The 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship wrapped up a thrilling season following the finale, the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. It was a comfortable final race for the Motul-powered Pfaff Motorsports team, producing a flawless drive and coming home in P2 to secure the team’s first championship in the GT Daytona (GTD) class. The #9 Motul Porsche 911 GT3 R was driven by Porsche factory driver Laurens Vanthoor along with Zacahrie Robichon and Lars Kern and powered throughout the season by Motul’s range of high-performance lubricants.
Going into the 10-hour endurance, Pfaff Motorsports held a 41-point championship advantage. However, there was still work to be done with Heart of Racing Team and Paul Miller Racing mathematically still in contention to dethrone the leaders. Pfaff Motorsports was virtually handed the championship when the main championship threat of #1 Lamborghini made contact with a LMP3 car just 2 hours into the race. From there it was a matter of keeping the race clean and finishing as high as possible to seal the deal.
Vanthoor, Robichon and Kern put up a stellar effort to mark a triumphant comeback after qualifying only 8th fastest in class on Friday. Vanthoor had been announced as a regular alongside Robichon at the start of the 2021 season, and it was clear to see the impact he had on the championship fight. Struggling to get into a rhythm early on, the team had taken just one victory at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in the first half of the season. Pfaff Motorsports had a complete turnaround in the second half, finishing on the podium in all of the last 5 races, which included 3 more class victories. Securing the championship was the perfect end to a hard-fought season.
Pfaff Motorsports announced a multi-year deal with Motul as the title partner for their GTD program at the start of 2020. Unveiled at the start of 2020, the “Plaid Porsche” livery is a homage to historic and iconic Motul liveries. With a mix of short and long races, engine oils prove to be of utmost importance to keep the engine reliable and performing optimally throughout the season.
It is an amazing achievement for Motul, achieving championship success in just 2 seasons with Pfaff Motorsports. The Toronto-based team uses Motul’s flagship 300V oil along with other performance lubricants in their Porsche 911 GT3 R. Motul is not just the title partner for the team, the two have also found great synergy across the dealership network to offer service and over-the-counter sales at Pfaff dealerships. Motul and Pfaff are perfectly aligned on their brand values to deliver highest quality products to their discerning customers. The partnership is set to continue for at least another year, continuing to achieve success on and off the track.
