Patrick Long
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Patrick Long (born July 28, 1981) is a race car driver. He was born at Thousand Oaks, California, USA and lives at Las Vegas, Nevada.
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[edit] Major accomplishments
Championships: 2005 ALMS GT2 Drivers Championship; Karting: Constructor's Cup Formula-A Champion ('98), 4-Time US National Champion
Factory Driver: Porsche, since 2003
Major Sports Car Wins: 8 ALMS GT2 class wins, one 24 Heures Du Mans GT2 class win ('04), one 12 Hours of Sebring GT2 class win ('05), two Petit Le Mans GT2 class wins('05, '06), one Monterey Sports Car Championship GT2 class win ('05), 3 Grand-Am Overall wins in a Daytona Prototype
Endurance Races: 24 Hours of Le Mans ('04-'06), 12 Hours of Sebring ('04, '05), Petit Le Mans ('03–'05), Rolex 24 at Daytona ('04–'06)]
Career ALMS Starts: 30 (through 2006)
Unique Note: In winning the 2005 ALMS GT2 Driver Championship, Long became the first American to do so since 1999.
[edit] Career timeline
2006 — Patrick Long returned to the No. 31 Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in nine of the ten American Le Mans Series (ALMS) races and joined Penske Racing at the 12 Hours of Sebring in the new Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 car. Long partnered with 2005 teammate Jörg Bergmeister to win three ALMS GT2 class wins at Lime Rock Park, Road America and Petit Le Mans. Bergmeister was able to repeat as driver champion, but Long had to settle for third due to missing Sebring. Long and Bergmeister also earned the Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing team their second consecutive IMSA Cup Championship. Long also competed in the Grand-Am series with fellow Porsche factory pilot Mike Rockenfeller, driving for Alex Job Racing. After a strong start to the season which included 3 wins and 6 podiums in the first seven races, bad luck in the late season dashed championship hopes.
2005 — Patrick Long joined Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing having competed with the team at the 2004 24 Hours of Le Mans. 2005 marked his second full season of American Le Mans Series (ALMS) competition. By winning 50% of the races and earning podium finishes at 90%, Long and teammate Jörg Bergmeister (Langenfeld, Germany) won the 2005 ALMS GT2 class Driver Championship by 34 points and helped the team win its first ALMS Team Championship as well as the IMSA Cup Championship for the highest finishing privateer entry. The 24 year-old driver earned his first ever victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Monterey Sports Car Championship endurance races and added titles at Road America and Mosport for five career wins all earned in ’05. He won his first ALMS pole position at Lime Rock Park and assisted the team in its pole winning time at Sebring. Long finished second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving with Bergmeister and Timo Bernhard (Germany). Long also competed in the Grand American Rolex Series in six GT races for Porsche and one Daytona Prototype class race.
2004 — Long joined Petersen Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing for the first time and helped the team establish a new track record in pre-qualifying then the GT (now GT2) pole position. Driving with Bergmeister and Sascha Maassen (Raeren, Belgium) the native Californian won his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in his rookie appearance at La Sarthe. Beyond Le Mans, Long had a strong American sportscar racing debut. He earned six podium finishes in the ALMS with a season-high of fourth (twice- Mid-Ohio and Road America). He finished all nine events in the top-10 and took eighth in his 12 Hours of Sebring debut. He closed the season tied for sixth in the GT driver points. Long participated in three LMS events for Porsche, taking third at the 1000km Silverstone event. He also won the Bahrain round (GT2 class) of the FIA GT Championship.
2003 — Long made his debut as a UPS Porsche Junior factory driver in Germany’s Porsche Carrera Cup. He won one race and took two other podium finishes as a rookie in the series, won twice in the British Carrera Cup and ran a select number of Michelin Porsche Supercup races. In Supercup, Long finished second at Nürburgring after taking the pole and drove to third at Monaco. At the end of the season, he made his ALMS debut finishing fourth in GT at the Petit Le Mans.
2002 — Long moved up to the British Formula Renault series finishing eighth in the championship, including a pole and win at Snetterton. He was chosen as one of the final six drivers in the Red Bull F1 Driver Search program where he was first recognized by Porsche.
2001 — He raced in Europe as the lead driver of the Van Diemen team in Formula Ford. He won three races, two poles and took second in the championship.
2000 — Long moved to England to compete in the British Formula Ford Zetec series where he raced to eight top-10 finishes. He moved to the factory Van Diemen team following the season to compete in the British Formula Ford Zetec Winter Series. Once there, he won one race and two pole positions. Maintaining his break-neck effort, Long returned to the United States to win the Barber Dodge Pro Series "Big Scholarship" Shootout. However, he turned down the scholarship to race in Europe the following season.
His start — A prodigy, Long began racing karts at eight after driving his first kart at six. He went on to capture several state and national titles and raced in the Belgium Junior Championship where he finished second. In 1997, he became the lead driver for SSC Racing winning the IKF Formula A title and the WKA Constructors' Cup. He moved to Europe to pursue his career at age 17. Once in Europe, he gained immediate recognition by becoming the first American (in 1998) to win an International European karting event in 20 years. He went on to win 15 WKA Constructor's Cup series races in a row placing second in the international North American Karting Championship. The success still ranks as the highest finishing position for an American in the series. He moved to France in 1999 to make his debut in automobiles. Long placed third overall in the Elf Campus series and won nine of 11 races in the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series in the United States that season.
[edit] Outside the cockpit
Long is single and separates his time between homes in Germany and Las Vegas. Likeable and laidback, Long brings a unique style and youth to Porsche as the only factory American driver. Beyond his duties racing for Porsche, Long enjoys maintaining a physical fitness routine. To do so, he focuses on road bicycles, surfing and motocross. When possible, he continues to kart. He speaks English, French, Italian and German.
