Brothers up for friendly rivalry
Barry Leitch concedes there’s a sense of pride bubbling away at the moment.
Leitch and his wife, Marguerite, made the trip north to Auckland on Thursday night as they prepare to watch not just one son, but two, compete in this weekend’s New Zealand Grand Prix at Hampton Downs.
Damon Leitch and his younger brother, Brendon Leitch, will both take to the track, reigniting a sibling rivalry that had been put on hold somewhat.
The brothers first raced against each other as kids in kart racing in Invercargill, then again when the pair both lined up in New Zealand’s premier motorsport series, the Toyota Racing Series.
However, six years ago Damon opted to step away from top-level racing with his focus largely switching to his role as Highlands Motorsport Park’s operations manager.
The 28-year-old Damon has now decided to jump into a single-seater car again and compete at Hampton Downs this weekend, a track owned by Tony Quinn who also owns Highlands.
With current travel restrictions ruling out international entrants, this year’s race has turned into an all-Kiwi affair, which includes the likes of Shane van Gisbergan, Andre Heimgartner, Greg Murphy, and Daniel Gaunt.
Barry Leitch said he’s a proud father and was looking forward to watching the pair take to the Hampton Downs track.
‘‘They are both racing for the Victory Racing team, so I dare say I’ll probably end up helping [in the pits].’’
Barry himself is no stranger to the Grand Prix given he drove in the race in the early 2000s.
Damon said he was looking forward to taking on his brother again.
‘‘We’ve raced together before, so we know the level of rivalry we have and it’s pretty friendly being brothers.
‘‘It’s going to be a lot of fun racing in the event, but I think most racing drivers would say that when the visors are down, it gets serious.’’
While Damon hasn’t had as much toplevel racing in recent years, his younger brother Brendon has been very active.
That has included competing overseas in the Asian Formula 3 series, as well Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo Championship.
Brendon was wary of what his older brother could produce this weekend.
‘‘He’s a little bit rusty, but honestly I think if he can dust off the cobwebs quickly enough, and goes as good as he used to go, he’ll be a contender for the win, and he’ll be better than me. I always rated him as a competitive driver.’’
Practice sessions were held yesterday morning at Hampton Downs, followed by qualifying early today, with the opening races in the Toyota Racing Series later in the day.
Race three in the Toyota Racing Series round on Sunday will double as the NZ Grand Prix.
‘‘He’s a little bit rusty, but . . . I always rated him as a competitive driver.’’ Brendon Leitch commenting on his older brother, Damon