SLMA and Fox Hill Supercross :

Spectators in for thrills and spills

Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) Commandant and Fox Hill Supercross 2011 Chairman Brigadier J R Kulatunga said that the spectators will experience a spectacular and unforgettable racing fare when the events of Fox hill Supercross take place today at the SLMA in Diyatalawa.

“While offering unparalleled excitement to the motor sports enthusiasts who flock to Diyatalawa each year in large numbers to witness one of the major sporting events in the country, the event serves only a noble purpose of raising funds for the enhancement of infrastructure and facilities at the Military Academy for the training of young officers, the future guardians of our country,” he said.

“As in previous years, the proceeds from the 2011 Fox Hill Supercross will be allocated for the needs of the Academy,” he said. Among the initiatives planned are the addition of a classroom complex and Library Complex for trainees.

“Many important past developments at the Diyatalawa Military Academy including language and computer laboratories, a swimming pool and a gymnasium have received significant funding through Fox Hill Supercross events conducted annually since 1993” Brigadier Kulatunga said.

The development of motor racing in Sri Lanka owed a lot to the initiatives of units of the Sri Lanka Army. Besides the Fox Hill Supercross, many other leading motor racing events in the country are organized by and conducted in military bases. These include the famous Gajaba Supercross, Gunners Supercross and Cavalry Supercross events.

The SLMA is located in the small stronghold Diyatalawa amidst attractive hillocks and valleys, totally committed to train young true patriots of the nation in the name of country’s safety and territorial integrity. Its remarkable military presence and history run back to the early 19th century where the British were ruling the country.

Thereafter, Diyatalawa served the Royal Navy as a sanatorium for naval personnel of the Royal Navy’s East Indies Station. Later, a military training depot was established at Diyatalawa for the Ceylon Defence Force and with the advent of independence, the Ceylon Army was formed on October 10, 1949. A separate organization named the Sri Lanka Military Academy was raised with effect from January 10, 1981 to train officer cadets of both the Regular and Volunteer forces of the Sri Lanka Army.

At present, the ever-growing Academy is expanding its purpose, in recognizing the need to sharpen the leadership traits of young trainees, the lady and gentlemen Officer Cadets, with academic wit to merge with military professionalism.

A Bachelor’s Degree in Military Studies and a Diploma Course in Military Studies have been introduced in collaboration with the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka to the military component. Fox Hill Supercross found its infancy by few officers of the camp in early nineties who just waded through the hilly bits just for evening amusement and the brainchild of a supercross track set in there. The notion progressed in stages into an organized plan in which the key figures were the then Commandant Major General Gamini Gunasekara, Major General Chargie Gallege, Major Nalaka Buddadasa and a German citizen, Hans Ralf working for SLARDAR.

The year 1993 marked the official origin of Fox Hill Supercross organized and conducted by the Academy as an excellent means of raising funds for its upgrading. Today it has become a precious jewel to the Academy and a pride to the nation at large. It was first held in August 1999 but since then festive April has been its favourite choice.