Pfaff Motorsports steals improbable victory at Sebring
March 20, 2023
Sebring, FL. (March 19, 2023) – The cards were stacked against Pfaff Motorsports for this past weekend’s Twelve Hours of Sebring, but the team gambled big and won big, emerging as victors of the classic endurance race for the second time in three years.
Coming off a fifth-place finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January, the No. 9 Driveway Porsche 911 GT3 R was expected to still be off the pace compared to other competitors in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro class. Additionally, a large impact with the tire barriers during Friday’s qualifying session found the plaid-clad crew making repairs early into the morning of race day.
However, the team took a page from its winning ways in 2021 to start from the back of the pack and come out on top by day’s end. Pfaff’s win will also go down in the record books as the first for the new-for-2023, 992-generation race car.
The trio of Pfaff Motorsports drivers – Klaus Bachler, Laurens Vanthoor and Patrick Pilet – each played a role in the team’s victory. Bachler, making his first start at the Twelve Hours, expertly avoided a handful of incidents at the start of the race – even on the first lap by mere inches – to keep the car clean during each of his stints.
Vanthoor, part of Pfaff’s winning effort in 2021, faced some of the fiercest battles of the day to gain on-track position and powered through a double duty weekend with Porsche, having also competed in the FIA WEC 1000 Miles of Sebring the day prior.
It was the Frenchman, Patrick Pilet, though, who managed to stretch one tank of fuel for one hour, 51 minutes to keep the Driveway Porsche out of the pits and atop the leaderboard. The team bet on multiple cautions as the clock wound down and implemented a fuel-save strategy to outlast the quicker competitors. A multi-car incident with 20 minutes left in the race all but sealed the team’s fate, and Pilet was given the green light to sprint to the checkered flag during the last five minutes of action.
Pfaff Motorsports moves up to third in the GTD Pro championship standings ahead of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 14 – 16. The 100-minute sprint race is scheduled for Saturday, April 15 at 5:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. PT.
For high-resolution imagery and video from the Twelve Hours of Sebring and throughout the 2023 season, please click here with credit to Pfaff Motorsports/Lenssen Photo. Updates from Pfaff Motorsports can be followed on the team’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
Team Quotes:
Klaus Bachler: “I’m out of words, honestly. After qualifying where I made a minor mistake, lost the car and hit the barriers, it was really hard for the whole team and especially myself. It was the worst thing you can have in qualifying, but the team did an amazing job and repaired the car. I’m so happy that we could race today. We just bet on a strategy that worked out fully for us and the team is just so good in all these kinds of things – strategy, pit stops. We made zero mistakes. We bet, we were lucky, but in the end, we won the race. After yesterday, it is really a rollercoaster and I’m super happy and proud to be part of this team.”
Patrick Pilet: “For me, it was really emotional. My last time here was four years ago and I got a chance from Porsche to be with the Pfaff team this year. They trusted me from the first day. We’ve really become friends, like family. We had so much disappointment after Daytona, but it was not our fault. We had a perfect race and we’re right here with a perfect attitude, good atmosphere, good mood.
“We managed to win the race by being clearly not the fastest, and just because a complete group of people believe in us, believe in hard work and give 100 percent. At the end, for sure it was a gamble, we needed a yellow to be sure to finish. It was a risk only this team can take. It wasn’t even a risk, I feel so safe and so much support from the team on the pit stand. It was a group of friends working altogether and it paid off. I’m super happy.”
Laurens Vanthoor: “It’s a bit surreal because I showed up this morning at 6:30 after being involved in the Porsche LMDh WEC program (during the week). The guys briefed me, gave us a good car and when it got dark, the car came alive and we were quick. We had a great strategy and we won against what we expected. But it shows the strength of the team, which they’ve showed a lot of times in the past and will continue to show.”
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, the Automotive Owned Brands of Canadian Tire Corporation, 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