MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Porsche’s lone American factory driver is set to return to the American Le Mans Series in 2008.
Patrick Long will be part of the Penske Racing roster for the coming season and will pilot one of the team’s two Porsche RS Spyders in LMP2. Long, 26, teamed with fellow factory mates Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas for a class win and runner-up overall finish at Petit Le Mans in October.
Long has scored nine series victories in just 34 starts and has at least one win in each of the last three seasons. He won the 2005 GT2 championship with Jorg Bergmeister at Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing, and was instrumental in helping Bergmeister win a second title in 2006 while finishing third in the standings.
A California native, Long was named a Porsche Junior factory driver in 2003. Porsche elevated him to full factory status in 2004.
The remainder of Penske’s 2008 lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.