Callum Hedge has claimed the 2023 Formula Regional Americas Championship by winning this morning’s opening race at Circuit of the Americas in Texas.
Ryan Shehan needed to outscore his title rival to keep his championship hopes alive with two races remaining, but was caught out in a large battle pack for the minor podium places and was forced to settle for tenth.
Having qualified on the pole, Hedge raced to a 7.5-second lead but lost his advantage when a Safety Car was called for debris on the track at Turn 20 with 18 minutes remaining.
Cole Kleck, who had been running second, got the jump on the Kiwi at the restart but ran too deep into Turn 1, allowing Hedge to retake the position that he held until the chequered flag.
Cooper Becklin finished as runner-up, and Kleck rounded out the podium.
“I was driving around conserving the tyres,” Hedge said in his post-race interview. “We put the greens on to make sure we had the best chance to win and wrap it up in the first race. I was cruising around and conserving the tyres, and we got the full course yellow, which was a shame, and I had to do it all again.
“I’d like to thank the people that made it happen. Steve Horne and Mark Pilcher put this all together for me, and I’m really grateful for what they did for me at the start of this year.
“A big credit to them and the people who came on board and helped us: The Tony Quinn Foundation, Giltrap Group, and Tasman Motorsport Group.”
This morning’s victory is Hedge’s 12th in the series this season, coming from 16 starts.
His title success sees him claim a $600,000 scholarship to use towards a 2024 Super Formula campaign.
Awesome Break, keep it up for next year. 💪