Young guns of world motor racing on show at Teretonga

Monday, 7 January 2019

Southland's Brendon Leitch is driving in the Castrol Toyota Racing Series.

Motor racing driver Brendon Leitch is a lot fitter for this year's Castrol Toyota Racing Series.

The Invercargill-based Leitch would be competing in the series for the sixth year and takes on other young stars from many countries including the United States, Australia, Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria and Japan. The five round series starts at the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell on January 12-13, with the second round at Teretonga, near Invercargill, on January 18-20.

Hampton Downs (north Waikato), Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (Taupo) and Manfeild (Feilding) also hold rounds, which are run on five consecutive weekends.

Leitch, who weighs 73kg, has lost 4kg in the past two months through running and gym work. He decided last year to improve his fitness and commit to daily exercise.

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'I'm fitter now than ever before,' Leitch, 23, said.

'I run every day and love keeping active.'

He finished seventh in the series last year after having problems in several races, including being 'taken out once,' having suspension failure and a collapsed front wing.

Leitch had competed in endurances races in recent months to help prepare him for the 2019 series.

'We can do really well, if everything goes my way.'

Leitch's lifestyle was a blend of race driving, employment in his father's auto work shop in Invercargill and travelling the country working as a driving instructor for Downforce Auto Events and Training.

About six weeks ago, Leitch was working for Downforce, in Taupo, when hospitalised with a spider bite. He was bitten on a buttock while sleeping.

After two days the bite got bigger and Leitch's jaw and right leg started 'locking up.'

'I had to have emergency surgery.'

Meanwhile, each year organisers of the Castrol Toyota Racing Series invite young motor racing drivers from around the world to compete in 20 identical cars on five New Zealand tracks. Several drivers who competed in recent years would be stepping up to the Formula 1 World Championships this year.