AWA Racing has experienced a setback in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as Anthony Mantella has left the team, leaving them with only one entrant, the #13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. The #17 car, which was one of the two new Corvette entries in the GTD category, faced significant reliability issues at the 24 Hours of Daytona and suffered an alternator failure at the recent 12 Hours of Sebring. These problems resulted in the car not finishing either race, completing just two laps at Sebring. Despite this setback, AWA Racing has confirmed that the #13 car will continue as planned and will compete in the upcoming round in Long Beach.
Anthony Mantella, the owner of the #17 Corvette, was joined by Thomas Merrill, Nico Varrone, and Charlie Eastwood at Sebring. However, Mantella has now put the teal blue and red/white striped #17 Corvette up for sale on Instagram, describing it as “Used very infrequently” and highlighting that it “Hasn’t finished a race.” He also mentioned that the car is a collector’s item and a rare find for the public.
As a result of Mantella’s departure, the #13 Corvette will be driven by Matt Bell and Orey Fidani for the entire season, with Lars Kern joining them for the Endurance Cup rounds. The next race on the IMSA schedule is the Grand Prix of Long Beach, which will take place on April 20th. This race will feature a 1-hour and 40-minute sprint race exclusively for GTP and GTD cars on the street circuit.