Patrick Long Quotations

When the idea came up to drive in the DP with Pat I was thrilled. I am just elated that Porsche has looked at the big picture and realized this is a great experience for me. And I am very grateful to Pat for the experience. This is my first time driving in any kind of prototype. I'm looking forward to learning this weekend as much as I am having fun. Both Pat and I are going to take a calm, methodical approach and just soak it all up and enjoy the experience. Obviously, with my single-seater and karting background, I've been itching to get back into one of these types of racecars. So it will rekindle some of the emotion of a fast, stiff racecar. But, my main objective is to win with Porsche in the GT classes.

I can't say enough about this Porsche. This car is indestructible. (The points race) is never over until it's over, and we don't talk about it until it's over. Winning Petit Le Mans is a big feather in my cap and the rest of the team.

Found out Wednesday that he would be racing in the World Challenge event. On the restart, I thought I might be able to race with these guys here, but they were too tough. I just tried to hole on to finish third.

Mike Gue and I go back to my karting days when I raced with James, his son, ... So it was natural that one of the first calls we made would be to Essex. They had a seat available and we were happy to fill it.

Tomorrow tire conservation is going to be tricky with the surface changes and all concrete on the track. I think we have done a good job and Jorg put in a great lap. We are always nipping on their heels in qualifying and that is the way we like it. But the real result up for grabs is tomorrow.

The race was, overall, pretty good. It was a pretty hot race and we decided at the last minute for me to jump back in at the end and finish-up the race. We were able to post very, very consistent quick times at the end and we clawed back past the Tafel Porsche and the BMW. The team did a great job with the setup. We were able to have a great pace. All is well that ends well. The car is in one piece and we look forward to moving on to Virginia.

Both the final races produce extra points, ... So it is far from over. We know how strong the No. 23 car has been over the years. We can't settle down and become content.

This will be my first time running the long course. So there will be a learning curve running a DP for the first time on a track that I haven't run before. I ran on the NASCAR circuit earlier this year so I know that Watkins Glen lives up to all the hype and then some.

I had the mentality that I wasn't going to give this one up. It would have been interesting if he would have made a run. We've shown that we can run with them. For race victories, we've been chasing them. It was another great one. For a single car team from Las Vegas going against the guys from AJR, that's something else.

I had a good start and was able to negotiate the traffic to keep the car in the lead. The car was handling great and the Porsche power was keeping me out front. When the caution came on lap 30 we had just passed pit entry and we were beaten to the stop by a few cars. The team did a fast pit stop and Mike was able to make up ground. He was the man on the last lap, a great battle and a great win for the team.

The emotion at the time was instantaneous shock, ... I thought the race was gone from our hands. Needless to say, I was completely shocked in the emergency vehicle when they said I was needed o?n the top step of the podium. I'm extremely thrilled. Can't say enough about the job Jorg did. It was an incredible stint, and the guys did a great job in the pits.