Pfaff Motorsports to be inducted into Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame

February 16, 2023

TORONTO (February 16, 2023) – On Wednesday, Pfaff Motorsports was announced as an inductee into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame (CMHF) Class of 2022.

The CMHF recognizes efforts, achievements and contributions made by Canadians in the country’s motorsports landscape, and will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a induction gala ceremony on Saturday, February 25.

Previous inductees include Canadian Competitors such as Gilles and son Jacques Villeneuve, Ron Fellows, and Richard Spenard; Motorsport Builders such as President of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), Myles Brandt; International Contributors such as Multimatic Motorsports, Inc.; and many others across the sport. Pfaff Motorsports’ Team Owner Chris Pfaff was inducted as a Significant Contributor to Canadian Motorsports as part of the Class of 2016. 

Pfaff Motorsports’ racing history dates back to the beloved Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs (CASC) Rothmans Porsche Challenge in the 1980s, in which the Ontario-based team won the 1988 Rothmans Porsche 944 Turbo Cup Series title with fellow Hall-of-Famer Scott Goodyear.

The following decade, the Pfaff organization directed its efforts towards the Firestone Firehawk Series and beginning in the 2000s, extended its name in support of the Sunoco Ron Fellows Karting Championship Pfaff Pole Awards. To this day, Pfaff Motorsports remains active in the Canadian karting community as a multi-year sponsor of the Pfaff High Performer Award, recognizing the top Junior and Senior drivers on race day throughout the season.

In 2014, Pfaff Motorsports became its own racing entity alongside the Pfaff group of auto dealerships. The team quickly found success in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada series, winning three titles before venturing south of the Canadian border to compete in the United States.

In 2018, Pfaff Motorsports claimed the GT World Challenge America championship, before ascending into North America’s top-tier sports car series, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Since joining the IMSA ranks, Pfaff Motorsports supported Canadian driver Zacharie Robichon’s successful WeatherTech Sprint Cup campaign in 2019 and won the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech Championship GTD season-long championship after the coronavirus pandemic unfortunately halted its efforts the year prior.

Currently, Pfaff Motorsports contests the 2023 season as defending GTD Pro class champions in its No. 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R, and has added historic wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring to its résumé, in addition to a hometown victory at CTMP last July.

The Class of 2022 induction gala will take place at the John Bassett Theatre, one day before the 2023 Canadian International AutoShow concludes at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. At the AutoShow – which marks its 50th anniversary and sees more than 300,000 visitors over the course of the event – Pfaff will have a display featuring McLaren and Ferrari roadgoing cars from McLaren Toronto and Pfaff Tuning, plus Pfaff Motorsports’ two-time IMSA championship-winning Porsche 911 GT3 R. The AutoShow opens its doors this Friday, February 17.

Quotes:

Chris Pfaff: “Almost from the start, motorsports has been key to building the Pfaff brand. It’s a lifelong personal passion, it’s always been an important component of our marketing, and has constantly helped attract the best people to our organization. Our collective spirit of continuous improvement and desire to achieve is at its best on-track, and we are honored to stand alongside so many great individuals and organizations that have made Canada such a leader in our sport.”

Steve Bortolotti: “It’s an honor to have the team be inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame. It’s a huge accomplishment for the team and it’s a big sense of pride for how many people have been with the team from the start, not just myself but others with a long tenure who have helped us get here. It’s great to be recognized as a group for everyone’s accomplishments and I hope that we can continue to build off this success. Our story is certainly not done being written, but hopefully we can continue to make fans of Canadian motorsport proud for many years to come.”

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 Hagerty, and is one of the top-performing Porsche customer racing 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 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. 

Pfaff Motorsports Contact: Jennifer Klein // jklein@pfaffmotorsports.com