Vanier: IMSA GTD Debut in Pfaff Lamborghini “Very Rewarding”

Photo: Pfaff Motorsports

Zachary Vanier said making his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut with Pfaff Motorsports is “very rewarding” given it’s been the team and company that has largely supported his racing career to date.

The 23-year-old, a former Canadian Touring Car Championship and Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin GT4 champion, both with Pfaff, has stepped up to GT3 racing this year following several seasons in Porsche single-make competition.

Vanier, who races in GT World Challenge America powered by AWS in a McCann Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, is making a one-off run in Pfaff’s new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 this weekend at Long Beach, slotting in as the mandatory FIA Silver-rated driver in the lineup alongside Lamborghini factory driver Andrea Caldarelli.

This is because the Canadian team, which usually races in GTD Pro, is making a guest GTD appearance.

“It’s a dream come true in many aspects for me,” Vanier told Sportscar365. “It’s what I’ve been working towards for a very long time in my career.

“To have finally gotten here seems very fulfilling and it’s of course fitting to do it with Pfaff Motorsports. There’s a long history between us, dating back to 2020.

“We’ve got multiple championships, multiple wins, and a really successful partnership together.

“CP [Chris Pfaff] and Steve [Bortolotti, general manger] have been extremely influential in me. There’s so many different individuals that I look up to.

“For the entire team, Lamborghini and all the partners on board, to have the faith in me and believe in me as much as they do, is very rewarding.”

The Temerario GT3, which made its global debut in last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Pfaff, has since gone on to race in GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS competition, but with all-factory lineups.

Vanier will become the first non-works driver to race Lamborghini’s latest GT3 weapon.

“It’s quite cool to be the first non-factory driver to be driving the new Temerario GT3,” he said. “Of course that comes with a lot of different aspects. Now you’re working with the factory.

“I’ve got Andrea Caldarelli as my co-driver and he brings a ton of talent, experience and exposure.

“For me this whole weekend is about being a sponge. There’s so much for me to learn and take in.

“It’s a new car, a new track, a new manufacturer, really the only variable that stays the same is the team.

“A lot of the core guys are still there. To have those relationships and to be in that environment has really helped.”

When asked what his goals are for Saturday’s 100-minute contest, Vanier stressed the importance of racking up mileage.

“A clean weekend is a good weekend,” he said. “As long as we can get some laps on the car, get some more data and info and help Lamborghini continue to take that step of development on the new Temerario GT3.”

Vanier Targeting Full-Time WeatherTech Championship Drive

While Saturday’s race is currently a one-off, the Canadian rising star is hoping to one day land in the WeatherTech Championship full-time.

“That’s the goal for sure, to end up back here,” said Vanier. “It’s what I’ve dreamed of since I was a young kid and it’s the championship I’ve had circled on my dream board for many years.

“For me, I want to be a face that’s seen in the WeatherTech Championship for many years to come. Who knows where and when that will be or who that’s with.”

When asked if he’s using GTWC America this year as a stepping stone, he said: “That’s the whole point of the program, to get the GT3 experience so than you can make that crossover and that step up to the WeatherTech Championship.

“There’s a lot of moving pieces behind the scenes. It’s just a matter of them falling into the right place at the right time.”

Vanier, who finished third in both the 2024 and 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America seasons, was touted as one of the manufacturer’s new North American talents, having been invited to last year’s Young Driver Shootout.

However, he stressed that he currently doesn’t have any manufacturer-specific ties, hence the opportunity to be part of the Lamborghini lineup this weekend.

“I’ve had a great relationship with Porsche, stemming back to 2023,” said Vanier. “I have a championship with them and was selected for the shootout last year.

“Honestly, I’m a race car driver. I want to drive, I want to race. There’s loyalty in many different aspects, whether you look at it from a manufacturer or team.

“Ultimately it comes down to whose willing to give me the opportunity and who believes in me and has the confidence to do so.

“For me as a driver, it’s about finding myself a seat with longevity. Like I said, who that’s when and when it happens, that’s undetermined right now.”

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