New crew, new car but unchanged ambitions for Pfaff Motorsports

Pfaff Motorsports will experience a season full of new features in 2023. This season, the Canadian team will experience several changes, starting with its crew. Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Felipe Nasr being retained by Porsche in the GTP line-up with the new LMDh, the structure based in Vaughan (Canada) will rely on Klaus Bachler, Patrick Pilet and Laurens Vanthoor this season. The last two mentioned return to the Canadian house after their first stint with Pfaff Motorsports between 2020 and 2021.

“We did everything we could to ensure we had the best possible drivers in our car last season and they knew they only had one year before their opportunity with LMDh came in 2023, said Steve Bortolotti, general manager of Pfaff Motorsports. “And I can say that we couldn't be more excited about our driver team for 2023. The driver team we have now is, we hope, a pair that we can keep together for a long time. »

Pfaff Motorsports discovering the new Porsche 911 GT3 R

New crew, but also new car. Crowned champion in the GTD-Pro category last year, Pfaff Motorsports will have a new weapon at its disposal to defend its title: the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), which takes over from the previous generation. Victorious 5 times in 2022 – a co-record in the category, including successes at Daytona and Laguna Sega – the No. 911 Porsche 3 GT9 R had an exceptional year. A third consecutive title is a goal that this organization believes it is fully capable of achieving. “For us, it’s something we stay focused on every day, added Bortolotti. We know we have put a big target on our back for our competitors. But that doesn’t change our desire to repeat our feat. »

A few days before the first meeting of the season, at the 24 Hours of Daytona (January 28-29), it is therefore a total reset for Pfaff Motorsport which, in addition to its GTD-Pro title, wants to achieve the pass of two in Florida. Ironically, it was Laurens Vanthoor – in a competing Porsche – who challenged the Pfaff Motorsports team in an intense battle to the checkered flag for victory last year. “We have a lot of fun with this, confided Steve Bortolotti, who wants to maintain a good relationship between his drivers and his team. A few times a year we bring everyone together to stay friends, not just teammates. » It remains to be seen whether Pfaff Motorsports will have the chemistry to hold the position of reigning champion… and the main favorite to keep it. 

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