{
  "id": 15056386,
  "title": "Two Amateurs Already Have Their 2027 Le Mans Tickets. Neither Is New to It.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/two-amateurs-already-have-their-2027-le-mans-tickets-neither-is-new",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-16T22:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/two-amateurs-already-2027-le-221500197.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Amateur drivers George Kurtz and Orey Fidani have already secured their tickets for the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans, despite not being new to the event. Both received their invitations due to their exceptional performances in the 2026 season. Kurtz won the Jim Trueman Award as the top-rated Bronze-rated driver in LMP2, while Fidani was named the winner of the Bob Akin Bronze Cup Award for the GTD category. These awards are given to the top-scoring Bronze-rated drivers in their respective classes. The Le Mans link is real and documented, with both winners having raced in Le Mans in previous years through their invitations. Kurtz has won the Trueman award twice, making him the first driver to do so. Fidani has won the Akin award three years in a row. The awards are given to the top-rated Bronze drivers in IMSA's two pro-am classes, as these drivers often provide the reason for the car's presence on the grid. IMSA hands out Le Mans tickets to amateurs as a way to reward them and ensure the viability of LMP2 and GTD in endurance racing.",
  "summary": "George Kurtz's second Jim Trueman Award and Orey Fidani's third straight Bob Akin Award come with driver-held invitations to Le Mans 2027, and they show who pays for pro-am racing. The post Two Amateurs Already Have Their 2027 Le Mans Tickets. Neither Is New to It. appeared first on Backfire Racing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}