Team Porsche New Zealand (TPNZ) scholarship recipient Callum Hedge has been announced as Australia’s nominee for the annual global Porsche Junior Shootout in Europe later this year.
Hedge earned the nomination after going head-to-head with nearest rival contestant Jackson Walls at the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in Melbourne at Sandown Raceway. This round marked the cut-off for the championship nomination and the title was up for contention as just 32 points separated the pair in the Junior standings following four intense rounds previously.
“To win the Michelin Junior Championship, and secure the ticket to the Porsche Junior Shootout for me is huge,” commented Hedge. “This has been my goal since I first drove a Porsche. To realise that goal is a testament to the hard work put in by Earl Bamber Motorsport and Team Porsche New Zealand, I really have to thank them for believing in me and knowing that I was capable of doing what we set out to do.
“I look forward to being the first Team Porsche New Zealand driver to contest in the Porsche Junior Shootout and I will be working as hard as I can to represent them and Porsche Carrera Cup Australia to the best of my ability.”
There was a close battle between Hedge and Walls since Albert Park’s opening round, with the championship lead only changing hands in the most recent race, held at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia.
Hedge provisionally secured the position at Sandown after race two as he stole the victory from Dylan O’Keeffe in the final corner of the Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia enduro cup race.
The Porsche Junior Shootout puts the top junior drivers from global Porsche one-make championships head-to-head, with the winner claiming a scholarship prize to contest the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Championship in 2024. The winner of the Porsche junior shootout is usually announced at the annual Porsche ‘Night of Champions’ event at the end of the year.
The sports car manufacturer’s exemplary junior programme has been one of the most successful of its kind in motorsport. This initiative has paved the way for many talented youngsters to pursue professional careers as works drivers, producing numerous world champions and Le Mans winners in the process. Earl Bamber won the Porsche Junior Shootout in 2014 as a nominee of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and went on to race Supercup and win the 24 hours of Le Mans as a Porsche Factory driver.
Hedge is the third Kiwi from Porsche Carrera Cup Australia to earn the ticket, following the footsteps of Andre Heimgartner in 2012 as well as Jaxon Evans in 2018 who managed to win the shootout.
“Congratulations to Callum and everyone at Team Porsche New Zealand,” said Earl Bamber (EBM owner). “Personally, I went through the route with Porsche and that’s where I got my chance to become a factory driver, so I think it’s a dream come true for any young driver to have that shot and chance in their career.
“As a team, we are really proud of Callum. I would like to say a huge thank you to Porsche New Zealand for making these chances possible for young drivers, as this passion isn’t seen by any other sponsor and manufacturer. It’s special for a New Zealander to have this opportunity, and hopefully, it’s the first of many who will get the chance in future years to come.”
Hedge is competing in his third season with TPNZ and Earl Bamber Motorsport after debuting with the team in the Porsche Sprint Challenge feeder series in 2021. In 2022 he took the top Rookie honours and second place in the Michelin Junior Drivers’ standings in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia – finishing in 6th place overall in the championship.
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