Brotherhood In Pit Lane - BTS with PFAFF Motorsports

Words - Steve Ellis | Photos - Rami Garcia & Fred Hardy

Most racing fans focus on what happens on track. The passes. The late-braking battles. The sound of engines bouncing off grandstands. But during a race like the Grand Prix of Long Beach, another story unfolds just a few feet away from the racing surface.

It happens in the pit lane.

For the crew of Pfaff Motorsports competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, pit lane is where preparation, pressure, and teamwork all come together. And nowhere does that feel more intense than during race weekend in Long Beach.

Unlike permanent race tracks built in open areas, Long Beach is a temporary street circuit running right through the middle of the city. The course winds between office buildings, past the waterfront, and along streets lined with palm trees and unforgiving concrete walls.

Drivers blast down Shoreline Drive before diving into tight corners, including the famous hairpin near the aquarium. The pavement is uneven, runoff areas are nearly nonexistent, and the margin for error is razor thin.

That environment creates pressure not only for the drivers, but also for the crew members working just feet away from the racing line.

Pfaff Motorsports Lead Technician Corey Whiteman says the circuit demands focus from everyone involved.

“Racing at Long Beach brings its own unique challenges,” Whiteman said. “The drivers are battling it out on course, maximizing the tight corners and managing traffic, while we’re making sure the car performs at its best. This is a new car for us, and we’re doing everything we can to get the most out of it and give our drivers, Andrea Caldarelli and Zachary Vanier, the best platform possible.”

Watching the Pfaff crew throughout the weekend raises an interesting question: what separates a good pit crew from a great one?

The answer isn’t just speed.

It’s cohesion.

Every pit stop is essentially a chain reaction. One crew member lifts the car. Another removes the wheels. Someone manages fuel. Another cleans the windshield or checks for debris. If even one part of that chain slows down, the entire stop suffers.

That’s why trust is so important.

Inside the Pfaff garage, the crew doesn’t operate like a collection of individuals. It functions more like a synchronized unit. Everyone understands their role, but more importantly, they trust the person beside them to execute their job without hesitation.

The smallest details matter. The angle the tire changer approaches the wheel. The placement of tools on the ground. The rhythm between the jack operator and the rest of the crew.

Physical conditioning also plays a role. Tire changers handle heavy wheels repeatedly during a race weekend, while jack operators rely on explosive strength and balance to lift the car quickly and safely. Many crew members train specifically for those physical demands.

Even with that preparation, mistakes can still happen.

What separates strong teams is how they respond.

After each race, crews review every pit stop carefully, analyzing what worked and what didn’t. The focus isn’t about assigning blame. Instead, it’s about improving the process so the next stop is even better.

In racing, dwelling on a mistake can easily lead to another one. Successful teams learn quickly, reset, and move forward.

Strategy also plays a role. Decisions about when to bring a car into the pits involve constant communication between engineers, strategists, and crew chiefs studying race data. Those calls can change instantly depending on traffic, tire wear, or a sudden caution.

For the crew standing ready in pit lane, that means always being prepared.

Street races like Long Beach make those moments even more critical. Passing opportunities are limited, so track position becomes extremely valuable. A clean pit stop can gain several positions. A slow one can trap a car behind slower traffic for the rest of the race.

Despite the intensity of race weekend, there’s still a strong sense of camaraderie inside the Pfaff garage. Between sessions, mechanics grab meals together, share stories from previous seasons, and laugh about the chaos of operating inside the tight Long Beach paddock.

Those moments help keep the team grounded during a long and demanding season.

When asked what helps build cohesion within the team, particularly among the pit crew, Chasse Hanchar, who handles commercial development for Pfaff Motorsports, offered a simple explanation.

“To put it simply, we are a family,” Hanchar said with a grin. “We live and work closely together, which allows us to develop the level of rapport that we need. So when we’re here at the track, we already know what each of us is thinking, and it allows us to function more fluidly.”

That level of trust takes time to build. It grows through months of traveling together, working long hours in the garage, and practicing pit stops again and again before race weekends even begin.

Teams rehearse these stops constantly. The goal isn’t simply to move faster. It’s to make every movement automatic. By the time a car pulls into pit lane during a race, the crew has already practiced the same choreography hundreds of times.

That sense of familiarity often leads to moments that crew members remember long after the race ends. Ask someone about their most memorable pit stop and they’ll likely mention the time on the stopwatch. But more often they talk about the feeling when everything comes together perfectly.

Technology has improved pit stops over the years. Faster air guns, better telemetry data, and simulation tools allow teams to refine every movement. Yet the human element remains the most important part of the process.

Because when trust, preparation, and teamwork align, something remarkable happens.

A pit stop that lasts only a few seconds represents years of work.

A crew moves together without hesitation.

And a race team proves that success in motorsports is never the result of one person alone.

It’s the work of the entire crew.