Pfaff Motorsports will revert to its previous red and black plaid livery for the Canadian team’s home race this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport).
The Pfaff “lumberjack” livery which adorned its previous fleet of Porsche 911 GT3 Rs from 2019 to 2023 will now be worn on the team’s #9 McLaren GT3 EVO driven by Oliver Jarvis and Marvin Kirchhöfer, to the delight of the Toronto-based team’s supporters on both sides of the border and beyond.
Pfaff’s previous look was originally the idea of Marketing Director Laurence Yap. On Boxing Day 2018, the team had just received its new car with only days to go until they were meant to head to Daytona for their first-ever Roar Before the 24 test. As Pfaff’s crew rushed to prepare the car, Yap looked around, noticed all of his crew members wearing plaid flannel shirts – and, suggested that the car should be wrapped in a similar pattern.
Originally meant as a humorous, one-off design, Pfaff plaid would stick around as the team’s signature livery for the next five seasons. In that time, Pfaff won two IMSA class championships (2021 GTD and 2022 GTD Pro), and among its 12 total victories include two class wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring (2021, 2023), and GTD Pro top honours at the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona.
This year, Pfaff Motorsports changed manufacturers from Porsche to McLaren and also changed its primary livery at the behest of its new partner – the plaid pattern remained, but the red was replaced with Papaya Orange.
Jarvis and Kirchhöfer’s fortunes have been mixed this year: They’ve driven the #9 Pfaff McLaren to two runner-up finishes this season at Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen, but have also suffered two retirements (Daytona and Detroit) and finished 40 laps down at Sebring. Pfaff is currently 238 points behind GTD Pro points leaders AO Racing, Laurin Heinrich and Seb Priaulx with five races remaining including Sunday’s race at CTMP.
Images © Pfaff Motorsports / Jason Dakins (DakinsDesign.com)
