Callum Hedge has claimed the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Enduro Cup and reduced the gap to the overall championship lead to just 14 points by finishing second in this evening’s opening race at the Adelaide 500.
Series leader Jackson Walls charged from eighth on the grid to finish only one spot behind the Kiwi pole-sitter, minimising his losses after a difficult qualifying session.
Dale Wood was the race winner, getting the better launch off the front row and taking the lead into Turn 1, with Hedge slotting in behind ahead of Max Vidau.
Walls remained eighth over the opening laps but gained a position when Fabian Coulthard dropped down the field following contact from Bayley Hall, who received a 15-second penalty for the incident.
Walls would continue to work forward throughout the field as the battle up front unfolded, with Hedge continuing to attack Wood but unable to find a way past.
Vidau attempted a few brave dives up the inside to take second just after the mid-point and eventually made a move stick, relegating the pole-sitter to third, one spot ahead of the championship leader who had continued to move forward.
Vidau’s charge forward continued, and he pressured Wood for the lead entering the final laps, only for the two to come together and the challenger spin, allowing Hedge, Walls and the field through.
Wood’s margin of victory over Hedge at the chequered flag was less than a second, with Walls retaining the championship lead by rounding out the podium.
Dylan O’Keefe led Hedge in the Enduro Cup standings by 17 points entering the round, with Walls a further 6 points behind in third. A 15-second penalty for contact with Hall saw O’Keeffe classified ninth, only scoring 23 points in comparison to Hedge’s 54.
The Endurance Cup win for Hedge comes despite missing the Bathurst round, with victories in the longer races at The Bend and Sandown and third at Townsville. A difficult run for tenth at Townsville saw him lose ground on the leaders, but today’s result saw that overturned.
The overall Carrera Cup title comes down to the season’s final two races, both set for 11 laps on Saturday at 3.20 pm and Sunday at 3.15 pm.
Header Image: Porsche Motorsport Australia
