The possibility of spin-orbit induced association reactions controlled by optimal femtosecond laser pulses is demonstrated for the example of Br⁺(³P) + H(²S) → HBr⁺(X²Π / A²Σ⁺) association. The nuclear wavepacket dynamics is simulated on the basis of ab initio data for HBr⁺. To achieve permanent, vibrationally state-selective association, both a Feshbach resonance between collision and vibronic energies and optimal timing between spin-orbit induced and laser pulse assisted transitions are important. The novel method can be effective even when direct photoassociation is forbidden.