Formalises CEAT-SLADA 2019 Championship deal; confirms 3-year sponsorship of SLAS ‘One-Make’ races and reconstitutes CEAT Racing Team
Top tyre brand CEAT has renewed its support to motorsport in Sri Lanka with three recently ratified commitments that will turbo charge the 2019 racing season for competitors and spectators alike.
Sri Lanka’s highest-selling tyre across multiple categories, CEAT has constituted its own racing team for the seventh consecutive year, taken title sponsorship of the sport’s premier annual championship for the 10th year and announced it will support the ‘One-Make’ series of tarmac races sanctioned by Sri Lanka Automobile Sports (SLAS) for the next three years.
The CEAT SLADA 2019 Championship will be decided on five races to be conducted by the the Sri Lanka Auto-sports Drivers Association (SLADA) in the course of the year. The races are the Gajaba Super Cross, Gunners Super Cross, Sigiriya Rally Cross, Katukurunda Motor Cross and Fox Hill Super Cross. The Fox Hill meet is managed by the Ministry of Sports with the participation of all motor racing clubs.
The 2019 CEAT Racing Team which will compete under CEAT livery at these and other race meets comprises of drivers Upulwan Serasinghe, Ushan Perera, Malika Kuruwitaarachchi, Devin Serasinghe, Chamod Perera, Col. Duminda Jayasinghe, Col. Indu Samarakone and Chamod Samarakone and riders Evon Biyagee Gurusinghe and Jacques Gunawardena.
The CEAT team will also compete in the SLAS ‘One-Make’ races sponsored by the brand. These are tarmac races exclusively for cars using CEAT radial tyres. The vehicle categories for these tarmac races are Ford Laser /Mazda – 1300cc and 1500cc, Nissan March – 1000cc and Mini – 1275cc. CEAT provides tyres for all competitors in the ‘One-Make’ race category.
Speaking at an event at which all of CEAT’s commitments to motorsport for the year ahead were formalised, CEAT Kelani Holdings Managing Director Mr Ravi Dadlani said: “The motorsports fraternity in Sri Lanka has on many an occasion acknowledged that CEAT has played a leading role in the renaissance of motor racing in Sri Lanka. As a manufacturer of high performance, durable and safe tyres, CEAT is not content to simply play a support role, but takes an active part in popularising the sport and helping raise standards. We are proud to have contributed to the development of motorsport in the country for the past 12 years, through our numerous involvements.”
He added that the SLAS ‘One-Make’ races also provide an excellent opportunity for CEAT radial tyres to be tested in punishing conditions by skilled drivers.
The formal signing of contracts for the CEAT Racing Team for 2019 at the JAIC Hilton was followed by the ratification of CEAT’s title sponsorship of the 2019 CEAT SLADA Championship and the signing of an agreement between CEAT Kelani Holdings and SLAS confirming the brand’s sponsorship of all ‘One-Make’ races in 2019 – 2021.
Besides these commitments, CEAT supports the race meets conducted by the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force as part of the country’s annual motor racing calendar.