Hedge wins at PI - Round 1

Race Report for Round 1 of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge held at Phillip Island, 12th-14th March 2021

KIWI DEBUTANT Callum Hedge was a standout at the opening round of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, forming part of the Shannons Motorsport Australia Championships event at Phillip Island.

Contesting the second-tier Porsche series with Bathurst 12 Hour winning team, Earl Bamber Motorsport, Hedge qualified third for the first 13-lap encounter, though a bad start dropped him three positions at the start. He regained one to finish fifth.

Wet conditions for Race 2 were to Hedge’s advantage as runaway leader Ryan Suhle spun, as the Kiwi demoted fellow rookies Bayley Hall and Courtney Prince to take the lead. He extended his margin to greet the chequered flag for his win in the category.

The 45-minute finale ended in a red flag at Turn 3 on the opening lap as an incident involving three midfield entries required significant repairs to be made to the tyre wall with Hedge third at the time.

Suhle left the round at the top of the leaderboard, but Hedge was just 18-points behind heading to Sydney Motorsport Park for Round 2.

“What a great first hit out for Earl Bamber Motorsport and myself at Phillip Island,” Hedge said post-event. “Achieving a race win and leaving the round second in the title is beyond by expectations.”