Hedge won with a convincing 6 second advantage over P2. Callum Hedge pulled off a remarkable victory in Teretonga’s second race to reignite his championship challenge in the 2023 Castrol Toyota Formula Oceania Championship. ![](https://ik.imagekit.io/vyro/public/giltrap-articles/d3172c3d86e90e84915d97c4fcbf42465b4e855a95b076a1e9dbdafe66bb1462.jpg)

The young Kiwi who is proudly supported by the Giltrap Group, demonstrated superb race craft and ability in both wet and dry conditions to claim the win, despite starting the reverse grid race in seventh. Hedge raced through the field and on to a six second win at the Invercargill track.

Importantly, the win allowed Hedge to reduce the gap to the top of the championship table as series leader and M2 Competition teammate, Charlie Wurz, finished the race in fourth. The changing conditions gave driver’s tyre options but the entire field ultimately selected the same Hankook wet tyre, the parity on the day making Hedge’s drive even more spectacular.

The race brought drying conditions in the early laps, then returned to wet in the later laps, but Hedge mastered the challenge.

“I had my work cut out for me but when the track started to dry I knew that was my moment to push and that was also when I was faster than the other cars so it was either a win it or bin it moment to be honest,” he said on the podium afterwards. And he had come close to binning it after he was pushed onto the wet grass on the exit of turn one in the early stages as he tried to pass a robust Jacob Abel.

“I came around the outside and I did get run off into the weeds which was fine but I did then decide to get a bit more aggressive and get the move done.

“It was definitely a difficult race. At the start I was on the radio saying we might need slicks and in the first half of the race we did need slicks but then in the second half of the race we needed wets. It was up and down but I’m stoked for the team.”

Hedge now sits just 25 points behind Wurz in the championship with 3 rounds left to race over the summer.