Sri Lanka opens its first circuit
Sri Lanka has opened its first motor racing track - and now it hopes to bring top-class motorsport to the Indian subcontinent.
Speed Development Lanka has built a 1.3-mile track 40 miles to the northeast of the capital Colombo at a cost of £250,000. Regional race meetings will be held initially, with the stated aim to bring the circuit up to Formula Three standard in the near future.
"The project represents the first serious attempt by Sri Lanka to become a regional hub for motor sports," said K Omprasadhan, the company's deputy chairman.
A further £1m is in place to provide grandstands, paddocks, garaging facilities and restaurants. Sri Lanka has also emerged as another candidate to host a Grand Prix, with tentative plans to build a Formula One track in the eastern port city of Trincomalee by 2004.
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