<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1L7dLZ_0wAydGjG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1L7dLZ_0wAydGjG00" width="1000" height="600" ></figure>In the slew of championships earned Saturday at Motul Petit Le Mans, the season finale for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, were two particularly coveted awards among the gentlemen drivers: The Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards. Given to the highest placing Bronze driver in the LMP2 (Trueman) and GTD (Akin) categories, the best part of winning them to most drivers is the automatic entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year’s winners were Nick Boulle for the Trueman Award and Orey Fidani claiming the Akin Award in his first season of GTD competition.Boulle wasn’t sure at the start of 2024 that he was going to compete a full season of LMP2 in the WeatherTech Championship. But as the year went on in Inter Europol’s first foray into IMSA competition with now-five time champs PR1 Mathiasen Motorstports, promising results kept him in the game. The reward was a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and second in the first IMSA endurance race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, along with the LMP2 championship with full-season co-driver Tom Dillmann.The championship and Trueman Award were far from a sure thing through much of Saturday’s 10-hour race. The team needed a third-place finish to guarantee that Gar Robinson couldn’t overtake them for the Trueman Award. Boulle, Dillmann and Kuba Smiechowski finished fourth, but with Riley Motorsports in second, it was enough.“Certainly I was paying attention to that as the race wound down,” said Boulle. “Tom pointed out that potentially could have been more aggressive and taken some risks later in the race with a few minutes to go, and pointed it out that one finishing position — our finishing position guaranteed [of winning the Trueman] was two back [of Riley], and that went away. Yeah, I guess we have a trip to France next year.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2Q6wOI_0wAydGjG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Q6wOI_0wAydGjG00" width="1024" height="683" ><figcaption>A fourth place for Boulle and company at Petit Le Mans was enough to secure the Trueman Award for him and the LMP2 championship for the team. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images</figcaption></figure>Boulle should be in good hands with Inter Europol at Le Mans; the Polish team won the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours.“It’s great that Nick also won the Jim Trueman Award, and with that, our goal is to have two cars at Le Mans next year,” said team manager Sascha Fassbender. “We’re all very happy, and I am already looking forward to the Rolex 24, where we run as Inter Europol Competition.”Fidani’s season got off to a rough start as AWA learned the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. But by the fourth race of the season, he was leading the Akin Award standings and stayed there for the duration of the season, finishing ahead of last year’s winner, Brendan Iribe.“I couldn’t be happier or more proud right now,” said Canadian Fidani. “This is the goal we set for ourselves at the very beginning of this program 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!”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2pgsS8_0wAydGjG00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2pgsS8_0wAydGjG00" width="1024" height="683" ><figcaption>Steady progress with AWA’s Corvette paid off at Petit for Fidani. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images</figcaption></figure>Fidani was so zeroed in on winning the award and the Le Mans entry that he went to France this past June to race in the Le Mans Cup race that ran as a support race to the 24 Hours. He’s expected to run the 2025 race in a Corvette.“Congratulations to Orey Fidani and all of AWA on securing the Bob Akin Award and an automatic entry into the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Christie Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R program manager. “To see their hard work and effort lead to this accomplishment is something in which they and everyone at Corvette Racing can take a high level of pride. We’re excited for AWA’s future and can’t wait to welcome them to Le Mans next summer.”The 2023 winners of the Trueman and Akin Awards were George Kurtz and Brendan Iribe. Kurtz, with Colin Braun and Nicky Catsburg, had a rough 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans with a DNF, a far cry from 2023 when Kurtz, Braun and James Allen took the Pro-Am title in LMP2. Iribe captured the pole for the LMGT3 class, but he, Frederik Schandorff and Ollie Millroy finished 13th.</div></body>

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Le Mans bound: Boulle and Fidani win Trueman and Akin Awards

In the slew of championships earned Saturday at Motul Petit Le Mans, the season finale for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, were two particularly coveted awards among the gentlemen drivers: The Jim Trueman and Bob Akin Awards. Given to the highest placing Bronze driver in the LMP2 (Trueman) and GTD (Akin) categories, the best part of winning them to most drivers is the automatic entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year’s winners were Nick Boulle for the Trueman Award and Orey Fidani claiming the Akin Award in his first season of GTD competition.

Le Mans bound: Boulle and Fidani win Trueman and Akin Awards

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