“Bittersweet” Daytona for Pfaff Ahead of Temerario GT3 Debut

Last month’s Rolex 24 at Daytona came as a “bittersweet” moment for Pfaff Motorsports according to general manager Steve Bortolotti, in the Canadian squad’s final outing with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 before preparing to give the all-new Temerario GT3 its global race debut in next month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Pfaff, with its lineup of Andrea Caldarelli, Sandy Mitchell, Mirko Bortolotti and James Hinchcliffe, finished the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener sixth in the GTD Pro class, marking the team’s first time completing the entire 24 hours in three years.

It was also the first Rolex 24 since 2023 that Pfaff was not entering the season sporting a new manufacturer. Bortolotti acknowledged that the simple aspect of continuity goes a long way.

“It’s amazing what happens when you go back to the same track with the same car twice,” he told Sportscar365. “I was pretty proud of the effort.”

The Huracan GT3 claimed three straight Rolex 24 class victories from 2018 to 2020 in addition to the 2024 DTM title and the 2025 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Daytona was also sentimental for Mirko Bortolotti and Caldarelli, who have driven Huracan GT3s since 2015 and 2016 respectively.

“There’s a ton of excitement for the Temerario…but there’s also a bit of sadness, right?” said Steve Bortolotti. “There is a bittersweet aspect of it, but it is time for a new car.”

Challenges can arise with an in-season transition to a new car but Bortolotti praised Lamborghini for its communication throughout the process.

The Temerario GT3 made its on-track debut last June at Vallelunga with Bortolotti in attendance and also ran at Daytona International Speedway in November’s IMSA-sanctioned test.

Pfaff will not be testing at Sebring between now and the race week, but the team conducted an endurance test at the Florida airfield circuit during the off season.

“Seeing how successful that was gave me a lot of confidence in the car,” Bortolotti said of the tests. “It’s not like we’re going in not knowing it.”

Bortolotti knew of Lamborghini’s post-Daytona car change in the same month as the initial Vallelunga test.

The only adjustments after the conclusion of the 2025 season for the Huracan GT3 EVO2 were from third party part suppliers. Bortolotti’s focus for the lead up to Daytona was mainly on pit stop practice.

“This was the first time in years that we didn’t work over Christmas,” he said. “As you can see in Daytona, it really did pay dividends because I don’t think there was a night we were there until garages close.”

One final test at Vallelunga next week separates the Temerario GT3 from its first appearance in WeatherTech Championship action.

As with the Huracan GT3 EVO2 preparations for Daytona, Bortolotti credited the early established timeline from Lamborghini with easing the transition period.

The goal of the team’s trip overseas is simply one of final checks before the car’s race debut.

“The plan in Italy is really just to confirm the systems are all working as they should,” he said. “Having done some testing with the [test car] at Sebring, we’re looking forward to picking up where we left off with that.”

In its second year with Lamborghini, Pfaff helped close a chapter in the manufacturer’s history of sports car racing while simultaneously ushering in a new one.

“This is something we’ve always wanted for our programs to be – really partnered and embedded with a manufacturer as a customer team,” said Bortolotti. “We want to make sure that we do everything in our power to to make the car look as good as it possibly can”