Zack Leader, a gravity racer in England, came out publicly as gay on Jan. 1, taking the opportunity of the new year to start anew.

On New Year’s Day, Leader posted a picture of himself holding a rainbow flag on Instagram. In the caption he talked about the fears he had by coming out, all of which he is ready to face head-on.

I’ve never known if the paddocks would accept a gay rider. I guess I’ll find out soon! I’ve always worried that people would look at me differently and so wouldn’t accept me into paddocks. I’ve always worried this would hinder me from getting sponsors and maybe even signed by teams in the future; that team managers wouldn’t want the hassle and so wouldn’t bother, regardless of how good I may be. Obviously I’ll find all this out in good time but I really hope everyone both in general life and racing life accepts me for who I am.

Some of Leader’s colleagues immediately jumped in to offer their support and let him know nothing would change.

“Fair play mate!” Said racer James Ellison. “Makes no difference to me, you know you always have my support.”

Leader lists a couple of championships — the 2016 and 2017 British Evo Cup — under his belt. He is a former national junior champion. He has a number of sponsorships as well.

Gravity racing is a form of racing bikes or cars that relies entirely on gravity for power.

You can find Zack Leader on Instagram @ZLeader77, or on Twitter @ZLeader77. He also has a Web site.