Racing beauty brings out the beast

Nikila Pathirage on his 600cc machine with his Best Rider Award

A rider battling his own body parts rewrites history outsmarting the seasoned demons in a daredevil saga of David and Goliath 

By A Special Correspondent

Last year, the Pathirage brothers – Nikila and Vinula – fulfilled a childhood dream when both became national champions in their respective motorcycle racing classes. This year, they went one better. 
On November 23 at the SLADA Rotherham Grand Prix, the elder brother, 26-year-old Nikila, rewrote the history of Sri Lankan motorsport by becoming the first Sri Lankan rider to win a Grand Prix on a 600cc machine against a field dominated by 1000cc superbikes.
The magnitude of the achievement, many say, is yet to fully sink in – not just for the Pathirage family, but for the sport itself.
The historic win came after a weekend packed with chaos, courage and sheer resilience. Even qualifying painted a picture of dominance by the Pathirage brothers racing team.
To understand the weight of his victory, one must revisit Round 1 in August, where Nikila’s season nearly ended.
He stormed to pole in the Super Sports 250cc class with a new lap record of 1:04.50.
“He is the fastest in Sri Lanka,” said father and Team chief Mangala Pathirage proudly.
Nikila then qualified second in the 20-lap Sri Lanka MotoGP on his Honda CBR 600RR – astonishingly given the field was stacked with 1000cc machines.
His brother and teammate, 23-year-old Vinula, lined up fourth on his BMW S1000RR.
However, on Race day, Nikila suffered a catastrophic crash in the 150cc event.
“I crashed. I had to repair tendons. Flesh was visible,” he said having undergone a four-hour surgery. He could not compete further that round.
His recovery took over three months – and even then, he arrived at Round 2 still not fully healed, with his right middle finger unable to bend after tendon reconstruction. Remarkably, he rode using one-finger braking.
“Still, the finger is not lifting up 100%… but I do one finger braking,” he said.
Again last Sunday began disastrously. In the first race of the day, the 250cc event, both brothers crashed.
“On Sunday, unfortunately 250cc crash again, helmet was unusable,” Nikila said.
“He had a low-side crash, finished the race with a broken gear pedal but recovered to finish fifth,” said Vinula.
But the worst was yet to come. Minutes before the Grand Prix, while the bikes were being rolled onto the dummy grid, Nikila noticed something was wrong.
“When we checked the tyre pressure, it was gone”, said Nikila. “It had dropped down to 10 PSI. There was a puncture.”
With no time for a tyre change there were thoughts of giving up. 
“We pumped in higher pressure, which was un-rideable. We took the risk and we rode. I was holding on for dear life,” said Nikila.
Despite the chaos, injuries, and a leaking rear tyre, Nikila launched from pole. Nikila and Vinula finished first and third.
For 13 laps Nikila stalked the reigning champion, Kushan Chamod who was riding a high-powered 1000cc superbike.
For 13 laps Nikila was tailing the 1000cc rider Kushan Chamod, last year’s Grand Prix winner.
Then, with perfect timing Nikila saw the opening and overtook Chamod as he went wide on the second corner. He pulled out a commanding lead thereafter. “Yes 200 metres to 300 metres,” said Nikila.
And with a punctured tyre, a battered body, and one functioning braking finger, Nikila crossed the line to make Sri Lankan motorsport history.
“I rode with a punctured tyre and I was injured in the morning… after all that, I finished first,” said an over-the-moon Nikila.
No rider in Sri Lankan motorsport had ever defeated the 1000cc giants in a 20-lap Grand Prix on a 600cc machine and Nikila bagged the Best Rider Award.
Brother Vinula, despite his own crash hours earlier, fought through the pack to finish third. Vinula was fourth in the first few laps and finished third.
The achievement was also a dream fulfilled. “It means a lot. We’ve been targeting this since we were kids. More than 15 years.”
The brothers, supported by Pathirage Brothers Racing, Wurth Lanka and their pit crew, have now placed themselves at the pinnacle of the sport.
The victory comes on the heels of their crowning moment last year, where both became national champions under the FMSSL banner – the first siblings in Sri Lanka to do so in the same season.
Last Sunday’s Grand Prix triumph is yet another chapter in a story defined by grit, family and fearlessness.
For Sri Lanka, it marks a turning point. For the Pathirage brothers, it is the stuff of dreams.
For Nikila, perhaps, the moment is still surreal. The nation may celebrate him as a trailblazer, but his own words say it best.
“Now you are a Grand Prix winner. It’s a huge deal. Not everyone can achieve that. Twenty laps on a 600. That’s the first time in Sri Lankan motorsports history,” he declared.