the Maduru Oya forest reserve. We were able to catch up just 25 minutes and had to proceed to complete the 3rd stage with this time. Thushara and I were disheartened as a silly mistake in reading the instructions had cost us a good finish. End of the stage at Maduru Oya Special Forces Camp we handed our vehicle back to the service crew and retreated to enjoy the cool of the Maduru Oya reservoir where all the competitors were in enjoying the water after almost 20 hours of driving. A sumptuous dinner was also provided by the organizer where most of the competitors participated, others opted to rest and catch up on sleep preparing for the last stage of the rally. Provisional results were read out at the dinner, I was pleased to know that first stage we had done quite well and ranked 5th place, second stage not so good but 16th, with this information we headed back to our campsite for a good nights sleep.
Stage 4, Sunday morning. Once again our start time was 8:36hrs. We were flagged of and had to proceed towards Kandy, here too some off-road sections were poised for us a rock climb and a river crossing…The locals in the area mostly indigenous people (Vaddhas’) were amused to see all these fancy looking 4x4 vehicles going through their country side and farms, crossing streams and rock formations as if they were not there. These people were very helpful; they let us pass through the fields and even helped us with direction. The last stage was another 6 hour drive to the finish at Digana Bridge. Both of us were trying very hard not to make any mistakes that would further cost us debits. We made our way through Corbett’s Gap and Riverstan down to Matale town and from there to Digana for the finish line at 14:00hrs as per our schedule. 14:00hrs, finally the finish of a very tiresome and enjoyable rally. We waited till the last competitor and then convoyed down to Kandy for lunch at Mahaweli Reach. The prize giving was to be held at the same grounds we were flagged off, once again each competitor was give a specific time slot to drive up to the podium and be flagged down completing the 1000km SLARDAR 4x4 Rally.
All the competitors were anxious to find out who the winners were, most important Thushara and I wanted to know where we stood, The organizers started to ready out the names for the participation awards, we were kind of disappointed to hear our names being called up to receive this award as we knew that our placing was not so good. Later we found out that we had missed the 10 by just 74 debits, but on the other hand happy that were ranked 14th from 35 competitors. All in all this was a special experience that I am sure I will cherish for a long time, which also prompted me to write this lengthy biography of our experiences during the last three days.
As a closing note I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciations to firstly my brother-in-law for having the confidence in me as a co-driver, secondly to all the sponsors who put their trust and backing to us, our service crew Tharaka, Lasantha, our mechanics Saman and Kumara for keeping up with us and being at every service point to look into our well being as well as the vehicle. Both our wives and our children for understanding the importance we had in participating in this rally. Lastly not least SLARDAR & FWDC for coming up with a very exciting and adventurous rally that kept all competitors on there toes and also the Marshalls for job well done in manning their positions. Here’s wishing both organizing parties all the best and requesting them to keep on organizing such rallies.
Ushantha Kirtisinghe - Competitor/Co-Driver – Vehicle 18