Porsche LMDh Effort on Pfaff’s Radar for as Early as 2024

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

A move into the GTP class in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Porsche’s 963 is on Pfaff Motorsports’ radar according to team manager Steve Bortolotti, although the Canadian squad is currently taking a wait-and-see approach to ultimately determine the car’s running costs.

Two privateer teams, including the already-confirmed JDC-Miller Motorsports effort, are set to operate privateer 963s in the WeatherTech Championship next year, with the German manufacturer looking to expand its customer allocation in 2024 by up to an additional two cars in both IMSA and the WEC according to Porsche Motorsport North America President and CEO Volker Holzmeyer.

That could open the door for a team like Pfaff to make the step up from its current GTD Pro effort that’s set to again continue next year but with a different driver lineup, with both Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell having been signed as Porsche Penske Motorsport drivers.

“It’s a desire of ours to compete in an LMDh someday; it’s just a matter of understanding the finances and making sure whatever budget we set is accurate,” Bortolotti told Sportscar365.

“To Porsche’s credit, they’re learning too. I think everyone is putting their best foot forward to do it and get there.

“It’s just unfortunate we’re not in a position where we’re just going to throw a blind dart.

“What we’re guesstimating is like a whole GTD Pro budget, right? So, I think it’s safe to say worst case scenario, we’re back doing this.

“There’s no shortage of us wanting to do [GTP]. But it needs to make sense commercially and financially for us to do it.”

Bortolotti said he’s “confident” of being back on the GTD Pro grid next year in a “copy-paste” program but hopes to be able to make the jump into GTP by as early as the 2024 season.

While the cost to purchase a Porsche 963 is already known — at a price tag of $2.9 million according to Holzmeyer — the exact budget needed to operate the hybrid-powered prototype is still unclear.

Sportscar365 has heard quotes ranging anywhere from $5 to 7 million, although it remains an estimate given the current market fluctuations and other variables, such as supply chain constraints, at play.

“I’m hoping that at some point in the next 12 months we can cross that bridge and get our partners on board,” Bortolotti said.

“Everyone wants to do it; it’s not for a lack of desire. It’s just understanding what is it truly going to cost?

“I’m not the only one to say that… but it’s just guessing [on the budget] is not something I’m big on, especially when it’s not my money.”

Bortolotti said the category’s electrification with the spec hybrid powertrain also creates some unknowns in terms of the operating costs.

“The other problem that scares me is — electric cars and batteries — they’re not getting cheaper as the world adopts electrification,” he said. “It’s not like we’re reaching some economies of scale where it all gets cheaper.

“So that’s where I’m starting to be nervous. How much does a battery really cost? And what’s it going to cost in 12 months?

“And freight costs. How do I air freight a battery? I don’t know these answers, I need to keep doing the research to get there.

“But the reality is, we want to be there. We want to challenge against the best consistently.

“Thankfully Corvette’s here [in GTD Pro] and we believe we’re racing against the best GT team on the planet.

“So, it’s motivating for us to try to compete week in and week out against them.

“I don’t think we’re any less by racing where we are now. It’s just as a desire, as a fan of the sport, I want to be a part of that golden era for many years to come.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John