Pfaff Motorsports Bio
Pfaff Motorsports is a Canadian sports car racing team based in Toronto and led by Chris Pfaff as president and CEO. The team traces its roots to the H.J. Pfaff Motors dealership founded in 1964 and has evolved into a factory-aligned competitor in major North American GT championships. Under general manager Steve Bortolotti, Pfaff has campaigned Porsche machinery across national one-make series and progressed to full-season entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Early Life and Background
The Pfaff racing effort grew from a family automotive business established by Hans J. Pfaff in 1964. The Pfaff group added Porsche to its dealership lineup in 1966, creating a long-standing connection between the organization and the Porsche brand. Chris Pfaff, son of Hans J. Pfaff, assumed control of the business operations and later guided the motorsport activities, building a program that combined dealer resources with professional racing development.
Based in Toronto, Pfaff Motorsports developed its identity through national and regional Cup-class programs and collaboration with factory programs. The distinctive plaid livery became an identifying graphic for the team and a central element of its public profile, originating from workshop culture and carried into major event entries.
Path to MotorSports
Pfaff established its competitive presence in one-make Porsche series, campaigning a Porsche 944 in the Rothmans Porsche Challenge in the 1980s and later fielding entries in the Porsche GT3 Cup Canada environment. The team nurtured drivers through national Cup competition and supported talent moving into higher categories. Pfaff combined commercial operations with a motorsport division to provide coaching, car preparation and race program management.
By the 2010s the team broadened its program to include multiple domestic series and invited factory support on selected entries. This pathway led Pfaff from national Cup racing and the Pirelli World Challenge into international endurance competition under the IMSA umbrella, establishing Pfaff as a consistent presence in North American GT racing.
Pfaff Motorsports Career
Early Career (1964–2011)
Pfaff’s motorsport lineage is rooted in the family automotive business founded in 1964, with early competitive activity visible in the Rothmans Porsche Challenge of the 1980s. The team campaigned a Porsche 944 in the inaugural Rothmans Porsche Challenge and secured notable results across that one-make series through the late 1980s. Scott Goodyear won the Rothmans Porsche Challenge drivers’ title for the team in 1988, marking a prominent early success on Pfaff’s racing record.
Over subsequent decades Pfaff competed in series focused on Cup-class Porsche machinery and national touring categories. The organization operated across Canadian racing platforms, building race preparation capabilities and driver development programs that bridged showroom operations and trackside competition.
Porsche GT Cup and National Series Breakthrough (2012–2019)
In the 2010s Pfaff became active in the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Canada championship and related Porsche one-make series, fielding entries from 2012 until that domestic Cup program concluded. The team supported established and rookie drivers in the Porsche ladder and earned a reputation for professional car preparation and results in Cup-class racing.
Pfaff also entered the Pirelli World Challenge in 2018 with factory-supported drivers and technical backing from Porsche Motorsport North America. The program included GT4 and GT3-class activities and served as a transition platform for Pfaff to increase its international involvement. The team combined driver coaching and operational support with a stable technical staff that later underpinned its IMSA campaign.
IMSA SportsCar Championship Era (2019–2023)
Pfaff joined the IMSA SportsCar Championship full-season effort in 2019, campaigning a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the GT classes and expanding into endurance events such as the 24 Hours of Daytona. The entry into IMSA represented the team’s step up to a manufacturer-level GT3 program in North America, leveraging prior one-make experience and factory relationships.
The team continued to compete through varied event calendars and weathered disruption to the 2020 campaign caused by the global pandemic, maintaining presence at marquee rounds including Daytona and Petit Le Mans when possible. Pfaff’s IMSA participation brought the plaid livery to international endurance events and aligned the team with a mixture of professional and factory drivers across endurance and sprint formats.
McLaren Transition (2023–2024)
On October 9, 2023, Pfaff announced a manufacturer switch to McLaren, entering the GTD Pro class with a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo as an official manufacturer-nominated entry. The move included a revised livery approach that incorporated a subdued or “ghost plaid” treatment blended with McLaren’s papaya and blue color cues. The McLaren relationship represented Pfaff’s continued strategy of collaborating with major GT manufacturers to remain competitive in top-tier IMSA classes.
Pfaff Lamborghini Era (2025–Present)
In 2025 Pfaff Motorsports purchased a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 to continue competition in the GTD Pro class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. With the switch to Lamborghini the team reverted to its full plaid livery, applying the visual motif to the new machinery as it pursued GTD Pro class results. The 2025 manufacturer move underscores Pfaff’s adaptability and sustained commitment to factory-aligned GT competition.
Driving Style and Strengths
Pfaff’s strengths derive from long-term manufacturer relationships, professional car preparation and an emphasis on combining experienced factory drivers with coaching for developing talent. The team has demonstrated particular competence in endurance race logistics and chassis setup for GT3 machinery, and it relies on a stable management core that includes Chris Pfaff and general manager Steve Bortolotti.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones include Scott Goodyear’s Rothmans Porsche Challenge championship for the team in 1988, the multi-year campaign in Porsche one-make Cup series, full-season entry into the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2019 and multiple marque transitions culminating in the 2025 Lamborghini program. Pfaff’s 24 Hours of Daytona entries and its visually distinctive plaid liveries have become signature elements of the team’s public identity.
Pfaff Motorsports Career Wins
Pfaff’s verified competitive achievements span national one-make championships and class-level titles, along with event-level successes through its GT Cup and touring car programs. The team’s wins and titles are anchored by early one-make championships and later class successes in Canadian national competition, and Pfaff’s endurance event participations reflect its progression into IMSA-level competition.
Porsche One-Make and National Series Highlights
The team’s early high point came with Scott Goodyear’s Rothmans Porsche Challenge title in 1988. In the 2010s Pfaff campaigned extensively in Porsche GT3 Cup Canada and related Cup championships, developing drivers who achieved podium finishes and championship contention in domestic series. Pfaff also supported a 17-year-old driver to a Canadian Touring Car Championship title while providing coaching and team resources.
Other Wins & Perfromances
Pfaff achieved notable performances across Pirelli World Challenge entries and GT4 class programs, and the team has recorded strong event results in marquee IMSA rounds when its full-season program was active. Regional touring car success and one-make championship results underpin Pfaff’s racing résumé outside the IMSA headline events.
Pfaff Motorsports Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Pfaff Motorsports grew from the Pfaff family automotive business established by Hans J. Pfaff, with Porsche representation added in 1966. Chris Pfaff, Hans J. Pfaff’s son, leads the group and has overseen the motorsport activities that transformed a dealer-run operation into a professional racing team competing at national and international levels.
Personal Life
The team’s leadership is publicly aligned with the Pfaff family and the executive management that runs Pfaff Automotive Partners and Pfaff Motorsports. Chris Pfaff serves as president and CEO, while Steve Bortolotti functions as general manager of the racing effort, providing continuity between the dealership business and the on-track program.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marks Pfaff’s competition with a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 in the IMSA GTD Pro class and a return to the team’s full plaid livery. The manufacturer switch positions Pfaff to contest GTD Pro with new machinery and to renew factory-aligned development, logistics and race preparation programs under existing management.
Pfaff’s 2025 campaign centers on integrating the Lamborghini platform into its endurance and sprint strategies while leveraging experienced personnel and prior IMSA experience. The program outlook emphasizes measured development, event readiness for endurance rounds such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and continuation of Pfaff’s identity as a leading Canadian entrant in North American GT racing.