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.”
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers
- 2: Number of victories for TF Sport at Le Mans (2020 and 2022 in GTE Am)
- 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004
- 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011
- 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-2023) / Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2024-current)
- 11: Number of combined 24 Hours of Le Mans starts for the No. 81 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood (five), Rui Andrade (four) and Tom Van Rompuy (two)
- 9: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001
- 12: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Nicky Catsburg, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone
- 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001
- 30: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen
- 33: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grows this year with the additions of all three AWA Corvette drivers
- 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)
- 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year
- 144: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia
- 115,625.48: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries in 25 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 13,708 laps… or almost five full trips around the Earth at its equator. Corvette Racing combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark at Le Mans in the 2021 race.
- 425,552.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some!
Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)
2000 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
2001 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2002 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS
2003 – No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS
No. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS
2004 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTS
No. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS
2005 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2006 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1
2007 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1
2008 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1
2009 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1
2010 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF)
No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF)
2011 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2012 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 6th in GTE Pro
2013 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro
2014 – No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE Pro
No. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro
2015 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash)
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro
2016 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2017 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2018 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2019 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTE Pro
No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro
2022 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTE Pro (DNF)
No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro (DNF)
2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 1st in GTE Am (Keating pole, Varrone fastest race lap)
2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 15th in LMGT3
No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 11th in LMGT3
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.
