AWA Secure Le Mans Invite, Rebranding To 13 Motorsports For 2026

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Although it didn't play out in the exact competitively-enduring method that they had hoped for in the spirit of competition, AWA will take it nonetheless. 

Going into the IMSA finale at Petit Le Mans, the Bob Akin Award was still up for grabs between the No. 13 AWA Corvette and the No. 70 Inception Racing Ferrari, with an automatic invite to Le Mans 2026 on the line. With just the two full-time participants in the season-long battle between GTD teams that run with a Bronze-rated driver, coupled with Inception's victory at the Battle of the Bricks for a huge points haul, the scenario for Saturday's race was simple - whichever car finished ahead of the other would win the Akin Award and thus punch their ticket to Circut de la Sarthe next June.

The potential to see a 10-hour battle play out came literally crashing down on the opening lap when Brendon Iribe smacked into the Conquest Ferrari for some Italian-on-Italian manufacturer crime, and in doing so immediately awarded the Akin Award to AWA before the action ever got off the ground.  

@motorsportmediahub A MASSIVE wreck on the opening lap as GTD cars wipe out going up through the esses 🤯 #IMSA #racing #motorsport #roadatlanta ♬ original sound - Motorsport Media Hub


With the No. 13's entry secured for Le Mans 2026, will we see them put together another bangin' livery like they did this past year? Let's hope so.


Not only that, AWA will go through an organizational reshuffling for 2026 as team owner and founder Andrew Wojteczko will be handing off the ownership reigns to driver Orey Fidani, while the team name will change from AWA to 13 Motorsports. A relocation to a new, bigger facility in Toronto is also part of the move, while Wojteczko will stay involved with the team in a consultative role. The driver lineup is already set in stone, too, as Fidani and veteran Matt Bell will return to serve as full-season drivers in their Corvette Z06 GT3.R, while Lars Kern is also confirmed to return as the third-man in for the Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. 

It's been a wild 10 months for AWA/13 Motorsports, and things are trending up for a team that was awarded the chance to run the new Corvette's on the IMSA grid and are taking full advantage of their opportunity. 

 

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