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| Sunday, 02 March 2003 |
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Ravi Iddamalgoda receives prestigious CAMS Licence by S. M. JIFFREY ABDEEN, Kandy Sports Correspondent Sri Lankan motor racing driver Ravi Don Iddamalgoda, now residing in Australia to obtain treatment for his child suffering from Leukaemia, became the first Sri Lankan to successfully obtain Confederation of Australian Motor Sports (CAMS) Licence which will make him eligible to officiate at any international motor sports event that comes under the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) which is the world governing body for motor sports. Ravi Iddamalgoda started his career as a planter and played rugby and cricket for Dickoya-Maskeliya Cricket Club in addition to tennis. Subsequently he gave up planting and entered the motor spares trade, opening his own firm Korean Motor Spares in Colombo. It was during this time he took to motor racing as a member of the Sri Lanka Association of Racing Drivers and Riders (SLARDAR). He was also a founder member of Motor Racing Association and was its President in the second year of its existence. He has participated with success at the St. James Hill Climb, Kandy Road Race, Mahagastota Hill Climb, Radella Hill Climb, Karundapona Hill Climb, Sabaragamuwa Road Race, Koggala Road Race, Wace Park Hill Climb and the Mihintale Road Race. As president of the MRA, he organised the E Street Dash - a motor sprint event along Green Path in Colombo in the year 2000. He has also acted as official in many motor racing events. He had to leave Sri Lanka in the year 2001 as his only child baby Chelaka fell seriously ill and had to be taken for treatment to Australia and is still residing there till a complete cure is achieved for his child. While in Australia, Ravi's love for motor sports got him involved in officiating and successfully officiated in any racing events and after a complete evaluation, he was issued with Motor Racing Official's Licence No. 1020400 which covers areas like administration, event control, general and trackside officiating steward, flag marshall, timekeeper and control official. In Sri Lanka, Ravi Iddamalgoda first drove a Daewoo Cielo and later a Daewoo Lanos. By obtaining the Motor Sports Official Licence, he has brought honour to the country and motor sports in Sri Lanka which is getting popular by the day. Ravi Iddamalgoda in a telephone conversation with this writer, said that there are two persons who had influenced him and helped in motor sports. First it was Mahes Gammanpila - a veteran racing driver who introduced him to motor sports and encouraged him to be an official at the meets organised by SLARDAR and ended up by serving it for eight years. When it came to motor racing, he spoke in glowing terms about his 'guru' Bri Ponnambalam who not only encouraged, but also taught him the finer points of racing. Bri is one person who will guide and help even his fellow competitor in the same event. He is selfless and dedicated to the sport and his breed is very rare. Ravi Iddamalgoda may return to the Island later this year and is keen on passing on what he has learnt at the highest level to the Sri Lankans so that motor racing in Sri Lanka will benefit by his experience. |
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