Corvette Racing at Le Mans: AWA Targets Another 24-Hour Win

No. 13 Corvette set for Le Mans debut after taking IMSA Bob Akin Award, Rolex 24 victory

DETROIT (June 4, 2025) – With one victory in a 24-hour endurance classic already in-hand, Corvette Z06 GT3.R team AWA is hoping lightning strikes twice, this time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its debut at the French classic.

The team, its No. 13 Corvette and driving trio of Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern are part of the 24-car field in the LMGT3 class of the famed French enduro. AWA’s Corvette is one of three Z06 GT3.Rs entered for this year’s Le Mans alongside FIA WEC full-season entrant TF Sport, which is supplying logistical support to the AWA effort.

First up for the team is Sunday’s Test Day, which features a pair of three-hour sessions of running around the famed Le Mans circuit.

It also provides the first time for the No. 13 Corvette to run in its predominantly red race livery, highlighting the team’s Canadian heritage.

The AWA driving trio are at Le Mans via Fidani’s win in the 2024 Bob Akin Award, which goes to the top-scoring Bronze driver in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

This year’s Le Mans will be the third for Bell – who podiumed in the 2022 LMP2 Pro-Am race – but the first for both Fidani and Kern. Fidani and Kern did, however, race last year at the event in the Road to Le Mans support race in anticipation of a potential invite to this year’s race.

Not only did that invitation come to pass, AWA won this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona in IMSA’s GTD class with its Corvette. In addition, Fidani again is leading the Akin Award standings heading into the next IMSA event at Watkins Glen the weekend following Le Mans.

The AWA team will get its first laps around the 8.47-mile circuit during Sunday’s Test Day. It’s the first time since last year’s final lap that cars will have the chance to run on the full Le Mans layout – a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. The Test Day is valuable with only a three-hour Free Practice on Wednesday ahead of the first round of qualifying later in the day.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.

AWA PRE-EVENT QUOTES

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“Le Mans is the pinnacle of our sport. It’s the biggest, most prestigious race in the world, there’s just something extra special about it. There are amazing endurance races everywhere, but Le Mans is the crème de la crème. I’ve done it twice and was fortunate to be on the podium my first time. I’ll be looking to replicate that with AWA and Corvette. We’ve got a strong team, and I’m really looking forward to my first GT run with AWA at Le Mans.”

(The team’s confidence) “I have huge belief in this team, and everyone on the team does too. We’re a confident group, especially after the Daytona win. We always felt we could compete at that level, and now we’ve proven it. That win definitely raised the bar for us going into Le Mans. I think we’re shooting for a podium, minimum.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“We completed a test ahead of heading to Le Mans and it went very well. We’re feeling confident as a team and doing everything we can to be as prepared as possible. I’m incredibly excited to be back on track soon and getting to return to Circuit de la Sarthe for the big show this time. It’s truly amazing what this group has accomplished in the past year, and now we get to show what we’re made of and represent Canada in the biggest endurance race in the world.”

LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:

“It still feels a bit like a dream. I’ve always said I wouldn’t believe I was racing at Le Mans until the moment I left pit lane. For years, making it to the Le Mans grid felt out of reach. It’s the pinnacle of sports car racing, and I wasn’t sure I belonged there.

“Coming here after a Daytona 24 win, driving a Corvette in LMGT3, still feels surreal. But here we are. I can’t thank everyone enough for the trust they’ve put in me, especially Orey and the entire AWA team. They’re an incredible group, and I wouldn’t want to race with anyone else.

“Now let’s put that Maple Leaf Corvette Z06 GT3.R on French tarmac and make Canada proud.”

Source:
Corvette Racing

Related:
AWA Racing Reveals Special Livery for the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Corvette Racing at Long Beach: What Might Have Been…
Corvette Racing at Daytona: AWA Corvette Wins The Rolex!

Subscribe Now: