Pfaff Motorsports moves up to IMSA pro class
GTD champions set on international category victory
There are two top-calibre sports car racing teams in Canada: Multimatic Motorsports of Markham and Pfaff Motorsports of Vaughan. Both teams adhere to the motto of the famous Roger Penske American racing team: effort equals results.
Today’s story is about Pfaff, which won the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD class a year ago. Earlier this month, Pfaff announced that it was moving up to the IMSA GTD Pro division with pretty much the same team but an all-new driver lineup.
Porsche works drivers Matt Campbell of Australia and Mathieu Jaminet of France will drive for the full season. Two-time IMSA DPi champion Felipe Nasr of Brazil will fill out the team for the four endurance races, one of which – the Rolex 24 at Daytona – will go to the post today.
Campbell, Jaminet and Nasr (on occasion) will be racing the No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which will once again be decked out in plaid livery (it gets cold in Canada; hence the plaid).
Considered one of the strongest driver lineups in the series, Campbell and Jaminet have an extensive history of working together and Formula One/GP2 veteran Nasr boasts one of the finest resumes of any driver in the championship. All have won WeatherTech races or IMSA classics in the past and Nasr won the DPi drivers’ championship in 2019 and 2020.
Moving up to the GTD Pro class, a big step, means they are in it to win it, said Pfaff general manager Steve Bortolotti, in an interview. “We’ve got a great team and a great driver lineup and amazing support from Porsche. Obviously, to have to compete against two-car teams that have the ability to split strategies is going to be a new challenge for us, but at the same time we’re very confident in ourselves as a team.
“Our move to GTD Pro signals Pfaff Motorsports’ commitment to become an elite privateer effort, worthy of factory consideration for future opportunities. We are appreciative of Porsche’s support with factory drivers Matt, Mathieu, and Felipe. They have a proven track record of success individually, and we look forward to working with them and seeing how they gel this season.
“I don’t like to be too bullish because, in racing, anything can happen, but I certainly think we have as good a shot as anybody at winning a championship.”
Bortolotti has his fingers crossed that IMSA will be able to run a race in Canada this season after being kept out the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There will be a big problem if we can’t (race),” he said.
“Sponsorship often depends on where the races are held,” he said. “Nobody will ask for their money back, but it might be harder to get in the future. And that’s what we’re concerned about. In 2020, everybody was understanding, and they were still understanding in 2021. Now, with the border being open – and the health and safety of Canadians is very important to all of us – we really hope that we’ll be able to run a race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.”