Orey Fidani, Matthew Bell, Anthony Mantella and Nico Varrone All Raced for the Team This Season
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As AWA undertakes a customer racing program with Corvette in the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class, the driver lineup will highly resemble the one the team fielded to compete in Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) in 2023.
Orey Fidani and Matthew Bell will share one of the team’s new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs, with Anthony Mantella and Nico Varrone in the other. Bell and Fidani finished third in the LMP3 standings this season, just ahead of Mantella and co-driver Wayne Boyd.
“Stepping up into the GTD class is both a very exciting and intense feeling,” said Fidani, who’s been with AWA since 2019. “The competition at this level is world class and features some of the best racing drivers in motorsports. All eyes will be on us, and I have full confidence in this team and this program. I’m thrilled to be working with (team owner and technical director) Andrew Wojteczko and Matt Bell again. We’ve proven that this program has what it takes to fight for wins and I can’t wait to enter this next chapter with Corvette.”
Mantella and Varrone opened the 2023 LMP3 season by winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona along with Boyd and fourth driver Thomas Merrill. Mantella and Boyd also captured the class win at Indianapolis in September. Now, Mantella turns his attention to driving the latest racing version of the iconic Corvette.
“It’s an honor to be driving a Corvette, this is a unique and rare opportunity that I feel very privileged to be a part of,” Mantella said. “Corvette’s worldwide customer program is a trusted network, and it was a very easy decision to make after having worked with Chevrolet in the past. The advanced engineering and high level of professionalism that they bring to the racing scene is unprecedented. I want to express my gratitude to Andrew Wojteczko and everyone at Chevy Motorsports and Corvette for this one-of-a-kind opportunity.”
Varrone, in addition to his IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup duties with AWA, was a member of the Corvette Racing team that has already clinched the LMGTE Am class championship in the FIA World Endurance Championship with a race to go. Varrone and Corvette co-drivers Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg won their class in June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I’m very excited to be announced as a full season driver for AWA,” echoed Nico Varrone. “It’s been a great first season together with some highlights, including winning the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and I can’t wait to get my first laps under my belt in the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. I’m looking forward to this next season and I can’t wait to race for victories with Anthony Mantella.”