Youngsters Dejan and Rikaaz at Coimbatore Indo-Lanka Race Meet

BY RICHARD Dwight

IT'S most salutary and augurs well for the future of Formula Motor Racing in the country, in that two youngsters in Dejan de Zoysa aged 20 and Rikaaz Khalid 16, find themselves in a contingent of 18 Sri Lankan Formula Motor Racing Drivers who will vie for championship honours in the Indo-Lanka Motor racing meet, that takes place at the Kari Motor Speedway Track at Coimbatore, India.

Many youngsters especially those in their formative years as teenagers will, accustomed as they are, be wary of indulging in speed on a race track.

Commendable therefore it is, for Dejan and Rikaaz to have taken to the sport at quite an early age - which will surely serve as a source of inspiration to so influence yet other youngsters with an aptitude for motor racing, to take to the sport. And it's most fitting that both Dejan and Rikaaz do merit a brief narrative here.

Dejan de Zoysa

The twenty year old, Dejan de Zoysa, was dexterous enough to be an avid sportsman to be reckoned with at the College, National and International level.

In his earlier years, where he had his secondary education at S. Thomas' College Mt. Lavinia, he did represent the College at under 14 Cricket - but driven by his first love water sports, he excelled at swimming to be in the Thomian team for the Public Schools Swimming championships and, as well an adept at Rowing as an oarsman, where under his captaincy in 2004 S. Thomas' won the boat race and regatta in their annual encounter against Royal College.

All this and more stood in good stead, for Dejan to be appointed Senior School Prefect in 2003 and, also be awarded the highest sporting award to a schoolboy at S. Thomas', that of the Thomian Blue in 2004.

On the national stage, he has led the Thomian Rowing team to win the Rowing Nationals Senior Category in 2004, in that very same year Dejan was chosen oarsman of the year 2004 by the Colombo Rowing Club and was as well the sculling champion for 2005.

His international achievements revolve around his taking part at the Junior Asian Rowing Championships held in 2003 in HongKong. On representing Sri Lanka at the SAF Games in Islamabad - Pakistan in 2004, Dejan was the winner of two silver medals.

With time he made the right kind of impression for him to be accepted as a formula racing driver in the year 2003 - which saw him drive a formula BMW for team Minardi in the BMW Asia Series to complete eight rounds in Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand and China to qualify for the final, but for the want of a sponsor he couldn't participate in the final.

Lest we forget, Dejan was the youngest double international, in having received National colours for Rowing and Motor sports, at the age of 19.

Dejan receives much encouragement from his father, Richard de Zoysa, a motor racing enthusiast, who himself was a racing driver of repute.

Rikaaz Khalid

Rikaaz Khalid, a 16-year-old student at D. S. Senanayake College plays cricket for the under 17 team and has just completed his 'O' Levels. This apart there is within him a fondness of becoming an accredited racing driver. Evidence of this was seen, when undoubtedly he had a bent for things that had to do with motors, and from the tender age of 9 he was riding a motorbike and driving a car.

This led to Rikaaz being obsessed, where he thinks, talks and lives motor racing. His passion for Go-Kart racing was such that between his age of 12 years to 14 from the year 2001 to 2003 he dominated Go-Kart domestic racing, to win 18 trophies made up of 15 for Pro-Kart and 3 for Go-Kart.

That which redounds to Rikaaz's credit is the excellent timings he maintains, be it for the best lap time or for the entire 15 to 20 laps. This we learn was a characteristic feature of Rikaaz, when he performed at a training session held in February 2005 at Coimbatore and, at the Go-Kart races held at the same venue in September last year.

It thrilled him and his parents no end, when in recognition and appreciation for his commitment for, and his prowess in the sport, was accepted as a formula racing driver in 2005.

This race meet at Coimbatore will see Rikaaz taking part for the first time as a Formula Racing Driver at a comparative young age.

Rikaaz who comes from a humble background sans any form of affluence is well supported by his parents and those of the motor racing fraternity like Rohan de Silva, Richard de Zoysa and Trevor Rekerman.