Callum Hedge won’t be forgetting the past week in a hurry.
It was a crazy, peculiar, and all-around fantastic few days for the young Kiwi who made his Porsche Carrera Cup debut at the hallowed Mount Panorama circuit.
“It was a strange feeling being on the other side of the fence,” Hedge, who had only been to Bathurst as a spectator before, said.
“It was so different. Anything I could have done to prepare wouldn’t have changed anything.”
Hedge only arrived in the paddock an hour before his first session.
While he was flying across the Tasman, the Australian government amended their Covid-19 protocol in the wake of the new Omicron variant.
“We were handed this sheet of paper when we arrived saying the rules had changed and we had to isolate.”
Hedge was forced to sit in a hotel room and wait out his brief isolation stint. He then had one hour to get comfortable with sitting in the car before heading on track for the first time.
“It was just the strangest feeling ever.”
The last time Hedge drove a Porsche was in May. So, along with learning an entirely new circuit, he had to readapt himself to how GT cars handled.
“There was a lot to understand. New car, new track, new everything.
“I had only done like 15 laps in the Gen2 car, and that was shaking down Matt Payne’s car before he arrived in the country.”
Bathurst is far from the easiest circuit. It has three significantly different sectors and walls so close they are waiting to bite.
“Every lap is different. Each one you learn something new.
“I felt really comfortable into The Chase like straight away. I was constantly in the top two in that sector, but I don’t really know why.
“The flow at the top [of the mountain] and the walls took a while to get your head around. I struggled a bit at The Cutting.
“The whole lap is scary. The sketchiest part is Metal Grate. The car bites in, and you can hear it squealing around.
“I can say I now have a lot of respect for the people who have done well there before.”
Hedge soon got the hang of Bathurst and slashed his lap times by over five seconds from the start to the end of the weekend.
The last of four races had Hedge crack into the top-ten. He should have finished higher than ninth in the final race but suffered a late puncture.
He also got some wise advice in between sessions.
“I was talking to Earl [Bamber] for a bit of advice. It was great to talk to someone who has been there and done it before.”
Reflecting on the past few days, Hedge is raring for the next opportunity.
“For enjoyment, it was a 10/10 [weekend]. For learning, it was also 10/10.
“I’m excited to get back there.”
Hedge was supposed to head to Tailem Bend this week for the final Carrera Cup round of the season.
However, the series has pulled out of the event programme due to travel restrictions.
Thus, Hedge is heading home later this month and prepares for his 2022 season.