Damon Leitch Grabs Another Good Points Haul

MEDIA RELEASE
27 JANUARY 2013

Damon Leitch Grabs Another Good Points Haul

Damon Leitch of Invercargill secured another good points haul as Round 3 of the highly competitive Toyota Racing Series took place at Taupo Motorsport Park this weekend.

A quality entry from all over the world has come to New Zealand to battle out the series this year and Leitch is amid the cut and thrust at the front of the field in his Post Haste Couriers Toyota. Qualifying is all important in such a talented field and Damon secured eighth and seventh fastest times in the two qualifying sessions held at Taupo on Saturday. Later he lamented the fact he hadn't put his best laps together when it mattered most.. "The car was going really well. I just couldn't quite put together a good lap," he said.

In Saturdays opening race of the round Leitch got a lot of wheelspin at the start and fell back to ninth place. However he worked his way back up the field settling into seventh and challenging UK driver Jann Mardenborough in sixth place before time ran out to effect a pass. Alex Lynn of the UK who was tied in fifth place on points with Damon coming into the round won the race.

On Sunday morning from seventh on the grid Leitch battled several factors throughout the second race. Initially caught up in a tangle at turn one which cost him several positions the car developed gearbox and throttle problems as the race went on. Leitch nursed the Post Haste Couriers Toyota home collecting another seventh place finish, a result he declared himself reasonably happy with "considering what the car was like."

The throttle and gearbox were repaired for the final race of the round, the Denny Hulme Memorial Trophy Race, and Leitch was soon on the move. He was quickly into fifth place from eighth on the grid before a safety car intervention after an incident. Two cars passed him during the safety car period, something that is not permitted. One of those cars allowed Leitch to repass but the other continued on when racing resumed. That car copped a 50 second penalty for the infringement leaving Leitch fifth in the finale, a race in which he recorded the third fastest lap of the race as Lynn collected another race win.

At the conclusion of the round Leitch was classified fifth overall for the round and now lies seventh in the tight points battle.

The next round of the 2013 Toyota Racing Series takes place at Hampton Downs in Waikato next weekend.

Photograph - Damon Leitch and the Poste Haste Couriers Toyota in action earlier in the Toyota Raciing Series at Teretonga - please credit Bruce Jenkins

2013 TOYOTA RACING SERIES CALENDAR
Round 1: 12/13 January 2013 - Teretonga Park, Invercargill
Round 2: 19/20 January 2013 - Timaru International Motor Raceway, Levels Timaru
Round 3: 26/27 January 2013 - Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo
Round 4: 2/3 February 2013 - Hampton Downs, Waikato
Round 5: 9/10 February 2013 - Manfeild Park, Feilding

ENDS

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