A day trip around Colombo: Yevan David’s Hometown Tour

Yevan David made history in Melbourne when he became the first Sri Lankan driver to race in FIA Formula 3.

The AIX Racing has spoken about the pride he has in representing his country on an international stage, and recently we caught up with him to talk about the place he calls home.

WHERE HE CALLS HOME

“So originally, I'm from Colombo. I've spent most of my time there in Sri Lanka, specifically between Nawala and Hokandara, but only Sri Lankans would know specifically where that is.

“That's where my grandparents lived, so I grew up there. It’s a nice place to be in Colombo, and I have a lot of friends there.

“I also love the food there. I love going out with my friends and just having some nice dinners, nice lunches, and it's right by the beach, so it's a nice place to go.

“There's now a racetrack in Port City, which is right by the beach, and also like 40 minutes just out of town, so racing is still quite good. It's just a very nice vibe because there's something happening every week. You can always have some fun with your friends, and it's just a good place to really switch off.”

David and his family are from Colombo, Sri Lanka

THE MOTORSPORT SCENE

“As I mentioned, there was a racetrack 40 minutes outside of Colombo that I went to for the first time, and it was in December 2013 which is a long time ago now – 13 years.

“So my father and grandfather were in racing, and there's a huge car and racing community in Sri Lanka, and it's growing. They had a passion for racing, my grandfather, and my father, so they took me to the track one day that December, and I tried the baby karts.

“I was going pretty well, so I went into the big karts. Of course they were rental karts, and they had like three cushions so that I could try and reach the pedals. It went very well, and since then we started to do karting professionally and going abroad. It all started from that track in Colombo.”

CHEAT MEALS AND TIME WITH FRIENDS

“I have to say, I don't know if I'm allowed to say this, but the KFC in Colombo is really good. That's like my cheat meal, but even if I ate it all the time, I wouldn't gain that much weight, but I won't.

“But I'd say in Colombo, what's nice to do is that you go to the beach, relax and switch off. I have a really nice friend group and family there, so we always catch up on what we've done during the year because we usually go during Christmas.

The AIX driver shared how he would spend a day in Colombo if he were visiting for the first time

“Just having some time to also just watch Netflix for a day and switch off in the summer or winter is really nice. The gym and fitness people there are really cool.

“So even outside of racing, I associate with a few fitness people and learn about their sports as well, whether it's marathon running or powerlifting. I really enjoy just connecting with different people in Sri Lanka and switching off.”

HOW TO SPEND A DAY IN COLOMBO

“You can always see the cricket. But I would say for a day in the morning, you go and walk by the beach, it's a really nice morning walk. Then I would go to one of the brunch cafes around Nawala, where I live, because there's some really nice cafes there, and just beautiful interior and food.

“In the afternoon I'd say definitely go to a temple in Colombo, there's one near Galle Face Road, one of the biggest temples, which is right in front of the beach, and it's a really nice place to visit.

David is the first Sri Lankan driver to compete in FIA F3

“You can see statues of Lord Buddha and that's quite nice. Then you can go to the mall, the Colombo City Centre and then buy some local things. It's a good mall, it's quite different to the rest.

“Then after that I would say in the evening go to the Lotus Tower, which is I think the tallest tower in Southeast Asia, but it’s a beautiful view of the of the city. There is also a very nice restaurant up there, then end the night off with going to this street called Park Street.

“It's got good music, it's got good vibes, and some nice places for pizza and sushi and just to grab a small bite. Then get some sleep because you'll need it for Sri Lanka.”

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