The Motor Racing Association (MRA) is to kick off the year’s first rallying event with the much-anticipated Sevanagala Rally 2008 on the 28th, 29th & 30th of November on the fast gravel stages of the Sevanagala Sugar Industries plantation. After the security-related cancellation of the 2008 MRA Rally Championship, this will be the sole special-stage rally to be conducted by the club in 2008.

Eleven special stages, including two night stages, will be run through the picturesque sugarcane fields of the Sevanagala plantation, located close to the Uda Walawe National Park. The MRA, the only proponent of high-speed FIA-standard closed-course rallying in Sri Lanka, will conduct this one-off meet as a preview of a more substantial rally championship to be held in 2009.

Over the last few years, special stage rallying has come to prominence in Sri Lanka, with GT-class stars such as Aravinda Premadasa, Reyaz Farook, Dinesh Deheragoda and Nishan Weerasooria repeatedly averaging over 100 km/h per stage in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, putting these events on par with World Rally Championship events in terms of outright speed.

This year, the GT-class stars will have further competition from Subaru drivers Shafraz Junaid and Shantha Suraweera as well as Honda drivers Javidh Wahab and Nigel Perera. Others expected to contend for the overall win at Sevanagala include Rizvi Farouk, Wicky Wickremesinghe and Ameen Deane as well as the Truck & Jeep category entries of Deepthi Perera and Dinesh Senanayake.

A full field of cars is expected and Sevanagala 2008 promises to be the fastest and most open rally in years.
Entry forms are still available at the MRA Secretariat at No. 5 Havelock Place, Colombo 5. With several holiday resorts in the area and multiple viewing locations available along the rally stages, spectators are encouraged to attend this world-class event for a chance to witness high-speed rallying at its finest. For further information, please contact Dilshan Dodanwela on 0777602618.