Rapid Kiwi Callum Hedge will cut his first Indy NXT laps tomorrow with a test for Cape Motorsports on the Indianapolis road course.
Hedge will join the Andretti-aligned squad for the test in a bid to strengthen his chances of sealing the Formula Regional Americas title.
He currently leads that series by 51 points, having won 11 of the 15 races so far, heading to the season finale at Circuit of The Americas early next month.
Should he seal the title he will be eligible for the HPD Scholarship, which is a USD $600,000 bonus to be used on a Super Formula seat.
At the same time, this Indy NXT test could be a hint that Hedge has an eye on the States next year rather than Japan.
According to his manager Steve Horne, the Indy NXT test is, for now at least, about getting laps in a high-power open-wheeler.
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“He’s on an amazing journey at the moment trying to win different championships on different sides of the world,” Horne told Speedcafe.
“One of them that we’re chasing is the FR Americas award put up by the promoter there and Honda of a ride in Super Formula.
“We haven’t won that yet, it will come down to the wire at the next event, but to get Callum some high-performance single-seater time, he’s running the test with Cape Motorsports.
“It came up at the last minute but we thought it was a good idea to get him some time in a pretty quick car.”
As referenced by Horne, Hedge is near the end of an ambitious two-pronged programme split between Australia and the US.
With backing from the Giltrap Group and the Tony Quinn Foundation he’s been running Carrera Cup Australia alongside FR Americas, and still holds a six-point lead in the one-make Porsche series despite sitting out the Bathurst round due to a clash with his US commitments.
Following the Indy NXT test Hedge will jet back to Australia for the Carrera Cup finale on the streets of the Gold Coast.
He will then head straight back to Austin for the FR Americas finale on November 2-5 before a trip to Europe to take part in the Porsche Junior Shootout – the prize for which is a seat in Porsche Supercup for 2024.
