Invercargill-born Leitch is a graduate of New Zealand’s Elite Motorsport Academy, which is backed by MotorSport New Zealand and run in conjunction with the Academy of Sport South Island and the University of Otago. In the Academy class of 2013, Leitch went through an intensive physical and mental training programme designed to help him develop a wide range of skills required for high performance sport and life as a motorsport professional.

Leitch is understandably excited about the opportunity ahead to progress his motorsport career, particularly as his single seater racing for the past four seasons has comprised only the annual five-week TRS championship where he was a regular race winner.

“I just want to jump in the car and get out there!” says the 21-year-old apprentice mechanic. “The support is overwhelming both here and in America – the US F4 people are keen to see us do well, which is fantastic.”

In the US, Leitch will be supported by New Zealanders Garry Orton, director of Nelson-based Victory Motor Racing who ran all four of Leitch’s TRS campaigns, Teena and Mo Larsen and Dave McMillan. 

“These Kiwis have been instrumental in putting my US F4 programme together along with former Atlantic racer Stuart Crow of Texas. We will be known as Kiwi Motorsport and I am very excited to have a full team of New Zealanders. It’s good for my confidence as well as having some familiar faces on the team as I progress into the American motorsport scene. I will be proud to fly the flag for New Zealand!”

The six-round championship gets underway at Homestead-Miami Speedway over the weekend of 8-9 April

Leitch isn’t the only New Zealander racing in F4 this year – fellow 2017 Toyota Racing Series competitor Marcus Armstrong is running in both the German and Italian F4 series. The Champion of Champions F4 race proposed for the end of the year could potentially see the two New Zealanders once again racing against each other.

Click here for more information on the F4 US Championship and MotorSport New Zealand’s Elite Motorsport Academy.