By Organised by the Southern Motor Sports Club, the 30th consecutive (since 1997) Eliyakanda hill-climb (0.336 miles – 540 metres long – featuring hairpins named as Single Tree Corner, Residency Corner, Southern Corner and Tower Corner) event in Matara, Southern Province of Sri Lanka, last week enthralled, entertained those competing, attending trackside.
A mix of racing cars, motorcycles only had one racing run each, due to harsh weather forecast on Sunday.
Winners of two wheeled races included overall bikes track record-holder, (record time still stands after last weekend, heat-time 0.33.439 in 2023, fastest racer last Sunday with 0.36.270), YZ450F Yamaha propelled Sangheeth Suriyage (Super Motard Open category), Isuru Maduranga (Super Motard 250 cc class).
GSX-R 1000, Street Triple Triumph vaulted Sasindu Prashansana (Standard/Modified Super Sport 1000 cc and Sports Touring Motorcycles over 700 cc category), CBR 600 Honda powered Vinula Pathirage (Standard/Modified Super Sport 600 cc), also in the saddle of Triumph bike (Sports Touring Motorcycles 700 cc class victor).
He was additionally overall P2 across the 1000cc category, when astride CBR 1000 Honda metal behind afore-mentioned SBK winner Sasindu Prashansana, in front of Jeff Chi and his blue, yellow GYTR liveried YZF-R1 Yamaha (similar livery to former IRRC SBK Champion Lukas Maurer’s).
It is great to see pure road racing, road-race hill climbing gaining notoriety worldwide in nations where you perhaps-would not expect it to.
Time will tell if we-will ever see a Sri Lankan racer taking to European closed roads circuits.
Rushab Shah from neighbouring India, the first ever Indian IRRC (International Road Racing Championship) rider, proves that nothing is impossible and harbours future ambitions to race the TT Mountain Course.
Sri Lanka’s next main hill-climb event, centres on the Mahagastotte time-trial (4th-5th April) which-was, first-held over ninety years ago (1934 inaugural year).
Top three/top five rankings for 1000 cc / 600 cc / Sports Touring / Supermoto categories from Eliyakanda Hill Climb 2026, are as follows:
(Best track time located near racer’s name)
Standard/Modified Super Sport 1000 cc:
1st – Sasindu Prashansana – 36.390
2nd – Vinula Pathirage – 37.700
3rd – Jeff Chi – 38.590
4th – Supun Suraj – 38.770
5th – Lahiru Randeep – 39.180
Standard/Modified Super Sport 600 cc:
1st – Vinula Pathirage – 36.410
2nd – Nipun Dilanka – 38.900
3rd – Lahiru Randeep – 39.440
Super Motard Open:
1st – Sangeeth Suriyage – 36.270
2nd – Buddika Dinesh – 38.780
3rd – Bhanuka Lakmal – 41.430
Super Motard 250 cc:
1st – Isuru Maduranga – 37.490
2nd – Shashika Chamodya – 38.660
3rd – Buddika Dinesh – 39.250
Sports Touring over 700 cc up-to 1400 cc:
1st – Sasindu Prashansana – 37.950
2nd – Supun Suraj – 41.510
3rd – Akila Udayangana – 43.450
Sports Touring 700 cc:
1st – Vinula Pathirage – 39.370
2nd – Kevin Liyanage – 41.260
3rd – Tharindu Dihendra – 42.260
Photo credit: Michael Wincott
Words by Jan Vavra
