‘Melwa’ Steel Power Spurs Motor Racing Champ Ruwan Peiris

Many aren’t the stories of sports heroes being made after changing from one career to another. But this is one exceptional saga of a motor racing champion being born after having quite a fling at competitive athletics.

By Srian Obeyesekere

The name is Ruwan Peiris and it is today synonymous in the local and South East Asian motorcycle racing world having conquered many local titles including the Nuwara-Eliya road races and two times winner of the Indian Grand Prix.
And Ruwan is quick to point out that the ‘Melwa magic’ that has stood him in good stead with MELWA company in Sri Lanka putting muscle on him by way of sponsoring him.
“Melwa is a great gift that I found for my future career,” enthuses Ruwan in explaining the sponsorship impact Melwa has brought with it to his motor racing career.
But before that life for Ruwan Peiris as a schoolboy in the sports arena was in the athletic lane.
“My pet events were the 100 and 200 meters before I switched to the 400 metres due to hamstring injuries. My dream at the time was about running at the Olympics, but then hamstring injuries forced me out of athletics,” recalls Ruwan in conversation with ‘Sports Today’.
In fact, his athletic career was so promising that his ‘alma mater’ Maris Stella College, Negombo bestowed him with the honor of leading the school athletic team as Games Captain. And Ruwan did not disappoint going on to win many laurels in team events. His latent talent in the field was such that Maris Stella went a step further by decorating the young sportsman with College Colors which culminated in Ruwan ultimately winning national recognition by way of Sri Lanka Schools’ Colors.

FROM ATHLETICS TO MOTOR RACING
But that was to be a turning point in his sports career as Ruwan, who had been an ardent motor racing fan watching the Katunayake Motor Races as a kid, was spurred on by his father to enter motor racing.

“Of course, motor racing was in my nostrils having been a keen fan. My heroes at the time were Friki Khan, Raja Perera and Upali Dassanayake and I used to imitate my heroes on returning home after watching the races,” Ruwan muses on what influenced him to the gripping fast lane of men and machines.

The second in a family of four brothers – his younger brother Prabath is also a well known racing rider -, Ruwan has fond memories of his father, the late Neville Peiris buying a motorcycle for him when he was 27 years. And ‘it was a great opportunity for me to ride and try out some stunts and the pleasing thing about it was that I accomplished it.
“I’m lucky to have won my very first road race which was the Nuwara-Eliya road races. I was a virtual newcomer but the great thing about it was that I won the race in style defeating some of the big names at that time,”
From there onwards almost every bike Ruwan touched turned to gold which Ruwan so describes, “Thereafter, I was able to win almost all the races I took part in if not for any mechanical issue,” he proudly reflects.

He recalls that ‘I won even the Indian Grand Prix twice and I mastered many riding techniques which I unselfishly also shared with other riders. I started racing in 1992 and temporarily gave up in 2004 because of the migration issue of my family to the USA. But I came back to Sri Lanka for good in 2011 and relaunched my most lovable racing career in 2014 racing in 2014 at Katukurunda.

And Ruwan proudly reflects that ‘I was able to win again after 10 years. It was indeed memorable and everyone liked it.’
“My unforgettable moments in racing are wining in India, winning the Kandy road races, becoming best rider on many occasions, winning at Katukurunda after an absence of 10 years. And right now I’m having my great sponsor ‘Melwa’ steel company throwing weight behind me as a sponsor which is something to hugely appreciate,” he contends.
He says that ‘right now Melwa Steel Company is my Exclusive Sponsor and I’m so confident by the ‘Melwa Power’ behind me viz my new Melwa sponsored racing bike. my future plans are to get back to my former form of racing which I’m almost there and also to teach newcomers how to do proper racing.’
Ruwan Peiris goes on to speak fervently of riding in what he describes as ‘My Dream Place’ Australia in the Phillip Islands which is a world class track. “I intend holidaying in Australia next May when I will have a fling on the Phillip Islands track astride my Melwa bike,” says the large hearted motor racing champion. which he intends doing

Hailing from the coastal city of Negombo, Ruwan concludes fondly remembering those who spurred him on. “My dad had a big influence on my racing career while people like Vjaya Wedisinghe from Kurunegela, Mahen Fernando in Australia and friends and well wishers encouraged me in a big way to be a success.
Certainly, Ruwan, who is married with three children – eldest son in Sri Lanka, second son employed in the US and daughter studying here, has been a sparkle of the racing track and in mellowing years at age 49 still has the desire and will to compete and win.