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Patrick Long Grabs Penske Seat for 2008
December 19, 2007
Penske Racing has announced that Patrick Long will be driving the #6 RS Spyder full time in 2008. Long co-drove the Penske RS Spyder to a class victory in the 2007 Petit Le Mans.
Long is well-known to Porsche race fans, and has been a Porsche factory driver since 2003. He won the 2005 GT2 championship, and drove three times in 2007 for the Flying Lizard GT2 team, helping them reach the podium each time. He is also the only American driver for Porsche in ALMS.
Full press release after the jump.
[source: Crash.net and Winding Road]
Patrick Long To Drive #6 Porsche RS Spyder for Penske Racing in 2008
Patrick Long, Porsche’s lone American factory racing driver, will drive the #6 Penske Racing Porsche RS Spyder in the American Le Mans Series in 2008. Long, who has driven for Porsche since 2003 – first in the acclaimed Porsche Junior team and then as a full works driver – is coming off a highly successful season during which he captured his second class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won overall at Laguna Seca, finished 2nd at the 24 Hours of Spa and 3rd at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Additionally, Patrick captured the LMP2 class win and finished 2nd overall at the 10th anniversary Petit Le Mans with Penske Racing teammates Romain Dumas and Timo Bernhard.
In his short career, Long has already won the three premier sportscar races: Sebring, Petit Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Additionally, he captured the 2005 American Le Mans Series GT2 Driver’s Championship with Petersen White Lightning Racing in a Porsche 996 GT3 RSR. One of America’s brightest racing stars, Patrick will bring his mix of California heritage and European education to bear for Penske Racing this upcoming season, and will team with Porsche racing stalwart Sascha Maassen in the #6 Penske Porsche RS Spyder.
Patrick said, “I’m extremely happy to embark on this journey; motorsports is all about making the most of your opportunities and this is one I’ve always aspired to. I’m completely focused on making the most of it and pushing for wins in 2008. I had the fortune to have a taste of racing the RS Spyder with Penske in 2006 and 2007, and to continue in a full-time effort is very exciting. I look forward to picking up where we left off with Penske and the RS Spyder from the victory at Petit Le Mans. I want to thank Porsche and Penske Racing for this opportunity – the challenge starts now and we’ll be working hard!”
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