SMSC celebrates ten years

Bernard PERERA

ANNIVERSARY: The Southern Motor Sports Club the Pioneer Motor Racing Club to be formed in the Southern Province celebrates its 10th Anniversary tomorrow on a Grand Scale.

The SMSC which was formed in the year 1997 has reached greats heights in the motor sports field during the past ten years.

The club was founded by late Preethi Palliyaguru, Suranjith Premadasa, Ashhar Hameen and Andrew de Silva. All these founder members are veterans in the sport.

On the same year these officials with their involvement got the affiliated to the sports governing body.

The clubs main intention was to promote the sport in the southern part of Sri Lanka while giving an opportunity to the rural folk to witness this amazing and expensive sport.

The club has conducted many rallies during the past ten years with great success. Infact these rallies has attracted almost all leading drivers in the country as these were so well organised.

Southern Motor Rally which conducted through he wilderness part of the province later was nicknamed as the "Journey through the wilderness".

The other events that the club introduced in addition to their members events are the Browns Hill Climb and the Ratnapura Speed 2000 which caught the eye of all drivers, riders and the motor sports fans.

In 2004 SMSC organised the Southern Keells Hotels Safari Rally in Kantale which was conducted according to the FIA rules. Here the club took great care in making it a grand success.

The year 2005 was their best with many new additions to its calendar. They conducted a Triathlon the Southern Auto Test, Eliyakande Hill Climb and the Night Drag Race which was done during a period of two days. This is one of the first achieved by a Motor Racing Club.

The SMSC took to other different fields too when they embarked on to Beach horse racing for the first time in Sri Lanka.

This they did with the intention of giving the Southern residents the maximum from sports. It became a highly a successful one, infact it spread to other parts of the Beach as a tourist attraction.

SMSC took a great stride in constructing the ongoing Tissamaharama Ceylon Auto Drome Circuit which is sure to make motor sport the number one in Sri Lanka and in the Southern Province.

SMSC has been able to produce few drivers who are at the top during their short tenure of existence. They conducted last years Southern Super Cross on the new constructed Ceylon Auto Drome at Tissamaharama.

The club looks forward to more towards success in the future with the assistance of all involved in the sports.

The celebrations tomorrow will be commence at 2 p.m. with a rally for its members. The final part of the celebrations are scheduled to be held at the Ruhunu Campus cafeteria commencing 7 p.m.