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Winding road brings Patrick Long home
By CHARY SOUTHMAYD
| Article published on Monday, March 30, 2009 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/033009_bee-01.jpg) |
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| Photo courtesy of BOB CHAPMAN AUTOSPORT IMAGE |
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| Patrick Long maneuvers the road course at Sebring International Raceway in his Flying Lizard Porsche 911 RSR. |
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BELLEAIR - For Patrick Long, driver of the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series, this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is a rare opportunity to be at home and at work simultaneously.
Long, 27, who has the distinction of being the only American who is a Porsche factory driver, has called Belleair his home for the past couple of years. That would seem to be an unlikely choice for someone who was born and raised in Southern California, lived in Europe for six years, and has traveled extensively as a professional race car driver.
“Actually it was a little bit of fate,” Long explained in a recent conversation as he headed from Belleair to the airport, running errands along the way. “I visited my mom’s family in Florida as a kid and eventually bought a house in Las Vegas, which wasn’t my cup of tea, visited friends in this area and thought, ‘Why not try it out?’”
Coming home to Belleair has worked out well for Long, who shares a waterfront house with Belgian roommate Jan Heylen, a longtime friend from their early racing days.
“It’s so natural and easy here in Belleair. It’s a clean, quiet neighborhood with water access. This is the ultimate for me,” Long said.
And, it’s the polar opposite of his hectic, intense professional life racing up to 30 weekends a year, plus car testing sessions and media events for Porsche.
So, how does Long relax when he can squeeze in some downtime here at home?
“You’re likely to find me quite often on the Pinellas Trail,” said the fitness devotee, who incorporates road bike racing into his training regime.
He also enjoys kayaking and jet skiing.
“We have lots of friends in Tarpon Springs and meet at the sandbars on the weekends to enjoy the beauty and the weather,” he said.
But since a man has to eat, Long and friends frequently head over to Cristino’s in Clearwater for its fresh Italian cooking.
“Lenny (Cristino) really takes care of us. They see us there a lot, sometimes twice a day,” he said.
“They are great guys,” commented Cristino, returning the compliment. “We treat everyone like family at our restaurant. I’ve met his mother and grandmother, too.”
Preferring to steer clear of the Tampa nightlife, Long enjoys spending time out in Clearwater Beach and Dunedin.
“Dunedin is a great place to go out. We think that’s a lot of fun, with lots of culture,” he said.
Long will be driving in Saturday’s Acura Sports Car Challenge of St.
Petersburg scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m. He shares driving duties in the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911 with another longtime friend and Porsche Works driver, Joerg Bergmeister. The two were teammates in the winning TRG Porsche in the GT Class in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.
For race day this Saturday, Long describes what will be an early wake up, eating a healthy breakfast of toast, cereal, fruits and cheeses, then heading to the track and preparing with his team for the big event.
“I have no real rituals on race day,” he said. “The key to being your best is to be mentally at ease. For me it’s about rest, hydration, nutrition and being prepared.”
He looks forward to coming back to what he calls his “home track” in St. Petersburg.
“It’s a really fun race,” he said. “I think it’s our American version of Monaco, it’s so picturesque around the harbor.”
Long raced well at St. Petersburg last year, adding to his very impressive resume, which includes being the youngest American driver ever to win the four classics of endurance racing the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 12 Hours of Sebring, Rolex 24 at Daytona and Petit Le Mans.
Success is something this extremely focused and laid back guy seems to take in stride.
“Yeah, well, I’m Irish and Italian, so I have plenty of emotion in me, but I really focus on the mental side of daily life and not let emotion run my day.”
Patrick appreciates his growing fan base, knowing that Porsche enthusiasts will be keeping watch for their local guy on the podium Saturday.
“It’s amazing the culture that Porsche carries throughout the world of people who own Porsches, who always have and always will. It’s almost like a religion,” he said.
Once he leaves the race course behind and hits the streets of Belleair, don’t expect to see Patrick Long zipping by in a super fast sports car. He drives a Porsche Cayenne GTS, a smaller version of an SUV.
"One of the great perks of being a Porsche factory driver is you do get a company car," he said with a smile in his voice. "While a 911 is Porsche's flagship and one of my favorite cars of all time, they seem to have gotten me into a bit of trouble in the past. It's a car that catches the eye of not only random people at stoplights, but policemen of course, especially with a youngster behind the wheel."
More stories about the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the schedule and entertainment can be found in this week's online edition.
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Article published on Monday, March 30, 2009
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