Speaker 1: The calling climbs of Sri Lanka's Hill Country were once as delicious to British colonisers as a warming cup of tea. The best tea plantations are high up here, along with what's left of the best of British in the hill station town of Nuwara Eliya. Like a misplaced piece of mother country, here colonial traditions are proudly maintained and even improved. Cricket isn't the only activity where the English are being run out by Sri Lankans. Once a year, Nuwara Eliya's tranquil tea plantations give way to motor heads planting their pedals to the metal. A hill climb is pretty much what it sounds like. Find a motor of any shape or size, take off from a starting line, and drive up a hill as fast as you possibly can. Disgracefully, it's been 60 years since an Englishman has won this race. I decided there was only one gentlemanly thing to do, shoulder the white man's burden and win the hill climb back for the mother country. Speaker 2: Competition. Speaker 1: From bottom to top, 35 seconds is the fastest time ever, but the man to beat this year is the local purebred racing stud, Nishan Weerasooriya. N. Weerasooriya: They're going to give you a good fight and I guess the best man will win, but we guys give you a fair chance and let's see how you guys can prove yourself. Speaker 1: With the gauntlet thrown down, I sought the advice of a very old racing hand. At 94 years of age, TS Ginasena's wheels are turning a lot more slowly than they were 60 years ago. TS Ginasena: [inaudible] Speaker 1: Back then, in his radically modified MG, TS Ginasena was the first Sri Lankan to beat the British and win the Mahagastota Hill Climb. And why do you call it the Mahag Climb? TS Ginasena: MG [inaudible]. Speaker 1: In 1939, he clocked 45 seconds, knocking more than a minute off the record held by Englishman Roger Davies. It was a shock to the tea planters' establishment. Davies didn't even turn up to accept second prize. TS Ginasena: [inaudible] Speaker 1: But TS Ginasena isn't too proud not to offer a few hints to this budding neocolonialist. TS Ginasena: I'd put the plate down to the floorboard, hope for the best. Speaker 1: I had to find a vehicle, and fast. She's a beauty. She looks a bit old though. Does she run? [crosstalk] In Braila, I stumbled across Arnando, and his accomplice, known only as, The Mechanic, and their collection of good old British cars. It looks pretty old and rusty. Are you sure it works? Arnando Deliris: Yes. Speaker 1: They constantly assured me that within 24 hours, they could have a 50 year old Standard Eight convertible fit and ready to race. The Mechanic doesn't look so sure. The Mechanic: Let's have a look under the bonnet, shall we? Speaker 1: Just like the old days. Back at Mahagastota, it's practise day, and normally quiet country roads have been turned into a hooner's heaven. Aren't they breaking the speed limit? Speaker 7: 56. Speaker 1: People going very fast. Speaker 7: No, no. Speaker 1: Only slow. Speaker 7: Yes, slow, slow. Speaker 1: You're doing a very good job. Speaker 7: Yes. Speaker 1: Very good job, well done. Speaker 7: We got a red flag. We got a red flag, Seneca. Speaker 1: When there's an accident, the red flag goes up. There's a good chance for racers to inspect the track and for spectators to race to a safer seat. Speaker 8: Go back. [Foreign language] Speaker 1: What happened? Speaker 8: Here, look at it. It's down ... Speaker 1: How did he do it? Speaker 8: He just snapped ... Speaker 1: I'm gonna be racing on here tomorrow. Does that sort of thing happen often? Speaker 8: No, very rare. Speaker 1: Very rare, okay. Thanks. Speaker 8: Hello? Speaker 1: Back at the workshop, The Mechanic is putting the final touches on the Standard Eight, and there seems to be nothing that a few taps of a hammer won't fix. Arnando confidently assures me there's very little left to do before tomorrow's race day. The Mechanic: [Foreign language] Speaker 1: With night descending on Nuwara Eliya, I headed to the hill climb for some inspiration and a cup of tea. Built in 1930, it's the bastion of all things British. [crosstalk] The Mechanic: You see all the people who get family's traditions of a car [inaudible] that, again, that was in ... very much earlier, after independence. But the racing continued in spite of all of the difficulties and all those things, that was a time when there were no spare parts and everything, but [inaudible]. Speaker 1: Arnando Deliris has been racing for 42 years. Arnando Deliris: When this started, as I mentioned earlier, it was only a railroad track, and only I think three or four parties went in the first event. And then after, every year the numbers increased. The leaders improved and it went on and is still going on. Speaker 1: Still going on, too, the work on the Standard Eight, while minutes ticking by late into the night. As Nuwara Eliya awakes to the big race day, crowds are gathering around the hill climb. And all the real racers are looking a little readier than me. And Nishan Weerasooriya is trying his best to look relaxed, un-threatened, and nauseatingly confident. While for me and my race machine, the moment of truth had arrived. [crosstalk] Now, I was really desperate. Can I borrow your car? Can I borrow your car? Can I borrow your car? Can I borrow this bus? I wanna drive the bus up the hill. It won't take long. I promise to look after it. I wanna race like that. I can't borrow? This isn't easy. Finally, I found someone mentally unstable enough to lend me his car, at least, I think it's a car. But Nishan Weerasooriya wasn't about to give way to me. He hurried up the hill in 46 seconds. Then it was my turn not to find them and to grind them. [inaudible] So how did I go? Speaker 7: You did okay. Speaker 1: What did I get? Speaker 7: One minute 19. Speaker 1: That sounds fast. What do most people do? Speaker 7: One 15. Speaker 1: What about the person who win? What do they get? Truthful, now. Speaker 7: The best time today? Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 7: You really wanna know? Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 7: Huh? Speaker 1: Yeah. Speaker 7: 36.67. Speaker 1: So I'm almost halfway there. Speaker 7: Almost halfway there. Speaker 1: All right. Best of all, Nishan Weerasooriya didn't win either. N. Weerasooriya: I managed to come third. I was pretty close to the guy who came second, so I'm pretty happy. Speaker 1: But you beat me. N. Weerasooriya: I know. I'm gonna beat you anywhere. Speaker 1: There was one last hope of saving the empire's rapidly fading glory, on the cricket pitch. I may not bowl like the real Jeff Thompson, but thankfully, Nishan also batted like an Englishman. [crosstalk] So how about a game of croquet? N. Weerasooriya: I guess you'd probably beat me on that as well.