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Leigh Has an Appetite for Fresh And Green
Leigh Has an Appetite for Fresh And Green
FEBRUARY 28, 2012: Waikato motocross ace Kieran Leigh is smiling again.
The 20-year-old Cambridge man collected his new Kawasaki KX250F less than a month ago and already it has given him a new lease of life, the zest and impetus to again run with the leaders in his chosen sport.
The former junior motocross champion is still on the road to recovery from injury but he is determined to regain the form that has won him so many races in the past.
“I only picked up the Kawasaki a week before the Woodville GP (on January 29). I couldn’t get any other brand bikes to work properly for me so I jumped at the chance to get on a Kawasaki.
“I could see these were the bikes everybody was winning on in America and I just had to have one,” he said. “I am so grateful to have this opportunity to ride the green bike.
“I have had some help from the Performance Factory to get it all tuned and from (Tauranga’s) Niki Urwin, who is my trainer.
“The whole experience has given me a new lease of life and I’m hungry again. The bike is very stable and, when I get back to full fitness again, I know the top results will come.”
After the second of four rounds of the New Zealand Motocross Championships near Morrinsville at the weekend, Leigh is up to 12th in the MX2 (250cc) class standings.
“I didn’t have a great day at the opening round (new Timaru a fortnight ago), but things started to click for me again at the weekend.”
His build-up to this year’s nationals has been frustrated by and an injury sustained almost two years ago.
“I had to have surgery to remove screws from my femur and that really slowed me down for a long time. I was off the bikes for about two months before Christmas and I’m only now starting to get my speed back.”
Leigh is hoping he will be able to better express his winning intentions during the second half of the national series, with the third round of four set for Pukekohe this weekend, followed by the final round at Taupo on March 18.
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