Now 70, Leonard was one of the name drivers, including ex-pat Kiwi Rod Millen, who drew thousands of people to Waimate yesterday for a revival of the Waimate 50 street race.
The circuit was different, and it was cars versus the clock rather than pitted against each other on the streets of Waimate, but the passion was still there.
The 1.25km circuit around Waimate's main and side streets was a real test, particularly for some of the "big bangers", which were famous when the event first started in 1959, up against more nimble and just as powerful modern-day machines.
Even Leonard acknowledged it was hard work steering a 1960s Ford Mustang with a modified 289 cubic inch V8, borrowed from Steve Ross, of Dunedin, around the circuit.
"But I enjoyed it, even though it's big, heavy and powerful for the tight circuit," he said.
And if the event becomes a regular fixture, he will be back "provided I'm invited, and someone is brave enough to lend me a car".
Leonard first competed at Waimate in 1959 as a 19-year-old.
His enthusiasm for motor racing came from working as an apprentice mechanic for Ernie Sprague, who successfully campaigned a Jaguar Mark II which Leonard worked on.
His enthusiasm grew, and he competed at motor sport events around New Zealand and in Australia, becoming a well-known name and ranking among New Zealand's top saloon car drivers.
He drove in a number of long-distance events, including the Benson and Hedges 500, and earned himself a place in a Ford Sierra Cosworth alongside fellow New Zealander Robbie Francevic in 1986 at Bathurst.
Until yesterday, that was the last time Leonard had raced.
The Waimate 50 series started on Saturday with a "Race to the Whitehorse" hillclimb that provided spectacular racing and views over Waimate and South Canterbury from the top.
Yesterday, most of the crowd went to the centre of Waimate, where almost 100 cars competed in the street sprint, although others made it to the outskirts to watch rally vehicles take part in a sprint before they put on racing slicks for the street circuit.
One of the stars of the event was the Ron Silvester Chev Coupe, which competed in the six Waimate 50s held before it transferred in to the new Levels raceway, near Timaru, for safety reasons.
