Early end at Long Beach after bizarre incident strikes Pfaff Motorsports
April 11, 2022
After showing promise for a podium finish at the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Pfaff Motorsports fell victim to an unusual pit lane incident that ended the team’s race prematurely.
Entering the weekend as IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class leaders, the No. 9 Driveway Porsche 911 GT3 R qualified second for Saturday’s 100-minute race. Mathieu Jaminet held the spot throughout his stint and with an hour remaining, brought the car to the pits to swap seats with co-driver Matt Campbell.
However, midway through the stop, a flying wheel nut from another competitor flew into the Pfaff pit box and through the Porsche’s radiator housing. Still spinning quickly after having been removed by a 14,000-rpm wheel gun, the wheel nut punctured the radiator. The team quickly spotted leaking water before Campbell pulled away and was forced to retire the car. The competitor was issued a drive-through penalty afterwards.
The fifth-place finish at Long Beach moves Pfaff Motorsports to second in the championship standings, less than three weeks ahead of the fourth round of the season at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. That race, the two-hour, 40-minute Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul, is scheduled for Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT and can be watched live on NBC Network.
In the meantime, follow along with Pfaff Motorsports throughout the season on the team’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
Driver Quotes:
Matt Campbell: “What can I say, it was one of the weirdest DNFs of my racing career thus far. Obviously, Mathieu had a fantastic start. We were a solid P2 only a few seconds behind the Corvette and then in our pit stop, everything was going smoothly with the driver change and the crew was doing a phenomenal job once again. Every stop this year has been flawless. Unfortunately, this time a rogue wheel nut rolled down pit lane, flew up and hit our car and went into our front radiator area which caused the puncture. Once I started the engine and pressure was going through the system, water was coming out and we weren’t able to continue, which is a big shame. It was an easy loss of points there and I think we really had a chance for at least a solid P2. But nevertheless, it wasn’t meant to be and we’ll try again in Laguna Seca in a few weeks.”
Mathieu Jaminet: “Of course, it was a disappointing end to the weekend. We had a clean run until that and the car was spot on. The team did an amazing job, it was the third race in a row where I think we really performed and maximized the performance. I guess this would’ve been a nice P2 for us without the incident in pit lane. It’s just super unfortunate, I’m really disappointed and also losing the championship lead due to that. We’ll take the positives – the car is good, the team is doing great – we’ll bounce back in Laguna Seca in two weeks.”
For high-resolution imagery and video from the Grand Prix of Long Beach and throughout the season, please click here with credit to Pfaff Motorsports/Lenssen Photo.
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 2021 WeatherTech Championship GTD 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.
About Lithia & Driveway (LAD)
LAD is a growth company focused on profitably consolidating the largest retail sector in North America through providing personal transportation solutions wherever, whenever, and however consumers desire.
Sites
www.lithiainvestorrelations.com
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https://www.facebook.com/LithiaMotors
https://www.facebook.com/DrivewayHQ
Lithia & Driveway on Twitter
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