Pfaff Motorsports Ready for Canadian Tire Motorsports Park Homecoming

But things are beginning to go back to normal. Formula 1 just wrapped up a successful return to the Canadian Grand Prix and later this week it will be IMSA’s turn. The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is IMSA’s marque series and the next round of the championship will run over the July 1st weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

With the likes of NASCAR Truck Series, Indycar, and Trans Am yet to have made their return to racing in Canada, extra special attention will be on the IMSA series. This marks its first race in Canada since 2019, and for one team, they couldn’t be happier.

Pfaff Motorsports is located just outside of Toronto, about an hour away from Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. So, this is in essence their home track. As the defending champions of the GTD Class in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pfaff finally gets to celebrate some of the team’s success at home. More than 300 employees and 150 VIPs that will be in attendance this weekend.

Founded in Newmarket, Ontario, Pfaff opened the company’s first dealership, a Volkswagen store, in 1964. Three years later the first Pfaff Porsche dealer opened its doors. With a performance brand in the portfolio and an interest in motorsports, Pfaff began sponsoring race cars in local series. By the early 1980s, the brand started to sponsor Pfaff’s own employees as drivers in larger racing series.

The company found this involvement in racing as a great way to get customers interested in track days and performance cars. And in 2014, Pfaff decided to change from just sponsoring cars to running the company’s own race team. The way they saw it, Pfaff employees were already volunteering on other race teams, so why not have an in-house shop for these individuals to work out of and benefit the organization as a whole?

Success came early for the newly cemented team as they won races in their first year of existence. By year two, Pfaff Motorsport was winning championships. In 2017, customers were paying to join various racing programs using cars prepared by Pfaff Motorsport. The organization had expanded its scope to be able take customers from their first track day, all the way to becoming a member of a professional race team. Pfaff Motorsports was proving racing can be profitable when used properly as a marketing tool.

Just five years after forming, the team was ready to take the next step. In 2018, Pfaff Motorsport moved on from single make racing to larger series featuring a variety of manufacturers. And by 2021 they were crowned champions of the GT Daytona class of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

For years, Pfaff Motorsports bounced around from place to place, operating within any open space found in the massive Pfaff family of dealerships. Finally in November of 2021, the division moved into their own dedicated new shop.

Front and center in the shop is the unmistakable plaid Porsche GTD race car. Starting life as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991.2 ) road car, the car is extensively modified to meet series regulations. Pfaff Motorsport employees work on the 911 tirelessly to ensure it’s in top shape for each round of the series. Pfaff knows its success lies within its team. It takes a group effort to be successful and Pfaff Motorsports features very little turn over. Many members are also employed elsewhere within the Pfaff organization. This familiarity with the vehicle, organization, and each other all factor into the team’s success.

And so far, it has worked as Pfaff Motorsports once again finds themselves on top of the points standings in the newly implemented GTD Pro class. The hope is to continue the success in front of the home crowd this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, with the ultimate goal being another championship trophy.

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