Aravinda Premadasa and Ishan Dasanayake blazed the trail at Minneriya to claim crowns at the 10th Gunners Supercross held last Sunday. Premadasa, one of the most experienced local drivers in the racing circuit won the award for the best driver for the fourth year running as Dasanayake stamped his authority to after six years to [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Aravinda and Ishan stamp their class

10th Gunners Supercross
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Aravinda Premadasa and Ishan Dasanayake blazed the trail at Minneriya to claim crowns at the 10th Gunners Supercross held last Sunday. Premadasa, one of the most experienced local drivers in the racing circuit won the award for the best driver for the fourth year running as Dasanayake stamped his authority to after six years to claim the best rider’s award.

The team award in the cars category was won by Team Exide, where Premadasa is also a part of while Team TVS, the combination of Dasanayake and Ivon B. Gurusinghe, claimed the team award for bikes.

The event’s main race, the SLGT upto 3500cc Super Car was solely owned by Premadasa, who won both races, thus earning him his fourth main title at Minneriya. The rest of the drivers failed to come close to the winner, who was invincible and was back in his unbeatable form. However behind Premadasa Dilan Seneviratne, Janaka Dias, Pasindu Peiris and Ushan Perera had a serious battle for the second and third slots.

Janaka Dias was placed third in the first race and second in the second outing but Dilan Seneviratne who was placed second in the first battle had to slip back a place after he was penalised for a false start with a five-second stop.

Ashan Silva, who was untouchable at the Fox Hill Supercross last April was surprisingly out of touch and failed to impress at all. The battle between CEAT teammates, Dias, Peiris and Perera was more intensifying to see and that caused Ashan in losing the spotlight.

Ishan Dasanayake, competing in the MX Bikes category, the main event for motorbikes, was placed second but he managed to make amendments and after a grueling battle with Indian rider K.P. Aravind, won the second race which earned him the main award for riders. The achievement comes after six years for Dasanayake, who last won the award for the best rider at Sigiriya Rally Cross in 2009 at the age of 16. Dasanayake was leading all the way for five laps in the first race until Shehan C. Adikari pipped in to take the lead in the sixth lap and win the race. Adikari, who won the main award for riders last year, however failed come into his usual groove in the second race and finished behind.

The Superbikes event too had two races and both were won by Imal Manchanayake who outclassed top riders Ananda Wedisinghe, Uddika Malavige, Ananda Sampath and Sachira Rajakaruna. Young driver Kushan Peiris won both races of the SLN Ford Laser/Mazda Cars event pushing back Upulwan Serasinghe, a veteran and seasoned driver of this event, to second on both occasions. Damith Weerasinghe, who came back to his usual form after a long lapse, won both races of the SLH upto 1600cc Cars event while Sanjaya Sedara Senarath emerged winner in the Truck and Jeep Open event.

The event was organised by the Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment and conducted by the Sri Lanka Autosports Drivers Association.

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