| Two Years after Missing Nearly the Entire Season, the No. 9 Plaid Porsche Takes a Second Straight Championship October 11, 2022By Mark RobinsonIMSA Wire Service  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – To truly appreciate the significance of Pfaff Motorsports’ championship this year in the new GTD PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, it requires a visit back to 2020.At that time, Pfaff found itself on the outside looking in. After an impressive debut in the GT Daytona (GTD) class the prior year, winning two races and finishing third in the championship, 2020 became the season that wasn’t for the Canadian team. Limited by border travel restrictions during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, Pfaff competed in just two races that year. Despite the uncertainties of their future, team owner Chris Pfaff and general manager Steve Bortolotti committed to keeping the team intact through that difficult period. “Chris and myself and everyone at Pfaff made a point to take care of the people,” Bortolotti said. “If they went and found (other) work, great. If they didn’t, we agreed to kind of take care of people during that whole situation as promised. I clearly believe that went a long way to retaining so many staff members that we invested a lot of time and money into.” The investment paid off handsomely. The No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R won the GTD championship in 2021 with homegrown talent Zacharie Robichon and Porsche standout Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel. Stepping up to the GTD PRO class that replaced GT Le Mans (GTLM) this year, Pfaff received added Porsche support that included factory drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet.  The result was such a complete meshing of talent and desire that led to five wins, four additional podium finishes and a runaway to the class titles for drivers, team and manufacturer.“It’s been a really impressive year for the team,” Bortolotti said. “The pieces of the puzzle were all just there and building, and everyone on the team has this mentality of just be better than you were yesterday. That’s something culture-wise that we instill in the team: Be better than you were yesterday and good things will come.” They were good from the first day of 2022, providing one of the most lasting memories of the year in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Fighting for the GTD PRO win with another Porsche – the No. 2 KCMG entry, ironically with Vanthoor at the wheel – an epic battle ensued over the final half hour. There were several side-by-side skirmishes, the final one through the Le Mans Chicane in the closing minutes. Vanthoor lost control of the No. 2 and spun, allowing Jaminet and the plaid Pfaff Porsche to drive away to victory. “What a crazy fight with Laurens!” Jaminet exclaimed. “We all know how good he is, one of the best GT drivers out there in the world. We had a great fight. It was sometimes on the limit, maybe even over. The last chicane was kind of crazy. For us, we made it, so I’m really pleased.” The thrilling victory put the No. 9 atop the standings early, surrendering the points lead only briefly after one of the most unusual – and once again memorable – occurrences of the season. Dueling with the No. 3 Corvette for the lead midway into the third race of the season at Long Beach, the two cars made simultaneous pit stops. As Jaminet sat in the Pfaff Porsche awaiting fuel and tire service, a wheel nut off the Corvette pitted directly behind came loose from the crewman’s pneumatic gun. The nut flew over the top of the Porsche, landed on its hood and dropped into the radiator entry, causing a small puncture and leak that finished the No. 9’s race. The freak accident just delayed the inevitable. Jaminet and Campbell won the next race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to regain the points lead and they never finished off the podium the rest of the season.  “It’s been incredible and it’s not very often that seasons like this happen that it follows the plan,” Jaminet said. “For us, it worked like in a dream. It was a really good surprise that it worked with the team and it went so well.”Working together for the first time, Jaminet and Campbell became fast friends. “It’s like he is my brother,” Jaminet said. The season also served as the next step in their evolution as top-notch Porsche talent. They’ve already been designated to drive one of the Porsche 963 LMDh prototypes that will compete in the WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class and FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class starting next season. “They’re a special pairing,” admitted Bortolotti. “I’m convinced that when their careers are done, they’ll go down as one of the most iconic driver pairings of all time. They’re truly and genuinely friends away from the racetrack. They do everything together and their trust in each other from a performance standpoint and on a personal level is just really incredible. “All our drivers in the past have got along, but to this extent and to their level of friendship and the ability to work together is just unbelievable.” |
