4x4 Jamboree - Padukka Sri Lanka

LKCRUISERS · 26th July 2010, 17:50

Dear Team BHP, I took the liberty of posting this event for everyone to share. Hope it is OK.

The 4x4 Jamboree organized by the Four Wheel Drive club, kicked off in Padukka. This year’s event compared to last year’s one, was more exclusive to its members and invitees, where participants enjoyed a sunny Saturday with the environs for suited for families. The event was held in a private property in Padukka , known as Gogely’s Field, of the Horana road, where the club hopes to develop a permanent track for its members with chalets for overnight stay.

The event started off with the Touring Class where there was a Dual track of approx 0.8 Km long where the track weaved through uneven grounds, bunds, rocks and mud. The entire track was taped, and penalty was imposed on those who veered off the track. From Land Rover Defenders, to Suzuki Jimny’s took on the track and found that size did not matter. Even a Montero completed the track minus a few plastic garnishes. It was interesting to see the Extreme Class machines take on the same Touring Class track, and posting some impressive times. Suresh Chathuranga had mixed fortunes, where on the first run he went off the bund and completely off the track, on the second track he posted the fastest timing of 1 min 53 sec, where it took an average 4 min for a Touring Class vehicle.

The Extreme Class event, stood well up to the term “Extreme”. 3 special stages (SS) tested the limits of the winch, the co-driver’s stamina, and the laws of Gravity. The first SS was a steep climb down to a water hole where the spectators shocked to see the near toppling decent. Then they had to winch through the muddy water that was bonnet high, over a near vertical bund. International competitors Indika Sanjaya, and Suresh Chathuranga, in their identically prepared Land Rovers were the team to watch. New comer Sihara Thilina in a Range Rover, was quick to learn the ropes, but lack of experience, was costing them time on the SS and adding up debits. Viraj Ratnathileke, drove a Super Modified Tubular vehicle built on a Toyota Land Cruiser frame, which almost climb the vertical wall. However the man who stole the show was Mr. Denson Kumara. Most were wondering what his stock looking LJ 70 Land Cruiser with standard suspension was doing among the Extremes. While every Extreme vehicles were running 35” Simex Extreme Tires, Denson was running 33” Mickey Thompson Claws. None of the equipment mattered except one piece of equipment, “The Winch”. Denson’s modified PTO winch was faster than the Rainforest podium winner, Indika’s Twin Motor Giglepin upgraded Warn 8274. It was apparent that Denson winched faster than he drove.

SS2 was a vertical wall that had to be winched up and a descent through a Narrow Gully. Although Indika’s and Ranga’s Winches were not as fast as Denson’s PTO, their experience to tackle a SS was unmatched. While others were racking up debits this duo was well disciplined within the tapes. Indika especially, has a developed somewhat of a natural habit of coming out of any obstacle thrown at him.

SS3 was known as the “Lindha” , a well. Even the JCB guys who created the water hole was betting that no one is going to come out this hole. These Extreme Class guys just proved everyone wrong, except for Viraj Ratnathilake had to come out with the assistance of the Backhoe, when his engine sucked in water through a faulty snorkel.

The one day event came to a close after the 3 Special Stages, where 3 more SS’s was set up to run into the night, which were not run. The First three had already taken its toll on the vehicles, and seemed like the only 2 x LR Motors prepared Land Rovers were intact to go on.

The Padukka terrain has the makings of an international standard track, where the special stages hinted the type of challenges to come later in the year. The Flagship 5 day event of the Four Wheel Drive Club, “The Taprobana 4x4 Challnge, scheduled for 15th October and for the Extreme Class participants, this was a good practice run. It was evident that formidable opponent is yet to come to challenge Rain Forest 2nd Runner up duo Indika Sanjaya and Naveen Marapana. Their 2.5 litre diesel, has outperformed, most big Petrol powered 6 Cylinders, both locally and in the International scene. The performance gap between this duo and the rest of the local Extreme 4x4 drivers is widening, as some of the Extreme Class drivers have already given up the fight, unable to step up to challenge to contend such difficult Special Stages.

The Touring Class Trophy was won by none other than “Kondaya” Amal Wickramarachchi, champion of 2006, driving a Nissan Patrol Y60 Short Wheel Base. He has been absent from the Extreme Class Driving seat for a while as he has been busy contending from a co-driver seat. Hopefully this win will boost his confidence to return to the drivers’ seat. The 1st Runner up of the Touring class went to Ramesh Warnakulasuriya driving a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series and Chandana Fernando taking on 3rd place with a Toyota 73, proving the short wheel base’s distinct advantage. Both were tied for 2nd place but Chandana’s debit allowed Ramesh to move ahead.

The Extreme Class Top Slot remains to be occupied by Indika Sanjaya, and 1st Runner up going to Suresh Chathuranga, and 2nd Runner up to a deserving Denson Kumara .

Blue Thunder · 26th July 2010, 17:56

sounds like a very challenging trail , LKCRUISERS...please do post some pics of the same.

LKCRUISERS · 26th July 2010, 17:58

Pictures of the action

prmd_cochin · 26th July 2010, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKCRUISERS

Pictures of the action

Did that double rear axle defnder participate in offroaing ? Can you post some more pictures off it.

LKCRUISERS · 27th July 2010, 08:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by prmd_cochin

Did that double rear axle defnder participate in offroaing ? Can you post some more pictures off it.

Nope, did not participate, as it was lucky enough to get into the site without any drama. The 6x6 is a Liability most of the time. Good to attract crowd though.

Actually, it is one of the back up vehicles, and it is useful to carry loads of spares and crew.

ex670c · 27th July 2010, 10:05

Hi Sean,

Waiting for the pics of the competitors in action.

Regards,

Arka

Blue Thunder · 27th July 2010, 10:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKCRUISERS

Pictures of the action

Wow ! those climbs are deadly

. Guess winching skills will play an important role in such terrain, in addition to normal off-roading skills.

Which vehicle is that red/white one, which has 'Sudath Motors' written on it? It seems to have the engine mounted on the back.

Any action videos available, LKCRUISERS ?

LKCRUISERS · 29th July 2010, 18:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex670c

Hi Sean,

Waiting for the pics of the competitors in action.

Regards,

Arka

Some of the Competitors in action

LKCRUISERS · 29th July 2010, 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Wow ! those climbs are deadly

. Guess winching skills will play an important role in such terrain, in addition to normal off-roading skills.

Which vehicle is that red/white one, which has 'Sudath Motors' written on it? It seems to have the engine mounted on the back.

Any action videos available, LKCRUISERS ?

Hi,

The Vehicle that looks like a Mars Lander has the engine in the front. He has got his Radiator, Air Tank the PTO Winch and the rear winch in the back. Do not be fooled by these home made vehicles, there has been no reasearch done before buiding these, just trying to copy the madness that happens in Malaysia. Look where he has put his Grab Handle, Outside the Vehicle, and if the vehicle rolls his fingers will be crushed.

Tried to upload the video, but got an error. It is on my website www.offroadsrilanka.com if someone can link the URL to Team BHP

Cheers

robinson.s · 30th July 2010, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKCRUISERS

Hi,

The Vehicle that looks like a Mars Lander has the engine in the front. He has got his Radiator, Air Tank the PTO Winch and the rear winch in the back. Do not be fooled by these home made vehicles, there has been no reasearch done before buiding these, just trying to copy the madness that happens in Malaysia. Look where he has put his Grab Handle, Outside the Vehicle, and if the vehicle rolls his fingers will be crushed.

Tried to upload the video, but got an error. It is on my website www.offroadsrilanka.com if someone can link the URL to Team BHP

Cheers

Hi LkCRUISERS,
Good to see some of the OTR action's in your country.
Do you guys use simex? Seeing some of the pictures, could make out those are simex.
And the 4x4 Jamboree in srilanka was a local event? as I have participated in the same event in Jakarta - Indonesia.

Attaching few pic's

OgAAAKDSWL4bPF429b_GKQz0LEOZl-M6MNNBrvEDmbDHwiyN8ceao_w2yNQAiH7yUK-wdNy-xEgkxjMe2X4TcmsXteEAm1T1UD8l

OgAAAIwaE3A7M1ph-VuH0gRLBd5sesPQe4i8QZ0tY1r725eVcYDn6d-0RJNwm_a_Pt_Yu-fTUyzlJv8y6ySpCKebkgcAm1T1UO8E

OgAAAFuuLnaf0L0AX8OzsdoLvzSI6ioEguiX9pcpzltVeHwuxcplgz0LhuZCr2k2eZPKd7tGCLXssvgH7jHt6k3mCRsAm1T1UE0r

26th July 2010, 17:50	#1
LKCRUISERS BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Colombo Posts: 71 Thanked: 45 Times	4x4 Jamboree - Padukka Sri Lanka Dear Team BHP, I took the liberty of posting this event for everyone to share. Hope it is OK. The 4x4 Jamboree organized by the Four Wheel Drive club, kicked off in Padukka. This year’s event compared to last year’s one, was more exclusive to its members and invitees, where participants enjoyed a sunny Saturday with the environs for suited for families. The event was held in a private property in Padukka , known as Gogely’s Field, of the Horana road, where the club hopes to develop a permanent track for its members with chalets for overnight stay. The event started off with the Touring Class where there was a Dual track of approx 0.8 Km long where the track weaved through uneven grounds, bunds, rocks and mud. The entire track was taped, and penalty was imposed on those who veered off the track. From Land Rover Defenders, to Suzuki Jimny’s took on the track and found that size did not matter. Even a Montero completed the track minus a few plastic garnishes. It was interesting to see the Extreme Class machines take on the same Touring Class track, and posting some impressive times. Suresh Chathuranga had mixed fortunes, where on the first run he went off the bund and completely off the track, on the second track he posted the fastest timing of 1 min 53 sec, where it took an average 4 min for a Touring Class vehicle. The Extreme Class event, stood well up to the term “Extreme”. 3 special stages (SS) tested the limits of the winch, the co-driver’s stamina, and the laws of Gravity. The first SS was a steep climb down to a water hole where the spectators shocked to see the near toppling decent. Then they had to winch through the muddy water that was bonnet high, over a near vertical bund. International competitors Indika Sanjaya, and Suresh Chathuranga, in their identically prepared Land Rovers were the team to watch. New comer Sihara Thilina in a Range Rover, was quick to learn the ropes, but lack of experience, was costing them time on the SS and adding up debits. Viraj Ratnathileke, drove a Super Modified Tubular vehicle built on a Toyota Land Cruiser frame, which almost climb the vertical wall. However the man who stole the show was Mr. Denson Kumara. Most were wondering what his stock looking LJ 70 Land Cruiser with standard suspension was doing among the Extremes. While every Extreme vehicles were running 35” Simex Extreme Tires, Denson was running 33” Mickey Thompson Claws. None of the equipment mattered except one piece of equipment, “The Winch”. Denson’s modified PTO winch was faster than the Rainforest podium winner, Indika’s Twin Motor Giglepin upgraded Warn 8274. It was apparent that Denson winched faster than he drove. SS2 was a vertical wall that had to be winched up and a descent through a Narrow Gully. Although Indika’s and Ranga’s Winches were not as fast as Denson’s PTO, their experience to tackle a SS was unmatched. While others were racking up debits this duo was well disciplined within the tapes. Indika especially, has a developed somewhat of a natural habit of coming out of any obstacle thrown at him. SS3 was known as the “Lindha” , a well. Even the JCB guys who created the water hole was betting that no one is going to come out this hole. These Extreme Class guys just proved everyone wrong, except for Viraj Ratnathilake had to come out with the assistance of the Backhoe, when his engine sucked in water through a faulty snorkel. The one day event came to a close after the 3 Special Stages, where 3 more SS’s was set up to run into the night, which were not run. The First three had already taken its toll on the vehicles, and seemed like the only 2 x LR Motors prepared Land Rovers were intact to go on. The Padukka terrain has the makings of an international standard track, where the special stages hinted the type of challenges to come later in the year. The Flagship 5 day event of the Four Wheel Drive Club, “The Taprobana 4x4 Challnge, scheduled for 15th October and for the Extreme Class participants, this was a good practice run. It was evident that formidable opponent is yet to come to challenge Rain Forest 2nd Runner up duo Indika Sanjaya and Naveen Marapana. Their 2.5 litre diesel, has outperformed, most big Petrol powered 6 Cylinders, both locally and in the International scene. The performance gap between this duo and the rest of the local Extreme 4x4 drivers is widening, as some of the Extreme Class drivers have already given up the fight, unable to step up to challenge to contend such difficult Special Stages. The Touring Class Trophy was won by none other than “Kondaya” Amal Wickramarachchi, champion of 2006, driving a Nissan Patrol Y60 Short Wheel Base. He has been absent from the Extreme Class Driving seat for a while as he has been busy contending from a co-driver seat. Hopefully this win will boost his confidence to return to the drivers’ seat. The 1st Runner up of the Touring class went to Ramesh Warnakulasuriya driving a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 series and Chandana Fernando taking on 3rd place with a Toyota 73, proving the short wheel base’s distinct advantage. Both were tied for 2nd place but Chandana’s debit allowed Ramesh to move ahead. The Extreme Class Top Slot remains to be occupied by Indika Sanjaya, and 1st Runner up going to Suresh Chathuranga, and 2nd Runner up to a deserving Denson Kumara .
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 17:56	#2
Blue Thunder Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Right here . Posts: 1,663 Thanked: 397 Times View My Garage	sounds like a very challenging trail , LKCRUISERS...please do post some pics of the same.
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 17:58	#3
LKCRUISERS BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Colombo Posts: 71 Thanked: 45 Times	Pictures of the action Attached Thumbnails Attached Images
	() Thanks

27th July 2010, 10:05	#6
ex670c Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,470 Thanked: 2,170 Times View My Garage	Pics Hi Sean, Waiting for the pics of the competitors in action. Regards, Arka
	() Thanks