Pfaff Motorsports celebrates 50th IMSA race at CTMP; McLaren team takes sixth and celebrates 60 years of Pfaff in front of hometown crowd
July 15, 2024
Bowmanville, ON, July 15, 2024 – It was a hometown race and cause for celebration on a number of fronts, as Pfaff Motorsports returned for its annual visit to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The race marked the team’s 50th IMSA WeatherTech race since joining the series in 2019, and July is also the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Pfaff dealership group in 1964. In front of a celebratory and plaid-adorned crowd, the team had, for the first time this season, a McLaren 720S GT3 EVO to match.
As part of its homecoming celebrations, and much to the elation of the team’s fans, Pfaff returned to its IMSA roots with a special livery for Canadian Tire’s Motomaster brand, bringing back the red and black plaid that the team wore on its debut in the series in 2019.
Coming off a number of strong performances including a second-place finish at the Watkins Glen 6-hour race in June, the team appeared set for another impressive performance with drivers Oliver Jarvis (UK) and Marvin Kirchhöfer (GER) at the iconic 3.957-km (2.459 mi) circuit.
The team made progress throughout the weekend, besting their position each session and qualifying seventh ahead of Sunday’s two-hour and 40-minute sprint.
A packed crowd saw the McLaren squad jump two spots into fifth by just lap two, but an early yellow on lap 19 saw the entire field dive into the pits – kicking off a sportscar shuffle that continued throughout the race. Battling back from seventh once again, Kirchhöfer continued to challenge the no. 23 Aston Martin before pitting on lap 63 to hand the car to Jarvis.
Unfortunately, that move was negated when a seized wheel lug led to a prolonged stop, dropping the team back and leaving Jarvis to fight harder to regain on the field. Racing clean for the remainder of the race, Jarvis was able to catch up to the field and finish in sixth, where the squad took valuable points in a race that once again displayed the team’s resilience in the face of adversity.
Marvin Kirchhöffer (driver): “We had a good start and made some positions very early, sticking with the pack, which wasn’t easy. We’ve been lacking some pace but the car felt quite good from a balance point. Unfortunately we had a long pit stop with an issue with the front right which definitely cost us, and from there we were just trying to stay out of trouble and overtake some back markers who didn’t make it easy for us. We maximized our result with a P6. It’s definitely not the result we wanted – we were aiming for more here at our home race, but we’ll analyze the data to understand where we need to improve. I’m very optimistic we’ll figure it out and look to fight again at Road America.”
Oliver Jarvis (driver): “It was definitely a tough weekend. We arrived here expecting much more – being our home event we would’ve loved to have gotten the win or even fight for a podium, but we didn’t quite have the pace this time. I think we made improvements throughout the weekend, but combined with the pit stop issue, it wasn’t quite enough in the end. It was a difficult weekend and disappointing to come away with a P6, especially with the amazing support we’ve had from fans and sponsors – that’s been the real positive for me, seeing the fan base that Pfaff Motorsports has. But we definitely have some work to do before we get back to it at Road America.”
Capturing 274 points at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Pfaff currently sits seventh in the GTD Pro standings, just 11 points back from fifth position. The team returns to the championship battle at the IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America from August 1 to 4, 2024.
For event information stay tuned to Pfaff Motorsports web and social media pages, and IMSA.com.
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