Pfaff Motorsports successfully completes 12 Hours of Sebring as long-distance test
March 17, 2024
Sebring, FL, March 17, 2024 – It was a race that was over essentially as soon as it started, as Pfaff Motorsports entered the 2024 IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring as title defenders, only to have their hopes all but slip away in a first-corner collision on lap one that saw the driveway.com McLaren 720S GT3 EVO forced into the garage to repair front and rear suspension damage.
Working feverishly, the Pfaff crew emerged from the garage 13 laps down – but determined to make the most out of its second outing in the all-new McLaren race car.
Putting in a fault-free performance, drivers Oliver Jarvis, Marvin Kirchhöfer, and endurance driver James Hinchcliffe pushed the pace of the 720S GT3 in an attempt to climb back into the points, only to have another collision and toe-link damage – this time at the rear – after contact on lap 78 of 293. The contact saw the driveway.com McLaren go behind the wall for another 22 minutes – putting the team down 23 laps, and all but ending their hopes of a strong points finish.
Despite the challenges, the Pfaff team saw the setback as a unique opportunity to use the remaining eight and a half hours to test its new McLaren in a full race-scenario, experimenting with setup and system changes, assessing pit stop procedures, and collecting critical data in an effort to battle for wins in the remaining rounds of the 2024 IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship.
Steve Bortolotti (general manager): “The race was essentially over before it finished with an incident in the first corner of the first lap, but being out of our control, it was great to use the remainder of the race as a test. We were really proud that the car ran without any issues throughout the race. The second contact was obviously not ideal, but it was great to learn the car and get a lot of testing miles under our belt, and we’ll regroup and be ready for Laguna.”
Marvin Kirchhöfer (driver): “Obviously it’s not the result we wanted, but hats off to the team once again - they’ve done an outstanding job considering where we started at Daytona - everything was fixed within one race. No issues on the car side here at Sebring, so kudos to the entire team. Obviously the contact on lap one was unlucky – Ollie [Jarvis] did everything right but just got collected by another car. Having to go back into the garage and then happening again with Hinch later, the team used the race as a test session. On the positive side, the work was all part of the progress for the team; getting used to the car, how each person developed themselves in those scenarios – I think that’s a very big positive note. Now looking forward to the next race at Laguna – we’re all looking forward to that, so I’m really proud for everyone here and taking that to the next race.”
James Hinchcliffe (driver): “Everybody knows this team doesn’t show up to the racetrack for anything but fighting for wins, but that said, there’s a lot we can take away from the weekend. The 720S had no issues, which speaks volumes to the effort that everyone at Pfaff and McLaren have put in since Daytona. All of our issues here were contact-induced, unfortunately, but it ended up being a productive day for us. We learned a lot from the engineering side, the mechanical side and the driving side, and I think every time we have a rough day at the track, it just fuels this team to come back stronger and fight for wins again, so everyone’s just heads down and working towards the next race.”
Pfaff Motorsports returns to action for the two-hour 40-minute sprint at Laguna Seca, taking place from May 10 to 12, 2024.
For further news, announcements and behind-the-scenes content regarding Pfaff Motorsports and the 2024 IMSA Weathertech season, follow @PfaffMotorsports on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and @PfaffMotorsport on X (twitter).
About Pfaff Motorsports
Pfaff Motorsports has established itself as one of the most successful sportscar racing programs in North America over the past decade. A professional team in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), it has established long-term partnerships with premium brands such as Lithia & Driveway, Motul, and the Automotive Owned Brands of Canadian Tire Corporation, and is one of the top-performing teams in the sport.
Pfaff Motorsports’ competition résumé includes historic victories and championships across multiple series. Since joining the top-tier IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2019, the team has won the prestigious 24 Hours of Daytona and twice at the 12 Hours of Sebring, in addition to being crowned the 2022 WeatherTech Championship GTD Pro class and 2021 GTD class champions. It has also won the 2018 GT World Challenge America championship and is a three-time Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada champion. For more information, please visit www.pfaffmotorsports.com.
Contact: Jordan Lenssen // info@pfaffmotorsports.com