Callum Hedge and Madeline Stewart will have their first taste of the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge in a pre-season test at Phillip Island today.
The pair had their 2020 racing plans disrupted amid the pandemic but are now set to begin preparations for the full six-round season.
Hedge was supposed to have made his series debut last year, sending his older generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car to Melbourne just before New Zealand and Australia went into nationwide lockdown.
Six months out of the driver’s seat, Hedge returned to run in two rounds of the Golden Homes North Island Endurance Series.
This time around, Hedge will be supported by Kiwi champion GT racer Earl Bamber and his Earl Bamber Motorsport team for the full 2021 campaign.
Hedge also shared the first look of his 2021 machine yesterday, which sports a red, black and white New Zealand-inspired livery.
Stewart is another Kiwi driver highly rated in EBM’s ranks.
Based on the Gold Coast, Stewart was set to race with the team in Asia last year. But her plans were also thwarted by the pandemic.
Arriving at Phillip Island yesterday, Stewart will link up with EBM and Hedge for a full day of testing.
The two will then have their opening round at the Victorian circuit at a yet-to-be-confirmed date later this month.
The six-round calendar then takes both to some of Australia’s most iconic race venues, including Sandown, Morgan Park and Mount Panorama.