AWA Racing #13's team and drivers celebrate their victory in the GTD class category in the Daytona Rolex 24. (X/@AWARacing)
A local team from Caledon, Ontario has sped on to the world racing stage by winning the GTD category in one of the most prestigious races in all of motorsports.
AWA Racing is a Canadian team running in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Starting in 2017, they have risen through the ranks to race in IMSA. The preparation for this race and moment has been a long time coming.
“I think the preparation for this race really started a year ago when we rolled out with this car last year at Daytona and it became clear that we were not where we needed to be.” said AWA Racing team owner Andrew Wojteczko.
“The competition level, especially in GTD classes, it’s really competitive. A lot of teams that show up are capable of winning that race.” said Wojteczko.
AWA Racing won the GTD category, which is one of four categories present at the race. The overall winner was won by a car built with much higher specifications and upgrades. This creates another obstacle as cars will be going at different speeds based on their category, which can be a hazard with large speed differences between drivers.
Wojteczko isn’t the only one who thinks the stiff competition and long hours make the race uniquely challenging for its competitors.
“The Daytona 24, at least in my opinion, is America’s answer to say the Nürburgring 24, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Spa and there’s no better place to hold the biggest endurance race in America!” said Brayden Fletcher, a local motorsports enthusiast from London, Ontario. Fletcher also has a unique perspective. He is involved with local tracks like London’s closest, Deleware Speedway, and has helped broadcast some races in the past.
He thinks that this win will help showcase Canadian Motorsports to a more global audience.
“I think this win shines a light on Canadian motorsports. Much like Jacques Villeneuve did in ’95 at the Indy 500, or in ’97 when he beat Michael Schumacher for the F1 title.” said Fletcher.
The team is located in Caledon, Ontario about a two hours drive from London, Ontario. An odd spot in a series with a majority of teams centered in the United States but Wojteczko saw no issue.
“I mean that’s, that’s where I’m, you know, born and raised. The Championship is largely focused on the East Coast, so even though we’re north of the border, travel-wise, it’s still quite reasonable for us.”
AWA Racing #13 racing at Daytona. (X/@AWARacing)
In terms of winning at Daytona, it is one of the hardest things to do according to both Fletcher and Wojteczko.
“This race is unbelievably challenging to win. You have to have a perfect 24 hours.” said Fletcher.
And it seems that’s what happened for AWA Racing.
“When you’re able to put it all together and avoid trouble on track for 24 hours, and you know everything that can go wrong. There are a thousand ways to lose an IMSA race. But there’s been a lot of Canadian success in this in this championship despite maybe being seen as the underdogs.” Wojteczko said.
AWA Racing looks to continue its success in IMSA at the 12 hours of Sebring in March.
