Beyond the IMSA SportsCar Championship and Endurance Cup titles that were captured over the weekend at Petit Le Mans, two drivers claimed invitations to the 2025 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours by winning the Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards.
The first was Nick Boulle, who in addition to winning the LMP2 class title with Inter Europol by PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports and his co-driver Tom Dillmann, won the Trueman Award after a campaign in which he claimed a win at Mosport, two further podiums and a fourth place finish in the season finale.
It was a remarkable season for Boulle, racing in a category featuring several talented Bronze drivers and standout private teams. The margin was just 30 points over Riley’s Gar Robinson. His reward? An invitation to race in the LMP2 class at the Le Mans 24 Hours in less than eight months.
“It’s certainly surreal,” Boulle said after the race. “Everybody has worked so hard with Inter Europol and PR1 Motorsports to make this year happen and to do it at such a high level. We were really consistent. Tom (Dillmann) has been so helpful to me personally, developing through the year and so has Kuba (Śmiechowski).
“I was paying attention to that (the award standings) as the race wound down. I guess we have a trip to France next year!”
We’ll have to wait a little longer to see if that’s going to be with Inter Europol, PR1/Mathiasen or A.N.Other, as the two collaborating teams behind the 2024 entry will return to IMSA in 2024 with individual programmes.
Orey Fidani meanwhile, claimed the Akin award with Corvette Racing customer team AWA by 100 points over last year’s winner Brendan Iribe and 170 over Sheena Monk, the two other full-season Bronze drivers in the running.
AWA’s first season in GTD, and first season racing with the brand new Corvette Z06 GT3.R was far from a stroll in the park, but its consistency throughout the year with the #13 car, which claimed six top 10 finishes, was enough to earn Fidani the invitation.
It’s also a significant result for Corvette and its growing customer racing programme, as it all but guarantees that three Z06 LMGT3.Rs will compete at La Sarthe next year, as TF Sport is set to continue to represent the GM brand in the FIA WEC’s LMGT3 class next season.
“I couldn’t be happier or more proud right now,” Fidani, who along with Matt Bell and Lars Kern finished 12th in class at Petit Le Mans and fourth among Akin-eligible cars, said. “This is the goal we set for ourselves at the very beginning of this programme coming together, and we worked tirelessly to see it through.
“No matter what happened throughout this season, we were always focused on the Bob Akin Championship and getting a 24 Hours of Le Mans entry, and we never lost sight of the big picture.
“I can’t thank Andrew and the entire AWA crew enough for all they’ve done. I love everybody on this team from the bottom of my heart. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to show what we can do in France!”
That seems to be a confirmation that the AWA Corvette and crew will be coming along for the adventure in June too.
A handful more invitations for Le Mans are also set to be won in the coming days, with teams gunning for spaces on the grid at Le Mans in the ELMS season finale this weekend at Portimao. The Asian Le Mans Series’ LMP2 and GT championship winners will also receive invitations to enter the French endurance classic over the winter.
Images courtesy of IMSA Photo
