Callum Hedge has won this evening’s final Carrera Cup race at The Bend in dramatic circumstances to take the championship lead off Jackson Walls at the season’s mid-point. The victory makes it three from three for the Kiwi over the weekend.
While ultimately a lights-to-flag win, nothing was guaranteed until the penultimate corner of the final lap, when Walls attempted a dive up the inside of the right-hander, clipping the curb and spinning.
He would return to proceedings to finish 12th, losing a big haul of points as a result. Simon Fallon was the benefactor to inherit second, while Max Vidau claimed the final podium place.
Just seven laps of the 11 were completed, with the majority under caution following a massive Lap 1 pileup involving multiple pro competitors, including New Zealand’s Chris Pither. A spin in the mid-pack at Turn 1 saw several trailing cars make contact at speed, requiring significant cleanup and leaving multiple Porsche stranded.
Hedge had led from pole before the incident and controlled the restart to pull a small gap over Walls that he would hold until the chequered flag.
Fabian Coulthard came home in tenth, while Pither did not retake the track following the Lap 1 crash.
The Porsche Carrera Cup returns in support of next month’s Sandown 500 and is followed by rounds at Bathurst, Gold Coast and Adelaide to conclude the season.
