Pfaff Motorsports has announced it will contest the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a single McLaren 720S GT3 Evo in 2024 in the GTD Pro class.
The team moves from a relationship with Porsche and will be a McLaren manufacturer-nominated entrant as it pursues a third championship in the series in six years in the championship, after taking the 2021 GTD and 2022 GTD Pro class titles. The driver line-up has yet to be finalised.
The switch from Porsche comes after an, at times, frustrating season for Pfaff with the somewhat troubled Type 992 911 GT3.R with the Pfaff Motorsports entry marking McLaren’s first full season in the WeatherTech Championship GTD Pro class.
Pfaff has a long history with the McLaren brand. Pfaff Automotive Partners is the official importer for McLaren in Canada, and owns and operates McLaren retail locations in Toronto and Vancouver. The company has co-created two special-edition vehicles for Canada with McLaren Special Operations and has also won the McLaren Retailer of the Year award.
Lithia Motors Inc., the parent company of the Pfaff dealerships and title partner Driveway.com, also has a global footprint with the brand, and owns several McLaren retail points in the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Pfaff and McLaren are no strangers to on-track success. McLaren Toronto general manager Chris Green has driven a 570S GT4 in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series, and Pfaff Motorsports also raced a 570S GT4 to win the 2022 FEL Sports Car Championship Canada GT4 Class in 2022 with Zachary Vanier (seen below).
The GTD Pro effort is also set to see links with the North American McLaren retail network with on-event activation featuring with both Lithia Motors-run and other road car and Motorsport dealers. It will however see the end, for now at least, to another part of the team’s on-track identity in recent seasons. The McLaren will not be wearing the ‘Plaid’ livery that has featured on the team’s Porsches!
“Pfaff has been proud to represent McLaren in Canada since 2012; our partnership with the brand has spanned road and track for many years,” said Chris Pfaff, Pfaff Automotive Partners President and CEO.
“Adopting the 720S GT3 Evo platform for the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship demonstrates our confidence in McLaren as a business, a racing partner, and retail partner. We’re excited about the future of the McLaren brand, and excited to be part of building that future with them.”
“We are delighted to have Pfaff Motorsports onboard as one of our racing partners,” added Ian Morgan, director of motorsport, McLaren Automotive. “The IMSA series is one of the highest-profile GT championships in the world, and to be working with a team with whom we have a strong and established history, both on and off the race track, is fantastic news. We look forward to supporting the team with their GTD Pro campaign and building on the strong relationship, as well as the McLaren brand in North America.”
“Pfaff Motorsports is proud to partner with McLaren in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starting in 2024 – and we want to make the latest chapter in McLaren’s iconic racing history an exciting one,” said Pfaff Motorsports General Manager Steve Bortolotti.
“We look forward to building an increased presence at IMSA events with them next season, and sharing the thrill of sportscar racing with their passionate road car customers at the track and at their retail stores.”
