Within the slew of championships earned Saturday at Motul Petit Le Mans, the season finale for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, have been two notably coveted awards among the many gents drivers: The Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards. Given to the very best inserting Bronze driver within the LMP2 (Trueman) and GTD (Akin) classes, one of the best a part of profitable them to most drivers is the automated entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This 12 months’s winners have been Nick Boulle for the Trueman Award and Orey Fidani claiming the Akin Award in his first season of GTD competitors.
Boulle wasn’t positive in the beginning of 2024 that he was going to compete a full season of LMP2 within the WeatherTech Championship. However because the 12 months went on in Inter Europol’s first foray into IMSA competitors with now-five time champs PR1 Mathiasen Motorstports, promising outcomes saved him within the recreation. The reward was a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and second within the first IMSA endurance race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, together with the LMP2 championship with full-season co-driver Tom Dillmann.
The championship and Trueman Award have been removed from a positive factor via a lot of Saturday’s 10-hour race. The group wanted a third-place end to ensure that Gar Robinson couldn’t overtake them for the Trueman Award. Boulle, Dillmann and Kuba Smiechowski completed fourth, however with Riley Motorsports in second, it was sufficient.
“Actually I used to be being attentive to that because the race wound down,” mentioned Boulle. “Tom identified that doubtlessly might have been extra aggressive and brought some dangers later within the race with a couple of minutes to go, and pointed it out that one ending place — our ending place assured [of winning the Trueman] was two again [of Riley], and that went away. Yeah, I suppose we now have a visit to France subsequent 12 months.”
A fourth place for Boulle and firm at Petit Le Mans was sufficient to safe the Trueman Award for him and the LMP2 championship for the group. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Photographs
Boulle needs to be in good arms with Inter Europol at Le Mans; the Polish group gained the 2023 version of the 24 Hours.
“It’s nice that Nick additionally gained the Jim Trueman Award, and with that, our aim is to have two automobiles at Le Mans subsequent 12 months,” mentioned group supervisor Sascha Fassbender. “We’re all very comfortable, and I’m already wanting ahead to the Rolex 24, the place we run as Inter Europol Competitors.”
Fidani’s season acquired off to a tough begin as AWA realized the brand new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. However by the fourth race of the season, he was main the Akin Award standings and stayed there throughout the season, ending forward of final 12 months’s winner, Brendan Iribe.
“I couldn’t be happier or extra proud proper now,” mentioned Canadian Fidani. “That is the aim we set for ourselves on the very starting of this program coming collectively, and we labored tirelessly to see it via. It doesn’t matter what occurred all through this season, we have been at all times targeted on the Bob Akin championship and getting a 24 Hours of Le Mans entry, and we by no means overpassed the large image. I can’t thank Andrew and the whole AWA crew sufficient for all they’ve finished. I really like everyone on this group from the underside of my coronary heart. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to indicate what we are able to do in France!”
Regular progress with AWA’s Corvette paid off at Petit for Fidani. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Photographs
Fidani was so zeroed in on profitable the award and the Le Mans entry that he went to France this previous June to race within the Le Mans Cup race that ran as a help race to the 24 Hours. He’s anticipated to run the 2025 race in a Corvette.
“Congratulations to Orey Fidani and all of AWA on securing the Bob Akin Award and an automated entry into the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans,” mentioned Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R program supervisor. “To see their onerous work and energy result in this accomplishment is one thing by which they and everybody at Corvette Racing can take a excessive degree of satisfaction. We’re excited for AWA’s future and may’t wait to welcome them to Le Mans subsequent summer season.”
The 2023 winners of the Trueman and Akin Awards have been George Kurtz and Brendan Iribe. Kurtz, with Colin Braun and Nicky Catsburg, had a tough 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans with a DNF, a far cry from 2023 when Kurtz, Braun and James Allen took the Professional-Am title in LMP2. Iribe captured the pole for the LMGT3 class, however he, Frederik Schandorff and Ollie Millroy completed thirteenth.
