Damon Leitch Looks for Timaru Repeat

Damon Leitch Looks for Timaru Repeat

Last year Invercargill driver Damon Leitch scored his first race win in the highly competitive Toyota Racing Series at Timaru International Motor Raceway. That is something he would dearly love to repeat this weekend as the series pays its annual visit to the tight, twisty, South Canterbury circuit.

Damon arrives at Timaru eighth in the championship, the legacy of a costly qualifying session at the opening round at his home circuit, Teretonga Park last weekend. After struggling to compile a good lap in his Post Haste Couriers Toyota during qualifying Leitch was always going to have his work cut out during the races. However he was one of the few drivers to make forward progress in each of the races in the closely matched field.

Leitch is still well in touch in the championship points and a good haul of points from this weekends three races will be uppermost in his mind as he sets about his work at Timaru. One unique feature about Leitch as he goes racing at the highest level in New Zealand is the fact that he is probably the only driver on the grid who had to go back to work between the first and second round of the championship. Fifteen of the eighteen drivers are internationals and while many of his rivals enjoyed a few relaxing days in Queenstown after Teretonga Leitch was back at his job for a couple of days.

"We went really good here last year and we are aiming for something like that again," said Damon as he arrived in Timaru on Wednesday. "We will be trying to be up near the front."

Qualifying for Leitch and the Post Haste Couriers Toyota will take place over two sessions from 11am on Saturday morning. Race one of the round, over 15 laps, is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday afternoon. Another 15 lap race takes place on Sunday morning at 11am with the feature race, the Timaru Herald Trophy race over 20 laps, scheduled to start at 3pm on Sunday afternoon.

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