Porsche Carrera Cup Australia series leader Callum Hedge will sit out next weekend’s round at Bathurst, instead opting to travel to the United States to compete in the penultimate round of the Formula Regional Americas Championship.
Hedge holds a 116-point lead over Jackson Walls in the Porsche Carrera Cup standings and also heads the FR Americas Championship by 55 points over Ryan Shehan. While the team knew about the clash earlier in the year, the $600,000 scholarship to use towards a 2024 Super Formula campaign up for grabs in the latter has influenced the decision.
“The plan is we’re going to miss the weekend of Carrera Cup, and we’re going to go and race in America next weekend,” Hedge told Velocity News.
“We thought it was too much of a risk with a scholarship like that to not go to a round and come to the last weekend possibly being down on points and having to hunt it out. You never know what can happen in a final round.
“I’m pretty guttered [to not be on the grid at Bathurst], to be honest. When we first signed up for both championships, the idea was that I was only going to race Porsche and TRS (Formula Regional Oceania Championship) this year. The opportunity to race in America then came about, with the idea we would have to miss a weekend.
“We said we’d decide that when we get to it, and the best thing we could do from the start of the year is put ourselves in a position where we have a chance to take out both titles, which we’ve got to, so we’ve weighed up the pros and cons and come to our decision.”
Influencing the decision was the fact that Hedge has already secured a nomination to the Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe later this year after leaving Sandown with the championship lead secured.
“That was the goal from the moment I first jumped in a Porsche, so to realise that was pretty cool.
“We had some discussions after Sandown and decided that the points lead in America wasn’t enough to warrant missing a round and putting the $600k scholarship on time.
“We really need to win that to progress further in multiple directions, not just single-seaters, so it’s nice to know I can go to the next round, score some points and potentially have it wrapped up before the final round.”
While Hedge is absent from Bathurst, Team Porsche New Zealand and Earl Bamber Motorsport will have a more than capable fill-in, coming in the form of Chris van der Drift, a three-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion.
“It’s pretty cool for another Kiwi to have the chance to drive my wagon. Hopefully he’s nice to Larry.
“I’ve watched him race for years. Chris is a proper top operator and a very good Porsche driver, with three Carrera Cup Asia championships. I think he’s pretty excited to see how my 992 goes.”
Van der Drift adds, “When I heard of this opportunity, I jumped at it straight away. I’ve known Earl (Bamber) for many years, so it’s awesome to be finally driving for his team. I have been driving the same 992 Cup Car in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia this season, so I know the car well, and I’m very excited to be able to drive one at one of my favourite tracks in the world.
“A huge thanks to Team Porsche New Zealand and everyone who made this happen. To Callum, I promise to look after Larry. Hopefully, we’ll keep it at the front, like Callum has been able to do all year.”
Having built a strong lead in the Carrera Cup standings, all is not lost for Hedge, who says he’ll head to the final rounds on the Gold Coast and in Adelaide with the aim of claiming the title.
“I’ve got a 116-point championship lead over P2, and you can score 180 in a weekend, which is quite difficult to do at Bathurst. It’s a place that’s so unpredictable. You never know what could happen,” he says.
“Realistically, I won’t be leading the championship after Bathurst. I’m expecting to be P2, and the goal is to make a comeback and win the championship despite missing a round.
“It’s not unachievable, but it’s going to be quite difficult. I’m just going to have to go full focus next weekend and come back from America and head to the Gold Coast and go as hard as I possibly can.”
