TruSpeed Motorsports has signed veteran sports car racer Patrick Long to race its No. 45 PrivacyStar Porsche GT3 Cup Car in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge series this season. Long will make his debut in this weekend's season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. Team owner Rob Morgan will drive the team's No. 46 Entrust/TruSpeed entry.
“I'm excited at the chance to do some sprint racing, in a tough series and with a very strong team," said Long, who is known for his endurance racing an official Porsche factory driver. "TruSpeed has a great team structure with some awesome people I have worked with in the past. That was the initial draw for me to this idea, then getting to know Rob and just how passionate he is about his racing made it a no-brainer to sign up with these guys.
"I like that World Challenge is unique – standing starts, sprint formats, doubleheader weekends. I will be jumping in Thursday cold turkey, but I love St. Pete's street circuit and it helps that it's just down the road from where I've been living for the past four years.”
Long will race in all the events except for Miller Motorsports Park in May, which conflicts with his previous race schedule. Kelly Collins will take Long's place at the Utah round.
“I'm thrilled to be teaming up with Patrick this season, particularly as a driver," said Morgan. "Having him around to help us continue to develop as a team will be fantastic, and I know he'll push me as a driver. Having someone with his record of success and skill involved will help us grow, both on and off track. I can't wait to get to work at St. Pete this weekend, and to start building on the successes we've had in the past.”