MEDIA RELEASE

1 MARCH 2009

ANOTHER PODIUM FOR LEITCH

Invercargill driver Damon Leitch continued his impressive form in the MTA Formula Ford Championship with another podium, his third of the season, at Round 6 of the series at Manfeild Park in Feilding today.

Hot on the heels of his first round win at Teretonga in January, sixteen-year-old Leitch brought his Zero Fees Stealth into third place overall for the weekend. He sealed the result with two excellent third placings today in a great recovery from a disappointment in qualifying the day before.

Leitch really showed the form that has marked him as one of the rising stars of the series today as he raced to a pair of superb results. After a setback on Saturday he was forced to start from seventh on the grid this morning. However he made light of that as he sliced through to third place on the opening lap and maintained the position all the way to the flag. 

In the final race of the weekend he started from fifth on the grid but after being hit and spun around by another competitor on the second lap he rejoined in eighth place. Leitch then set about climbing back through the field. He quickly dispensed with Simon Evans and gained two more spots when Stefan Webling and Martin Short made contact. He then gradually worked his way back to the bunch, latching onto the back of Jamie McNee and championship leader Richie Stanaway. Just a few laps from home the Southlander pulled off an amazing pass as he got good speed off Higgins corner onto the back straight and passed both McNee and Stanaway as the trio blasted down the track three wide. The move promoted Leitch from fifth to third place. Damon then fought off a challenge from McNee to gain his second podium of the day.   

The results gave Leitch third place overall for the weekend and if not for a strange situation on Saturday the result could have been even better.

The Southlander had been extremely fast all weekend and as rain fell during Saturday's qualifying he was the fastest man on the track, 3/10's of a second faster than anyone else. However the session was stopped and Damon brought the Zero Fees Stealth back to his team's tent in the pits believing there was only a small amount of time left. However there was more time than the team realised and the track dried allowing many of his rivals to better his time, dropping him to sixth on the grid for Saturday afternoon's opening race. 

It was raining again for that race and the Zero Fees Stealth was not set up for the conditions. After a spin during the early laps Leitch brought the car home in sixth place.

However Sunday more than made up for that disappointment and Damon declared himself "very happy overall."

The final round of the MTA Formula Ford Championship takes place at Pukekohe Park Raceway south of Auckland from 13 to 15 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.

 Invercargill driver Damon Leitch powers through a corner in the Zero Fees Stealth as he drives to third place overall at Manfeild Park in Feilding this weekend
Photo: SportProMedia.com