Strong Lineup For Pfaff

Pfaff Motorsports, a division of Pfaff Automotive Partners, announced its 2016 racing program, which includes an expansion of its Porsche customer racing effort.

“It feels like just yesterday that we were celebrating Orey Fidani and Chris Green’s double wins in the Canadian Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge,” said Christopher Pfaff, president and CEO. “Our two Pfaff Motorsports racers took the driver’s championships in the Gold and Platinum classes last year, supported by a great team, while putting on some amazing performances for the fans.”

Both Fidani and Green will continue to drive Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars in 2016. In fact, they recently completed their first race weekend, competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama race in Sebring, Florida, where Green scored two podium finishes in some of the largest fields he’s ever competed in.

For 2016, Fidani has moved from a Gold-class 997-generation Porsche to a brand-new 2016 991-generation car and will be competing in the Platinum class in the Canadian Porsche GT3 championship. Wearing the livery of Orlando Corporation, Fidani’s yellow-and-black #13 car is instantly recognizable in the paddock.

The Canadian GT3 series kicks off with the Victoria Day Speedfest (May 20-22) at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and visits the Montreal Grand Prix (June 10-12), Watkins Glen (June 30-July 2), Honda Indy Toronto (July 15-17), Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres (August 12-14), and the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (September 2-4).

Green will run select races in the Canadian championship. He will once again be behind the wheel of the iconic Castrol-liveried 991 GT3 Cup in which he won the 2015 Platinum driver’s championship.

Pfaff has further expanded its involvement in the Canadian Porsche Cup series with the addition of a new Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, driven by Gerald Panneton. A longtime enthusiast and Pfaff customer, Panneton is the former CEO of Detour Gold, a gold mining company he founded and grew from $75-million to $4-billion in five years.

Panneton, who has raced on skis as well as behind the wheel, attended his first track day just eight years ago behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10. He has since driven many street and racing cars on track, and has been coached by German endurance racer and three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner. In 2015, he transitioned from track days to regional racing, where he finished second overall in his class, driving a Mazda RX-8.

With 2016 being his first year in the Porsche Silver Cup, Panneton’s goal is to finish every race in the points and really get to know his new 2016 Cayman GT4 Clubsport race car.

“It’s mid-engined, so it will feel very different to the Porsche 997-2 GT3 Cup I’ve been driving recently at the Sebring race in the GT3 USA Porsche Challenge series,” Panneton said. “But with its balance, paddle-shift transmission and adjustable ABS, it should be a blast to drive, and I’m excited to get behind the wheel of a new, exciting car.”

Supporting the expanded team are several new sponsors, who join longtime Pfaff partners and suppliers Castrol, BASF, and Glasurit. They include KPMG LLP, the Canadian member firm of the KPMG International Cooperative; Espress Labs, a provider of modern marketing services, brand identity, web design and development; and iGotcha Media, specialists in delivering eye-catching, entertaining and informative digital signage networks, video walls, kiosks and content.