News
Invercargill driver Brendon Leitch has confirmed his intention to contest the 2016 Toyota Racing Series which commences at Mike Pero Motorsport Park at Ruapuna in Christchurch this coming weekend.
The announcement comes on the eve of the series as Leitch confirms a sponsorship budget to give the series “a good honest shot.” This will be his third year in the hugely competitive category that is fought out between up and coming motor racing stars from around the globe. In his two previous years in the series Leitch has struggled to pull together a budget to mount a full challenge although that has not hampered his results on the track as he took his first race win in the feature race at Teretonga Park last season.
Longtime supporter ITM remains as Brendon’s major sponsor for the 2016 series and he will again race for Nelson based Victory Motorsport alongside two international team mates.
While the international contingent will come to New Zealand with a season of hard fought wheel to wheel competition behind them Leitch has done little recent racing, an outing in the Wigram Cup Race meeting in Christchurch the exception. However he is really looking forward to the series. “I have managed to pull together a budget for the full championship and I want to do the best I can,” said Leitch today. “I would love to win the championship and some races.”
Many past competitors in the Toyota Racing Series have gone on to elite drives in world motorsport including at the pinnacle of Formula 1. This year’s field includes the latest protege from the Ferrari Driver Academy Guanyu Zhou of China, Force India Academy driver Jehan Daruvula of India, Pedro Piquet, son of three-time World Formula 1 Champion Nelson Piquet and the youngest ever World Karting Champion Lando Norris of Britain.
The series utilises Tatuus chassis’ with modified 1800cc Toyota engines producing 145kw’s running on ethanol bio-fuel. The 2016 Toyota Racing Series consists of five rounds starting at Mike Pero Motorsport Park this weekend followed by rounds on subsequent weekends at Teretonga Park Invercargill, Hampton Downs North Waikato, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park at Taupo before concluding with the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild in Feilding.