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| Sunday, 28 September 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Owning and riding a racing bike sounds like a lot of glamour and glory....or is it? by Pelham Juriansz
If one does not like dust and dirt I would suggest that a good armchair at home is where you should remain with your feet up on a stool to enjoy the spills and thrills on your TV. If you happen to be one of those who have the luxury of owning a Comet or Cable TV there are plenty of motor sports to watch. But if you are one those who actually crave the heat and dust, the nerve-tingling tension of facing the competition, the adrenalin - pumping thrill of taking off and hitting the accelerator - then its the race track for you. Sunday Observer Magazine got down to the nuts and bolts of it, by talking to some racing bike riders who are currently in the fray. Recently, we had 19-year-old Gayan Sandaruwan working his way to the top. Gayan sandaruwan 19.09.03
Then of course there is the well-known rider Dilantha Malagamuwa who has come out with "flying colours" at most sporting events. Dilantha performed well at the Mcfoil Challenge 2003 organised by the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC), worked off at the Pannala International Circuit.
"Tyres are important as one needs a good grip on the surface" said Malagamuwa, so it is not just a case of a bad workman blaming his tools, but when one is involved in high speed racing one's vehicle and the tyres are an essential part of the equipment. The fact that he won the racing bike event upto 250 cc using the same bike with a change of tyres goes to prove the point. Another rider of note who has come to the limelight in these events notably at the Kotmale Speed Hill Climb 2003 organised by the upcountry Motor Sports Club and held in Kotmale was Shafraz Junaid who won two events comfortably and also carried away the award for the fastest timing for the motorcycle event when he timed 1.03.795 minutes in his Caltex Honda in the event for motorcycles over 250cc. His other win was in the event for the standard mobikes over 250cc with a timing of 1.06.739 secs.
Then there was the Kawasaki and Suzuki age. The condition of our roads is another problem. Bad roads and bad road manners have become part of our society so the use of a good bike is very important. In the "Good ole days" as they call it, the Harley Davidson was the bike of the century. Smart and elegant. Close enough to being sleek was the MotoGuzzi though the name sounds guzzling. In 1982 the BMW R45470cc model was born. Triumph was not far behind and produced 5TA, 3 TA, BSA C10, C11, DKW which was referred to as pocket bikes and were very popular at that time. |
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| Produced by Lake House |
The glamour of becoming a biker - especially a racing biker - is the
secret (or not-so-secret) desire of many a young person nowadays. No doubt
for some its just a fantasy, indulged in the glossy pages of bike
magazines replete with pictures of the latest models in glittering chrome,
along with fancy accessories.
Gayan started racing in 2001 at 17 when his father presented him with a
new bike. His father has been his main source of encouragement, acting as
trainer as well, having been a biker himself in his younger days. Gayan
came into the spotlight in 2002, in which year he slammed most of the
races with his 80 cc Honda - Kottawa, Talduwa, Kaluwaggala, Narammala ...
Now with his 125cc Honda he's well on his way to becoming the Sri Lanka
Champ having won nine out of 12 races. What's the secret of his success?
"Practice! Without practice you can't do anything" he says.
Especially for things like jumps, whoops and table tops. The next step for
Gayan in the international arena. He's been invited to take part in races
in Indonesia and Malaysia, but won't think of it till he finishes his A
levels.
Participating in the motorbike event upto 125 cc, which he had won last
time, Malagamuwa is of the opinion that his tyres were not up to standard.
Selecting a good motor bike for the races is as important as the race
track one is riding on.Looking for a good bike is as difficult as looking
for a good shock absorber or differential.Well, what does one look for in
a bike? Looks, Performance and Power. Perhaps Economy also counts. Safety
is yet another factor. A few years ago there was the famous Honda, Yamaha
battle for supremacy amongst bikes.
