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News Releases

2008/2009 MTA Formula Ford Championship

MEDIA RELEASES

DAMON LEITCH HOME TOWN FORMULA FORD HERO AT TERETONGA.

Invercargill racing driver Damon Leitch performed sensationally on his home track at Teretonga Park to take overall honours in Round 5 of the MTA New Zealand Formula Ford Championship last weekend. The 16 year old was under pressure to provide the enthusiastic home crowd with results and he certainly did not disappoint by taking a race win and two second placings in what is described as the closest fought racing this season.

To emphasise the closeness of racing, three different drivers took race wins by the closest of margins although qualifying was a true indicator of what was in store for the weekend. Championship leader Richie Stanaway (Tauranga) set the pole position time but only 0.007 secs ahead of 15 year old Jamie McNee (Wellington) who was a mere 0.034 secs ahead of Mitchell Evans (Auckland). Leitch, Matthew Penrose (Rangiora) and Stefan Webling (Oakura) completed the top six starting grid positions.

The opening 10 lap race of the weekend was an absolute thriller with Stanaway holding off the hard charging Leitch by 0.007 secs which basically saw both cars side by side across the finish line. The ever impressive McNee was another 0.116 secs behind followed by Evans, Martin Short (Hamilton) and Penrose. Championship contender Webling endured a torrid race to finish 11th but vowing to improve in the remaining two races.

However, Race 2 changed the course of the weekend as contact between Stanaway and Leitch saw the former fail to finish while the home town hero continued to notch up his first championship race victory. Evans again displayed why he is the hottest 14 year old in the business by challenging to the chequered flag to trail by 0.048 secs. McNee also maintained his excellent form for another third place while Webling came home 4th ahead of Short and Penrose.

The 15 lap feature Race 3 was set to be another classic with the top six cars trading places throughout but it was Evans who reigned this time to win by nearly a second ahead of Leitch and an improving Short. NcNee settled for 4th with Webling a close 5th and Penrose a few seconds further back. Stanaway experienced further dramas to eventually finish 7th. Evans efforts were rewarded with overall second place on the Round 5 podium with McNee again taking out the third spot overall.

The next round of the Championship will take place at the Manfeild Park, near Feilding, on February 27th and March 1st.

Championship Points After Round 5

Richie Stanaway (Tauranga) 907; Stefan Webling (Oakura) 830;
Mitchell Evans (Auckland) 826; Jamie McNee (Wellington) 764; Martin Short (Hamilton) 675; Damon Leitch (Invercargill) 655; Simon Evans (Auckland); 645; Matthew Penrose (Rangiora) 642; Chris Cox (Rangiora) 552; Brett Sullivan
(Nelson) 431; Matt Williams (Christchurch) 312; Nick Donaldson (Christchurch) 291; Stephen Heffernen (Invercargill) 229; Clara Bond (Christchurch) 214; Kerry
Ross (Tauranga) 185; Kim Crocker (Tauranga) 154; Ken Smith (Auckland) 111; Daniel Jilesen (Taumarunui) 96; Henry Thomas-Kircher (Taumarunui) 65.

END.

Photo Caption:

Invercargill hero Damon Leitch (87) battles with Richie
Stanaway (4) and Jamie McNee (88).

For Further Media Information Contact:

Kevin Lancaster

Ph. 09 627 8219 (Home)

Ph. 021 627 824 (mobile)

Email: kevlancs@xtra.co.nz

18 JANUARY 2009

LEITCH WINS!

Invercargill driver Damon Leitch broke through to take his first round win in the MTA Formula Ford Championship with an outstanding performance at his home circuit Teretonga Park this weekend.

After almost gaining his first race win of the series on Saturday evening when he crossed the line just .007 of a second behind championship leader Richie Stanaway of Tauranga he took his maiden victory on Sunday morning in the Zero Fees Stealth after a torrid battle. He then looked on target for another win in the third and final race on Sunday afternoon but the car was set up for a wet track and as it dried the handling deteriorated. However Damon still finished second in the race, the result more than enough to secure his first round victory.

All three races featured fantastic battles and the 16-year-old Southlander was in the thick of it.

“It was an excellent weekend,” said the rising star after sealing the round win. “It was really close but we came out on top. It was great to do it in front of a home crowd. I was definitely hoping for it.”

After competing in Class 2 last year Leitch is still classified as a rookie in the championship making the round win even more meritorious. “It’s good to get that first win over and done with,” he said. Talking of the final race Leitch said, “the car’s handling was going off. It was set up for rain and as it got drier the car wasn’t handling very well.”

This was the young driver’s second visit to the podium in the series. At Pukekohe in November he finished third overall for the round, missing second place by one point. At several other rounds his challenge has been blunted by mechanical and handling problems.

After qualifying fourth fastest this weekend, just .141 of a second off the pole position time the Southlander became involved in a frantic dice in the first race as he worked his way into second place. On the final lap he ducked out of the slipstream of Stanaway on the drag to the line, missing victory by the barest of margins.

In Sunday morning’s race he made a good start from fourth on the grid and again drove impressively to be challenging for the lead. A nice pass on the outside of the loop saw him into the lead and ahead of Stanaway who became increasingly ragged as he tried to stay with the Zero Fees Stealth. Stanaway eventually went off the circuit and despite pressure from Wellington driver Jamie McNee and Mitch Evans of Auckland it was Leitch who took the win. His joy was evident as he put his arm in the in the air as he crossed the line.

In the third race Leitch got away in fourth place before drafting past McNee at the end of the second lap. He was soon into the lead and opened a healthy margin before the performance of the car fell away as the track dried. Evans was able to get past but Damon followed him home, safe in the knowledge the round victory was his.

The next round of the MTA Formula Ford Championship takes place at Manfeild Park in Feilding from 27 February to 1 March.

Damon’s campaign in the 2008/2009 MTA Formula Ford Championship is supported by Zero Fees, EH Ball ITM Building Supplies, Ray White Real Estate,Toll Tranz Link, BNT, Kingsford-Smith Motor Painting Ltd, Advantage Advertising, Caltex Invercargill Oil Shop, Turntru Machining, Discount Tyres, PPG, Trade Tools, Teng Tools, Collingwood Foodcentre, Macaulay Ford, Courtesy Ford South Auckland, Howard Anderson Upholstery, Laker House Of Travel, Print & Copy, Office Shop, the Bell Booth Group, C&G Rothbury, Steve Rhodes Feature Cars, McIntyre Dick & Partners and Leitch Motorsport.

Damon
Round winner, 16-year-old Damon Leitch of Invercargill, in the Zero Fees Stealth at Teretonga Park during Round 5 of the 2008/2009 MTA Formula Ford Championship this weekend
Photo: SportProMedia.com

Lindsay Beer

on behalf of Damon Leitch

9 NOVEMBER 2008

Updated copy - Damon Leitch has been promoted to fourth place in the final race of Round 2 of the MTA Formula Ford Championship at Pukekohe. He was still placed third overall for the round.

FANTASTIC RESULT FOR LEITCH AT PUKEKOHE

Fifteen-year-old Southland driver Damon Leitch signalled his arrival in the MTA Formula Ford Championship at Pukekohe Park Raceway south of Auckland this weekend.

In his first season in a Class 1 car, Leitch drove his Zero Fees Stealth to third place overall after three superb drives at the ultra-fast 2.8 kilometre circuit. A third and two fourth placings in the three races saw Leitch third overall for the round, his first podium in just his second outing. After finishing tenth overall in his debut season in an older Class 2 car last season this was the Invercargill driver’s best result to date.

The James Hargest College student started the round by qualifying 3rd fastest with a time of 1 minute 02.465 seconds, just .172 of a second off the pole position winning time. The effort confirmed the young Southlander’s ability after a wretched time at the opening round of the championship a few weeks ago where he battled a persistent engine misfire.

The Formula Ford cars provided some of the best racing of the weekend amongst all the major New Zealand motor racing categories.

Leitch spent the opening race on Saturday afternoon in the thick of a classic Formula Ford battle featuring plenty of slipstreaming and passing. He ran as high as second at one stage and crossed the line at the conclusion of the ten lap event in a fine third place.

The following morning Damon was again in the midst of the action during another ten lap contest. Starting from fourth on the grid he was in the lead bunch all the way, gradually moving up until he took the lead with two laps to go. In the cut and thrust of the final lap he was shuffled back to fourth as his rivals slipped by on the long back straight. After the race the effort took on even more merit when Leitch revealed he been forced to hold the car in gear throughout the race.

The final race of the round on Sunday afternoon was the prestigious Ron Frost Memorial Trophy race over fifteen laps. After starting sixth on the grid the teenager was part of a line of cars battling nose to tail around the fast flowing circuit. His attempts to climb through the field were somewhat hampered by the fact that officials decreed no passing could take place through the opening section of the lap after a huge crash in an earlier V8 race had damaged the safety barriers. However, despite that, Damon made the most of his final lap of the day. He crossed the line seventh with one lap to go, drafted past one car on the back straight and did a nice crossover pass at the hairpin to take fifth which later became fourth when another competitor was disqualified.

Leitch “loved” the hard fought wheel to wheel action at a circuit he says is his second favourite in the country behind his home track of Teretonga. He is now looking forward to the next round of the championship that takes place at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch from 28-30 November.

To contact Damon Leitch - phone 027 349 1266

ZERO FEES TO SUPPORT LEITCH IN CHAMPIONSHIP

Zero Fees, the Southern Institute Of Technology’s (SIT) tertiary funding scheme, will support young Invercargill motor racing star Damon Leitch in his campaign to win the 2008/2009 MTA Formula Ford Championship.

The support comes as the fifteen-year-old Southlander prepares for his second season at National level commencing at the Taupo Motorsport Park from 3-5 October. Leitch will compete at Taupo, the first of seven rounds in this summer’s championship, in his new Zero Fees Stealth.

Leitch, a Year 11 student at James Hargest College, is also enrolled for a distance learning automotive programme at the SIT. He is excited at the prospect: ”I’m very pleased to have a great southern sponsor to help with the season and I hope it will assist to promote the programmes at the SIT.”

Bharat Guha, Corporate Services Manager of SIT said: ”SIT has great pleasure in providing support for Damon Leitch, one of Southland’s own and an outstanding SIT student. In a sport in which speed and consistency play a key part, Damon’s skill clearly matches his passion and personality, and his performance on and off the race track mark him as an outstanding individual. SIT are pleased to have Damon as a distance learning automotive student and in 2009 he will come back on campus through STAR, to bring his own unique drive and skills to the SIT community. SIT are proud to stand with Damon and wish Damon great success in his career on and off track.”

Leitch finished tenth in the championship last season, an outstanding effort at the wheel of an elderly Class 2 Van Diemen. He frequently defeated many of the more advanced Class 1 cars and was the first Class 2 car home in nineteen of the twenty races. His end of season tally made impressive reading as he scored five top ten finishes. A highlight came on the final day of the series when Leitch sealed his best result of the championship, a magnificent fifth place at his home track, Teretonga Park.

Racing legend Ken Smith has taken an interest in the youngster’s career and his advice at the beginning of last season was to try and secure a top ten finish in the championship before moving into Class 1 with the aim of a top three placing the following year. A more modern car, a Class 1 Stealth, has been procured for an attack on the overall championship this year. The car is the first Stealth ever built and has been raced by drivers such as Rob Henderson and most recently James Mitchell. The goal is to race competitively in the top three while also seeking Rookie of the Year honours. As he raced in Class 2 last year, Leitch is still eligible for that title.

Leitch is looking forward to the season and say’s it should be easier this year. “Dad and I learnt a lot last year and knowing the tracks this time around will be a big advantage.”

See the “Sponsors” tab above for those supporting Damon’s campaign in the 2008/2009 MTA Formula Ford Championship.

After the opening round at Taupo, Leitch and the Zero Fees Stealth will contest further rounds of the series at Pukekohe and Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch prior to Christmas. The championship then moves to Timaru and Invercargill’s Teretonga Park in January before the final two rounds at Manfeild Park in Feilding and the new Hampton Downs track at Meremere south of Auckland.

To contact Damon Leitch - phone 027 349 1266

CALENDAR 2008/2009 MTA FORMULA FORD CHAMPIONSHIP

Round 1	3-5 October 2008	Taupo Motorsport Park, Taupo
Round 2	7-9 November 2008	Pukekohe Park Raceway, Auckland
Round 3	28-30 November 2008	Powerbuilt Tools International Raceway, Ruapuna, Christchurch
Round 4	9-11 January 2009	Timaru International Motor Raceway, Timaru
Round 5	16-18 January 2009	Teretonga Park , Invercargill
Round 6	27 February - 1 March 2009	Manfeild Park, Feilding
Round 7	20-22 March 2009	Hampton Downs, Meremere

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