Whilst the rest of us got an extra hours sleep-in this Sunday morning with the end of daylight saving, there was one 16 year old in Cambridge, New Zealand, who had been tossing and turning half the night.
That is Motocross Junior Kieran Leigh who was told late yesterday that he has been selected to ride for Yamaha Victoria in the forthcoming Australian Under 19's Championship - an opening created with Hamish Dobbyn going to Europe.
That also means that after the NZ Junior Motocross Championship at Otorohanga, at the end of this month, Leigh will go Senior and ride for Darryll King's Subway Yamaha Team.
Leigh is a Year 12 (6th Form) student at the well respected private school St Peters College near Cambridge. Leigh has one assignment to finish and will then have accumulated enough credits to receive his NCEA2 - what was the 6th Form University Entrance.
St Peters College Principal Steve Robb has given his official approval for Leigh to finish school on the 20th of this month and can then concentrate on the big task at hand.
Leigh is on the comeback from injury. At the Round 2 NZ Supercross Champs at Tokoroa Leigh broke his lower right arm with what is termed a green stick fracture. Then at Manuakau's Round 3, still with the break heavily strapped, he separated his AC joint - the ligament that hold the top of the arm and the shoulder together.
With those injuries now behind him he certainly showed great pace at Otorohanga yesterday (Saturday) on his YZ125 at the final practice day at the North King Country track yesterday which will host the New Zealand Junior Nationals 26-28 April. Leigh will ride in the 15-16yrs 125cc Class in which there are 76 entries.
Leigh has impressive record to date:
He is the defending 13-16yrs 85cc New Zealand Champion.
At the Australian Junior Champs he was 4th overall behind 3 'factory' Honda CRF150s.
At Whakatane's Summer X 07 he was unbeaten in 3 races Junior 125 on the Saturday.
Then on the Sunday he impressed hugely with his 4th in the Senior MX2 races.
At the Motueka Supercross Round 1 he was 1st overall.
At Tokoroa Supercross he was 1st overall.
At the Woodville GP he was 1st in the Junior 125 winning 2 out of 3 races.
At the Auckland Supercross he crashed whilst leading the race and the overall series. That is when he did his AC joint.
At the North Island Junior Champs in Hawkes Bay last weekend he was 3rd overall having won two races.
At the Western Heights Secondary Champs at Rotorua last Friday he dnf'd Race 1 in the 250F Class whilst leading and went over the bars and eight bikes piled in. Nobody was unhurt and then won Races 2 and 3 on a borrowed YZ250F for a 3rd overall.
With Leigh going Senior after the Junior Nats another chapter in his motocross career ends. Chris Bailey from Ngahinepouri (west of Hamilton) will step aside as his mechanic and sponsor.
Chris was formerly Nigel Smith's right hand man and is delighted with Leigh's news. "We had a lot of fun along the way and he goes with my best wishes".
Leigh himself said "I'm really stoked and want to personally thank my parents, Leanne and Kevin and sister Shannon for their support. Chris and the Bailey family. Also Bob McCleary Yamaha in Rangiora and Ian Standring from Sports Pro - I wear Fox gear, boots and helmet. This is a stepping stone in my ultimate goal of racing in either the USA or Europe."
