Pfaff in “Lock Step” With Lamborghini for Title Push

Photo: Jonathan Grace

Pfaff Motorsports is in “lock step” with its new partner Lamborghini according to team manager Steve Bortolotti, as the team looks to bounce back from a challenging year in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro ranks.

The Canadian squad, which won the inaugural GTD Pro title in 2022 with Porsche, made the switch to McLaren last year but went winless amid a tough season that was highlighted by two runner-up class finishes.

An off-season switch to the Italian manufacturer has put the fan-favorite team in position to again challenge for the championship according to Bortolotti, who expressed his relief that the 2024 season is now behind them.

“Last year was difficult,” he told Sportscar365. “Being self-reflective, I can’t say we did anything dramatically wrong.

“We didn’t get bounces when we probably needed them, and then there were a few races I think we all want back from the mistakes we made.

“I think you’re going to have those years. That was the first time we had a year like that where we really had to check our ego and got kind of put in our place.

“I think we have an amazing driver lineup this year.

“We have a car that’s a well-known quantity to the series, to the manufacturer that’s running it, and even the support from the manufacturer.

“Every car’s got it quirks, let’s call them. But they’re very up front about everything and they’re, ‘Hey, we want to win too.’

“I wasn’t happy with the year we had last year. Obviously we expect to be at the front of the GTD Pro championship and competing for victories.

“That’s what [Lamborghini] wants too. We’re all kind of lock step pointing in the right direction. That’s something I’m very proud of.”

With the team only taking delivery of its new Huracan GT3 EVO2 on Dec. 23, Bortolotti said they’ve been making the most of what’s been a condensed timeframe ahead of this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24.

It included a rollout of the car earlier this week at Circuit Florida, a private country club-style facility in Auburndale, Fla.

“It’s been better than expected considering how late we got the car,” Bortolotti said.

“It was a push. We had Christmas and New Years Day off. That was it. We worked every other day. It was long hours, but at the end of the day it’s just a lot of work that needed to get done.

“It wasn’t like there was any drama. It actually went way smoother [than expected].”

When asked if they intend to forge a long-term relationship with Lamborghini, Bortolotti said: “I don’t want to be those people that switch brands every year.”