CALLUM Hedge is closing in on making a tough decision as a calendar clash threatens to derail his bid to win championships on two different continents this year.
After five of eight rounds, Hedge holds a 116-point lead in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
Sandown was the Australian series’ nomination cut-off for the global Porsche Junior Shootout, which Hedge has got the nod for. The prize for winning that – as achieved by the likes of Earl Bamber, Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans – is a scholarship seat in Porsche Supercup next year.
At the same time, Hedge has a 55-point advantage in the US-based Formula Regional Americas Championship, after four of six rounds. The reward attached to that title is a Honda-backed 2024 Super Formula drive (the Japanese open-wheel series which Liam Lawson is competing in).
The next rounds of Carrera Cup Australia (Mount Panorama) and Formula Regional Americas (Virginia International Raceway) clash on October 5-8.
Hedge is determined to find a way to still win both titles.
“It’s an interesting problem to have, just because the round clashes don’t come at the final round, so it makes it really tough to decide which championship I would have a better chance at winning while skipping one (round),” he told V8 Sleuth.
“Currently we’re just weighing up the pros and cons of each and then we’re going to make a decision and go from there.”
Despite seeing Matt Payne and Ryan Wood move away from the Porsche pathway in favour of Supercars, Auckland-based Hedge is on a different journey.
The 19-year-old is close with both, including formerly living with Wood (who now is housemates with Ronan Murphy in Melbourne).
“At the moment that’s the direction I’m going,” Hedge said of the international route.
“It’s cool to be doing single-seaters overseas as well as the touring car racing closer to home.
“I haven’t really had any interest in me from any Supercars teams… if there’s some opportunities I definitely would consider them but at the moment I have got myself set on going overseas.”
Previous Formula Regional Americas title winners include Kyle Kirkwood, while Hedge has been duking it out with vastly experienced opponents in Carrera Cup such as Fabian Coulthard, Alex Davison, David Wall, Dale Wood and Sandown 500 runner-up David Russell.
