Ferriol Considering 24H Le Mans Bid With Akin Award

Photo: Team Hardpoint

Team Hardpoint owner/driver Rob Ferriol is considering taking up his auto-invite from winning IMSA’s Bob Akin Award to compete in next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ferriol clinched the season-long award in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, finishing ahead of John Potter and Richard Heistand in the GT Daytona class standings.

While set for a overhaul in 2022 that will become known as the Akin Bronze Cup award, Ferriol said he will “absolutely pursue” a Le Mans effort next year “if the right opportunity exists.”

Sportscar365 understands that preliminary discussions with Porsche have already been initiated although the current status is unclear.

“Coming into this, we knew it was our first full season and in a new car coming back to Porsche, so we knew we had a steep hill to climb,” Ferriol said. “But we knew that the Bob Akin award was an achievable goal for us to set.

“I’m elated that we were able to achieve that. I have to thank Katherine and Andrew, who came in for the long races, and most of all thank the team for all the work they put in each and every weekend.

“Ultimately, if the right opportunity exists to go to Le Mans, I will absolutely pursue it.”

Ben Keating, who won the Jim Trueman Award in LMP2, is set to not take up his auto-invite to Le Mans as the Texan will return to the FIA World Endurance Championship full-time with TF Sport.

That means IMSA will likely give its second auto-invite out “at large” to an interested seres participant.

The sanctioning body’s new-for-2022 third invite, meanwhile, has gone to Gar Robinson, the class champion of the LMP3 class, for use in LMP2.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John