Pfaff Motorsports is getting hot at the right time, putting drivers Zacharie Robichon and Laurens Vanthoor squarely in the GT Daytona (GTD) championship conversation. Robichon and Vanthoor won for the second straight race on Sunday, taking the No. 9 Plaid Porsche 911 GT3R to victory lane at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. On the heels of a win last month at Road America, Robichon, Vanthoor and the No. 9 moved into second in the GTD season standings and closed within 27 points of the lead.

“The target was clear from Day 1 that we wanted to try to win the championship because we are a new team together,” said Vanthoor, who joined Pfaff this season after driving the previous four years for the Porsche GT Team in GTLM, winning the 2019 championship. “For me also, it was a bit of an adaptation coming from GTLM to GTD; it is a little bit different.

“I think that we are now in a good position but there are still three races to go and a lot that can happen. But for me, I always set myself personally a goal. And this year it’s really been to win the championship, so I hope we can fulfill that.”

Robichon started in the No. 9. Vanthoor, the GTLM winner last year at WeatherTech Raceway, slid into the cockpit an hour into the race during the first pit stop. He soon passed Patrick Long in the pole-sitting No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche for second place. Following a lightning-quick final stop from the Pfaff crew, Vanthoor took the lead and held it for the final hour.

Vanthoor finished 5.512 seconds ahead of Bryan Sellers in the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 – the fifth podium finish this year for Sellers and co-driver Madison Snow who are without a win. Long and co-driver Trent Hindman finished third in the No. 16 Porsche.

“I think a huge shout-out has to go to the team,” Robichon said, “because in my first stint there were a couple issues that I immediately pointed out to them and they rectified it to give the absolute best possible car to Larry. I think we all saw what he did.”

Robby Foley and Bill Auberlen, who led almost half the race in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M6 GT3, finished fourth to retain the GTD championship lead by 27 points over Robichon and Vanthoor. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 pilots Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn fell to third in the season points chase but still lead the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup standings by 168 points over Auberlen and Foley.

Both GT classes are in action again at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sept. 25. Live coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN and IMSA Radio.