Formula Regional Americas champion Callum Hedge will climb to INDY NXT by Firestone for the 2024 season in the No. 17 entry with HMD Motorsports, team officials announced Nov. 20.
Hedge, from New Zealand, began driving formula cars recently and has quickly worked his way through the ranks. Doubling up and competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2023, Hedge’s two-continent race program has been highlighted by race wins, podium results and championship honors.
“I have had a taste of the INDY NXT machinery and am ready for the challenge that 2024 will bring,” Hedge said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to join a championship-winning program in HMD Motorsports and for my partners who continue to make my motorsports dream a reality.”
In 2023, Hedge raced a packed schedule, competing and finding success in three series. In FR Americas, Hedge won 13 of 18 races and finished on the podium in 16 races en route to claiming the championship by 105 points. Hedge, 20, also ran in the Pro Class of the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship and led the championship before missing the sixth round due to a clash in scheduling with FR Americas. He is second overall with one event remaining. At the beginning of the year, Hedge ran the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, where he earned three wins and finished second in the championship.
While Hedge ran the recent Chris Griffis Memorial Test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last month with another team, he will make his debut with HMD Motorsports in January when the series heads to Sebring International Raceway for a two-day test before crossing the country to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in early February. The 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season will start Sunday, March 10 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“We have a lot of time for Callum and are confident that he will have success in INDY NXT,” HMD Motorsports General Manager Mike Maurini said. “He is stepping into a program that has ascended rapidly and has been winning along the way. He is another piece to the growing puzzle and will be a threat for the top step of the podium all season. While the North American ovals and temporary courses will be new to him, he has a strong support system of drivers and engineers around him that will assist in making the transition seamless.”
Said David Salters, president of Honda Performance Development: “With his dominating performance this year in Honda-powered Formula Regional Americas competition, Callum is certainly a deserving champion and HPD scholarship winner. We very much look forward to following Callum’s progress in INDY NXT in 2024, as follows in the path successfully used by previous FRA champions and now Honda-powered INDYCAR drivers Kyle Kirkwood and Linus Lundqvist.”
For the 2024 season, Hedge will continue to receive substantial support from long-time New Zealand partners The Tony Quinn Foundation, The Giltrap Group and Tasman Motorsports Group.
“I am anxious to get situated with the team and get going,” Hedge said. “The first test is two months away, but you can trust I will be taking in everything I can between now and January to ensure I am up to speed and ready to go.”