Mahagastota Speed Hill Club today

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN - Kandy Sports Corr.

HILL CLUB: The Annual Mahagastota Speed Hill Club organised by the Ceylon Motor Sports Club will be held for the 77th time on Sunday April 10 commencing at 8 a.m.

This is about the oldest motor racing event in the country dating back to 1934 when a group of expatriate planters decided to have a speed hill climb for motor cars and motor cycles at the Mahagastota Group with the track winding from Blackpool to the top of the hill which overlooks the valley below. The same track is still being used with a little upgrading.

First it was the motor cars and motor cycles and later in the early eighties Formula cars 'burnt the tracks' to delight the large holiday crowds which thronged Nuwara Eliya during the festive season to keep themselves away from the heat of Colombo. This has become an annual event.

It is most probably the oldest hill climb in Asia and is a major attraction during the April Holiday season in Nuwara Eliya.

The course record is jointly held by Maestro Rohan de Silva in Mobil Modified Ford Formula and Nishan Weerasuriya in a Mitsubishi Evolution. Rohan de Silva, in addition to the course record, also holds the class records for Standard Formula Ford 1600 cc and the recently introduced Formula McLarens 1300 cc. In the recent past racing drivers of the calibre of Rohan de Silva one time course record holder Suranjith Premadasa, Aravinda Premadasa, Nishan Weerasuriya, Ramani de Silva, Rameez Mahamoor, Dinesh Deheragoda, Rizvi Farouk, Bri Ponnambalam, Hafiz Cader, Omar Lebbe, Reyaz Farouk, Ananda de Alwis, Yoga Perera, Dinesh Senanayake just to name a few have thrilled the crowds.