Dilantha Malagamuwa

Dilantha Ranjula Bandara Malagamuwa (Sinhalese: ඩිලන්ත රන්ජුල බණ්ඩාර මාලගමුව, Tamil: டிலந்த ரஞ்சுல (B)பண்டார மாலகமுவ ) (born 24 June 1963) is a Sri Lankan racing driver[1][2][3] currently racing for the Dilango Racing Team which he founded in 2009.[4]

Dilantha Malagamuwa
Dilantha Malagamuwa (right) with the Black and Yellow Lamborghini Jacket on.
Born (1963-06-24) 24 June 1963
Kurunegala, Sri Lanka
Occupationracing car driver
Years active1979–present
TelevisionRacing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa
Websitewww.dilanthamalagamuwa.com

Early life

Dilantha Malagamuwa was born on 24 June in Kurunegala and received his education at St. Annes's College and Trinity College Kandy.[5] He started racing at the age 16 by winning a motorcycle race.[6] His two sisters encouraged him and persuaded his father to buy him a Yamaha TZ350.[7] In 1983 Dilantha participated in his first International race in Calcutta, India and managed to finish 6th.[8] After the race he met Matsumoto Kenmei, a Japanese motorbike racer who persuaded him to come to Japan to expand his racing career.[9] In 1985 he went to Japan and in 1997 became the first non Japanese Asian to compete in the Japan top level Formula Nippon (F3000).[10][11]

Racing career achievements
Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 Dilango Racing
Dilantha Malagamuwa at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo world finals 2016, at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain[12]
  • 1995 – N1 Championship (Japan) – Champion[13]
  • 2002 – Bathurst 24 Hours (AUS) – 1st Runner Up (Class A)
  • 2006 – Malaysia Super Car Series – Champion
  • 2007 – Malaysia Super Car Series – Champion
  • 2008 – Aston Martin Asia Cup – 1st Runner Up[14]
  • 2009 – Aston Martin Asia Cup – 1st Runner Up[15][16]
  • 2010 – Malaysia GT Super Series – 1st Runner Up[17]
  • 2010 – GT Asia – Champion[18]
  • 2011 – GT Asia – 1st Runner Up[19]
  • 2011 – Malaysia GT Super Series – Champion[20]
  • 2013 – Asian Le Mans Series – Champion (GTC Am)
  • 2014 – Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asian series – 1st Runner up.
  • 2015 – Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asian series – 1st Runner up.[21]
  • 2016 – Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asian series – Champion (PRO-AM B).[22]
  • 2017 – NGK Enduro 3 Hour Endurance Race (Dubai) – Champion[23]
  • 2017 – Blancpain GT Sports Club – Champion (Xtra Class)
  • 2017 – Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals, Imola, Italy (Race 2) – 3rd Place[24] (AM Class – 5th Place Overall)[25][26]

Awards and recognition
Sports First Platinum awards 2016, "Most Popular Player of the year" awarded to Dilantha Malagamuwa by sports minister of Sri Lanka Dayasiri Jayasekara

In 1997, after competing in Japan's top level Formula Nippon, the Prime minister of Japan, Keizo Obuchi, felicitated Dilantha for his effort in becoming the first non-Japanese Asian to achieve this feat.[27]

In 2012 the Sri Lanka Auto Sports association awarded the national colours award and a special recognition to Dilantha Malagamuwa for his contribution to motorsports representing Sri Lanka in the International arena at the National Awards Presentation 2011. The award was presented by the president of SLAS, Rizvi Farook, and the Minister of Sports, Mahindananda Aluthgamage.[28]

Dilantha was selected as the Brand Ambassador for the SLIM 14th Brand Excellence awards with the ceremony's theme being ‘Will you race ahead of the rest?’.[29]

President Maithripala Sirisena awarded the runner up Presidential award to Dilango Racing for being the "Most Outstanding Leisure Sports Provider of the Year 2015" and also another runner up Presidential Award to Dilantha Malagamuwa for being the "Most Outstanding Sportsman of the Year 2015"[30]

Sports first Platinum Award 2016, which was held at the Stein studio Archived 2 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, is considered the most prestigious award ceremony for sports people in Sri Lanka.[31] Dilantha Malagamuwa was able to win two awards at the event, "Best Motor Sport Athlete of the Year" and "Most Popular Player of the Year"[32]

On 19 November 2017 Dilantha Malagamuwa was placed 3rd on the 2nd race of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo world finals (AM class) and became the first and currently only Sri Lankan to secure a world title in motorsports. Dilantha who is also the only Sri Lankan to win an International championship series in motorsport lost his overall world title due to a crash on the 1st race while he was 4th on the race. Not only did he had to retire from the race but also faced a penalty for the next race by stepping down two place on the grid. However, Dilantha was awarded 11th place on the 1st race since he was able to complete 75% of the race and was added to the overall points of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo world finals 2017 and was given 5th position.

On 20 September 2018 Ada Derana hosted the Sri Lankan of the year 2018 awards. The national award ceremony felicitating Sri Lankans who have defied convention and raised the bar of excellence. The award ceremony was held for the 3rd consecutive year at the Hilton Colombo. Dilantha Malagamuwa received the Sri Lankan of the year award in the sports category for his contribution towards Motor racing in Sri Lanka.[33]

Personal life

Dilantha who is a Sri Lankan citizen also holds permanent residency in Japan. Currently living in Sri Lanka with his family, Dilantha runs the racing school at Katukurundha and at the Sepang International Racing circuit, Malaysia.[34]

TV show

In 2016, the Dilango Racing Team got their own television show, Racing life with Dilantha Malagamuwa, covering all of their races throughout the year.[35] The pilot episode aired on 21 September 2016 on ITN (Independent television network).

The show consists of 26 episodes which aired at prime time 9:30pm (local time) every Wednesdays. The season finale aired on 29 March 2017. Due to higher viewership demand and the popularity of the show ITN, officially announced their interest in renewing for the second season of the show.[36]

The television show revolves around the racing tour of Dilantha Malagamuwa covering all of his races, traveling all around the world following his racing career, past achievements and historical moments in the racing arena with Dilantha narrating the stories.[37]

Season 1

The first season of the show was hosted and directed by former Sirasa Superstar host Manuranga Wijesekara, who is also the lyricist of the show's title song "Vegayen Dhuwana Sinhayo", which is composed and performed by Lahiru Perera (La Singore). The first season was produced by a small team, with Zayan Jeffry (WaveHunt) working on cinematography and Eshan Motagedhara (Vivid Motions) editing and producing the entire series. The first season of the show featured popular Sri Lankan artists and actors in several episodes.[38]

Season 2

The second season was given a different time slot from the first one and had an earlier start than expected. Although the expected date to start the season was in August, the 2nd season took off in June. ITN started airing Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa Season 2 on Fridays at 7:00 pm. In this season the episodes revolve around the races covered in Europe tours. With the same team working on production the show got its own studio set located at Vivid Motions studio. The season finale was aired on 8 December 2017.[39]

Season 3

The third season completed its run on ITN Sri Lanka on 12 December 2018. Manuranga Wijesekara was featured as the host until the 17th episode after which the show was hosted by Dilantha Malagamuwa himself. The production crew remained the same with a few episodes directed by Zayan Jeffry and Eshan Motagedhara. The 3rd season also featured Sri Lankan cricketer Lasith Malinga.[40]

Ratha Gaaya

After a 2 year break a new TV show was formulated by Pit Pass Sri Lanka, an independent motorsport network owned by Eshan Motagedhara who was one of the producers of Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa. The show is narrated around the racing season of 2020 by Dilantha Malagamuwa which will eventually continue to the racing seasons of 2021 and further. The show also features Dilantha Malagamuwa's new co-driver for the 2021 racing season Ashan Silva and CMPM comedy duo Suneth Chithrananda and Gaminda Prithviraj. The pilot episode aired on 2 May 2021 on ITN.[41]

Acting career

His maiden cinematic appearance will come through Eranga Senaratne's film Nilu Man Adarei.[42]

References
  1. "Dilantha Malagamuwa". Afos.com. 24 June 1963. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  2. "Dilango Racing Team | Dilantha Malagamuwa Official Website". Dilanthamalagamuwa.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. "Dilantha Malagamuwa Career Statistics". Racing-Reference.info. 24 June 1963. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  4. "Dilantha Malagamuwa Official Website | Dilantha Malagamuwa | Dilango Racing". www.dilanthamalagamuwa.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  5. "My life story will be a Hollywood movie". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  6. "Dilantha Malagamuwa". RobbReport Malaysia. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  7. "INTERVIEW – DILANTHA MALAGAMUWA". www.lt.lk. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  8. "INTERVIEW – DILANTHA MALAGAMUWA". LT. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. "Seven-Star Achilleion to power another seven-star Sri Lankan – Dilantha Malagamuwa". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  10. "Dilantha.com". www.dilantha.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  11. "Formula NIPPON Official website". superformula.net. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  12. https://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/daily-mirror-sri-lanka/20161207/282514363157342. Retrieved 21 April 2017 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. Magazine, Speedsport. "Dilantha Malagamuwa: Racedriver biography – career and success". www.speedsport-magazine.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  14. "Aston Martin Asia Cup 2008 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  15. "Aston Martin Asia Cup: Home glory for Chong as Williamson seals the Championship – Tracktime Asia". www.tracktime-asia.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  16. "Sri Lanka's Dilantha Malagamuwa Takes a Double Victory in AM Asia Cup". www.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  17. "Payment | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  18. "2010 standings". GT ASIA Series. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  19. "2011 standings". GT ASIA Series. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  20. "Malaysian Super Series – GT 2011 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  21. "Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia – Pro-Am 2015 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  22. "Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asian Series 2016". squadracorse.lamborghini.com/. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  23. "NRD Power Weekend: 3–4 March 2017 – Dubai Autodrome". Dubai Autodrome. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  24. "LAMBORGHINI SUPER TROFEO WORLD FINAL 2017 IMOLA – RACE 2 REPORT". squadracorse.lamborghini.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  25. "World FInal 2017 | Lamborghini Squadra Corse". squadracorse.lamborghini.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  26. "Malagamuwa Grabs Third Place In Super Trofeo World Final 2017". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  27. http://www.pressreader.com/sri-lanka/daily-mirror-sri-lanka/20111223/313957815953732. Retrieved 3 April 2017 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. "DILANTHA MALAGAMUWA". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  29. "Marketers on fast track with Dilantha Malagamuwa at SLIM Brand Excellence 2015". Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  30. "Sunday Times wins Sports Presidential Awards | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  31. "Platinum Awards Archives — Sportsfirst Sri Lanka". Sportsfirst Sri Lanka. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  32. www.ananmanan.lk. "dilantha malagamuwa taken platinum award 2016 | " මේ සම්මානය හිමි විය යුත්තේ සියලුම නිහතමානී ශ්‍රී ලාංකිකයන්ටයි මේ ඔබලාගේ ජයග්‍රහණය යි දිලන්ත මාලගමුව තැබු ෆේස් බුක් සටහන | m.citizen.lk". www.citizen.lk. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  33. "Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2018 – Award Winners". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  34. "Dilantha Malagamuwa Official Website | Dilantha Malagamuwa | Dilango Racing". www.dilanthamalagamuwa.com. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  35. "Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa | Independent Television Network – ITN". Independent Television Network – ITN. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  36. "Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa | Independent Television Network – ITN". Independent Television Network – ITN. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  37. "Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa". YouTube. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  38. "Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa". YouTube. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  39. Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa Season2 EPI 01, retrieved 1 February 2022
  40. Racing Life with Dilantha Malagamuwa - Season 03 | Episode 23 - (2018-09-30) | ITN, retrieved 1 February 2022
  41. Ratha Gaaya - (2021-05-02) | ITN, retrieved 5 May 2021
  42. "Dilantha Malagamuwa on silver screen". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
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