This weekends (3/26/11) WORLD CHALLENGE Double header live on the internet
03-27-2011, 08:29 PM
#46
Basic Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Congrats to Pat Long for the double wins and I have to congratulate James on the drive both days.
I think its pretty impressive that James ran the fastest lap of the race overall in adverse track conditions.
Of course we wish he won but racing is racing and that's the way things happen. Touring car held him up and Long capitalized on the opportunity.
I think its important to point out one thing that often gets overlooked when we see guys race on TV and this is by no means taking anything away from Pat because he is a great guy, ambassador to the sport and probably one of the fastest guys out there in a Porsche, after all he is a factory gun who has been hired by Truspeed to go and win races. ( Nothing to do with a factory motorsport deal at all )
What people sometimes don't realize is that these hired guns are paid to drive the car at the absolute limit with out holding back and if they stuff it............. They walk away.. ( Pilgrim, Pobst, O'Connell to name a few) all get $$$$$$$$$ to do what they do.
James on the other hand has no 6 figure salary being paid to him to drive and that car is funded out of his pocket and GMG's... ( Ultimately mine too
) There are no million dollar corporate contracts backing our program it us run from within GMG.
So if James brakes something we pay for it.... You must take into consideration that when you have to race under these conditions and your the one writing the check in the end it puts a whole new meaning and light on the situation and how you race...
Which sometimes can make it even more impressive that a driver (like James)can do what he does under these conditions.
Rest assured you will see the resources applied to our program this year. It will be a very tough year and now with Porsche leading the manufacturers no doubt the other teams will be complaining about the speed we have so expect to see changes as SCCA will work to equalize the competition in the upcoming races.
Long Beach is the next stop, James is a winner at this track and its our home track so it should make for a exciting weekend to say the least..
If you are in So Ca be sure to make it out for the event as we are running in ALMS GTC and World Challenge GT & GTS.
Thanks for all the congratulatory emails that you all sent and the texts I received throughout the day..
We appreciate your support throughout the years.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Long Beach and for those running PCA Festival Of Speed a few weeks before that..
I think its pretty impressive that James ran the fastest lap of the race overall in adverse track conditions.
Of course we wish he won but racing is racing and that's the way things happen. Touring car held him up and Long capitalized on the opportunity.
I think its important to point out one thing that often gets overlooked when we see guys race on TV and this is by no means taking anything away from Pat because he is a great guy, ambassador to the sport and probably one of the fastest guys out there in a Porsche, after all he is a factory gun who has been hired by Truspeed to go and win races. ( Nothing to do with a factory motorsport deal at all )
What people sometimes don't realize is that these hired guns are paid to drive the car at the absolute limit with out holding back and if they stuff it............. They walk away.. ( Pilgrim, Pobst, O'Connell to name a few) all get $$$$$$$$$ to do what they do.
James on the other hand has no 6 figure salary being paid to him to drive and that car is funded out of his pocket and GMG's... ( Ultimately mine too
) There are no million dollar corporate contracts backing our program it us run from within GMG.So if James brakes something we pay for it.... You must take into consideration that when you have to race under these conditions and your the one writing the check in the end it puts a whole new meaning and light on the situation and how you race...
Which sometimes can make it even more impressive that a driver (like James)can do what he does under these conditions.
Rest assured you will see the resources applied to our program this year. It will be a very tough year and now with Porsche leading the manufacturers no doubt the other teams will be complaining about the speed we have so expect to see changes as SCCA will work to equalize the competition in the upcoming races.
Long Beach is the next stop, James is a winner at this track and its our home track so it should make for a exciting weekend to say the least..
If you are in So Ca be sure to make it out for the event as we are running in ALMS GTC and World Challenge GT & GTS.
Thanks for all the congratulatory emails that you all sent and the texts I received throughout the day..
We appreciate your support throughout the years.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Long Beach and for those running PCA Festival Of Speed a few weeks before that..
__________________
sales@gmgracing.com
www.gmgracing.com
714.432.1582
facebook l instagram l youtube l twitter
Porsche | Audi | Ferrari | Lamborghini | McLaren
Performance Tuning | Motorsport | Factory Service
Pirelli World Challege Race Team GT/GTA/GTS/TC
Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA
Porsche Motorsport — Audi Sport Customer Racing — Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series
sales@gmgracing.com
www.gmgracing.com
714.432.1582
facebook l instagram l youtube l twitter
Porsche | Audi | Ferrari | Lamborghini | McLaren
Performance Tuning | Motorsport | Factory Service
Pirelli World Challege Race Team GT/GTA/GTS/TC
Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy USA
Porsche Motorsport — Audi Sport Customer Racing — Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series
03-27-2011, 11:45 PM
#47
Nordschleife Master
So did mine. But THEY didn't see it. Just like they missed Pat's last minute pass and yesterday's Corvette incident. At least with the other two, they caught wind of what happened and actually said something after the fact. Though maybe I expect too much. GTS gets no love, just like in ALMS when GTC doesn't get more than 5% of the coverage of the overall race.
I personally would be fine without any commentary on the live feed. But if it is going to be provided, the announcers need to be better equipped to see and call a good race. That's really the point here, and it's definitely not the fault of the guys in the "booth" (which appears to be a tent without a full production booth).
I personally would be fine without any commentary on the live feed. But if it is going to be provided, the announcers need to be better equipped to see and call a good race. That's really the point here, and it's definitely not the fault of the guys in the "booth" (which appears to be a tent without a full production booth).
03-28-2011, 01:08 AM
#48
Race Car
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: With A Manual Transmission
Posts: 4,728
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
Kudos to Pat for just jumping into a series and winning back to back races, by the sounds of it he didn't have much time to get used to that car, seems like he just showed up and won. Of course it is Pat Long and it is a Cup Car so don't know how much adaptation is needed.
Good to see the Porsche's showing strong. Pat will have the equivalent of his body weight in the car added for the next race right?
Good to see the Porsche's showing strong. Pat will have the equivalent of his body weight in the car added for the next race right?
03-28-2011, 01:14 PM
#49
Here is Patrick view of the race, class guy as always
Pole and Two Wins in St. Pete March 28, 2011
Patrick Long made an historic debut for TruSpeed Motorsports in the Pirelli World Challenge Series this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL, claiming pole position and two race wins in the #45 PrivacyStar Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. Fresh from a grueling multi-day test at Germany's famed Nürburgring, Long sped across the state of Florida in a rental car so that he would have time to get acclimated to his new car and meet his new team for the first time this past Thursday. With no testing and only two scant practice sessions, Long captured pole position for Saturday's race, despite a tire puncture on his first lap of the qualifying session. Patrick recorded a fast lap of 1:15.071 in the dying moments of qualifying.
For Saturday's race, the first standing-start Long had done since his only previous World Challenge start in 2006, he was out-dragged into turn one by the all-wheel drive Volvo of 2010 Series Champion Randy Pobst. Due to the 49-car entry, speed differential among the three classes of cars and tight confines of the St. Pete street circuit, Pobst and Long caught the back of the field in three laps. Using traffic to his advantage, Long was able to squeeze past Pobst for the lead and pull out a gap prior to a prolonged caution period, caused by three cars wrecking. By the time the extended caution period was over, only eight minutes of the race remained, and on the restart, Patrick pulled away cleanly, with the Corvette of Mike Skeen following.
"Mike was running very strong and certainly keeping me honest," Long said. "As we came into the back of the traffic on the last lap, the black S2000 lost it coming out of the first of the double rights in the back session. I missed him narrowly, literally by inches, and unfortunately that left Mike with a blocked racetrack and I was able to just slither through. It was unfortunate for him, good for us, and that's what it's all about with multiple classes."
Taking the win, Long recorded TruSpeed Motorsports' first victory in World Challenge competition. As a result of his 2nd-fastest race lap, Patrick started Sunday's race from the outside of row one, setting up another first-corner drag race with Sunday's pole-sitter, Randy Pobst.
At the start of Sunday's race, Long was hindered by the extra 75lbs. of "success" ballast added to the car from his Saturday win, and was out-dragged into turn one by James Sofronas, in his Porsche 911 Cup Car, and Randy Pobst in his AWD Volvo. As the lead group caught slower GTS and TC-class traffic, both Sofronas and Long were able to pass Pobst, having a spirited battle before the race's only caution period paused the action for a number of laps. At the restart, Sofronas pulled away as Long gave chase, but the leaders again caught slower traffic. After a series of close moments, Long was able to pass Sofronas for the lead with just one-and-a-half laps left in the race. By holding Sofronas off for the final lap, Long completed his clean sweep of the race weekend in St. Pete, giving TruSpeed an historic result.
Patrick commented, "What an unbelievable way to kick off the season. Both races were very challenging, but had a different feel. Saturday was about finding my way past Randy Pobst and then sprinting home after an extended caution, but Sunday's race was intense and challenging altogether. The 75lbs. of added "success" ballast caught me off-guard at the start, and after that it was about conserving tires and biding my time in traffic. We didn't have the fastest car in Sunday's race, so I had to be crafty and strategic. I made my final move for the lead with two laps to go, then it was an all-out charge to the end. It's been an epic way to come back into World Challenge and start off the relationship and partnership with TruSpeed. We've definitely got our work cut out for us, but as racers, that's what makes us tick - there's still room to improve. The Series is wild! It's got a different look and feel to what I'm used to. I like the traffic, the strategy and that the fastest car might not always come out on top. On Sunday, James Sofronas drove a great race, and it was great to battle with him cleanly. I have lots of respect for him."
Patrick next races the #45 PrivacyStar Porsche GT3 Cup Car in World Challenge competition April 15-17, 2011 on the streets of Long Beach, CA. Television coverage of the dual races at St. Pete will be broadcast on Versus on Saturday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Follow Patrick on Twitter and Facebook:
Patrick wishes to thank his partners and sponsors:
Porsche - http://www.porsche.com
Oakley - http://oakley.com
ClubCorp - http://www.clubcorp.com
Troy Lee Designs - http://www.troyleedesigns.com
Speedware Motorsports - http://www.speedwaremotorsports.com
FRS Healthy Energy - http://www.frs.com
Photos © SCCA
Pole and Two Wins in St. Pete March 28, 2011
Patrick Long made an historic debut for TruSpeed Motorsports in the Pirelli World Challenge Series this weekend in St. Petersburg, FL, claiming pole position and two race wins in the #45 PrivacyStar Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car. Fresh from a grueling multi-day test at Germany's famed Nürburgring, Long sped across the state of Florida in a rental car so that he would have time to get acclimated to his new car and meet his new team for the first time this past Thursday. With no testing and only two scant practice sessions, Long captured pole position for Saturday's race, despite a tire puncture on his first lap of the qualifying session. Patrick recorded a fast lap of 1:15.071 in the dying moments of qualifying.
For Saturday's race, the first standing-start Long had done since his only previous World Challenge start in 2006, he was out-dragged into turn one by the all-wheel drive Volvo of 2010 Series Champion Randy Pobst. Due to the 49-car entry, speed differential among the three classes of cars and tight confines of the St. Pete street circuit, Pobst and Long caught the back of the field in three laps. Using traffic to his advantage, Long was able to squeeze past Pobst for the lead and pull out a gap prior to a prolonged caution period, caused by three cars wrecking. By the time the extended caution period was over, only eight minutes of the race remained, and on the restart, Patrick pulled away cleanly, with the Corvette of Mike Skeen following.
"Mike was running very strong and certainly keeping me honest," Long said. "As we came into the back of the traffic on the last lap, the black S2000 lost it coming out of the first of the double rights in the back session. I missed him narrowly, literally by inches, and unfortunately that left Mike with a blocked racetrack and I was able to just slither through. It was unfortunate for him, good for us, and that's what it's all about with multiple classes."
Taking the win, Long recorded TruSpeed Motorsports' first victory in World Challenge competition. As a result of his 2nd-fastest race lap, Patrick started Sunday's race from the outside of row one, setting up another first-corner drag race with Sunday's pole-sitter, Randy Pobst.
At the start of Sunday's race, Long was hindered by the extra 75lbs. of "success" ballast added to the car from his Saturday win, and was out-dragged into turn one by James Sofronas, in his Porsche 911 Cup Car, and Randy Pobst in his AWD Volvo. As the lead group caught slower GTS and TC-class traffic, both Sofronas and Long were able to pass Pobst, having a spirited battle before the race's only caution period paused the action for a number of laps. At the restart, Sofronas pulled away as Long gave chase, but the leaders again caught slower traffic. After a series of close moments, Long was able to pass Sofronas for the lead with just one-and-a-half laps left in the race. By holding Sofronas off for the final lap, Long completed his clean sweep of the race weekend in St. Pete, giving TruSpeed an historic result.
Patrick commented, "What an unbelievable way to kick off the season. Both races were very challenging, but had a different feel. Saturday was about finding my way past Randy Pobst and then sprinting home after an extended caution, but Sunday's race was intense and challenging altogether. The 75lbs. of added "success" ballast caught me off-guard at the start, and after that it was about conserving tires and biding my time in traffic. We didn't have the fastest car in Sunday's race, so I had to be crafty and strategic. I made my final move for the lead with two laps to go, then it was an all-out charge to the end. It's been an epic way to come back into World Challenge and start off the relationship and partnership with TruSpeed. We've definitely got our work cut out for us, but as racers, that's what makes us tick - there's still room to improve. The Series is wild! It's got a different look and feel to what I'm used to. I like the traffic, the strategy and that the fastest car might not always come out on top. On Sunday, James Sofronas drove a great race, and it was great to battle with him cleanly. I have lots of respect for him."
Patrick next races the #45 PrivacyStar Porsche GT3 Cup Car in World Challenge competition April 15-17, 2011 on the streets of Long Beach, CA. Television coverage of the dual races at St. Pete will be broadcast on Versus on Saturday, April 9 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Follow Patrick on Twitter and Facebook:
Patrick wishes to thank his partners and sponsors:
Porsche - http://www.porsche.com
Oakley - http://oakley.com
ClubCorp - http://www.clubcorp.com
Troy Lee Designs - http://www.troyleedesigns.com
Speedware Motorsports - http://www.speedwaremotorsports.com
FRS Healthy Energy - http://www.frs.com
Photos © SCCA
03-28-2011, 02:25 PM
#50
Racer
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: EARTH
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At the start of Sunday's race, Long was hindered by the extra 75lbs. of "success" ballast ..........added to the car from his Saturday win, and was out-dragged into turn one by James Sofronas................
........................On Sunday, James Sofronas drove a great race, and it was great to battle with him cleanly. I have lots of respect for him."
Regarding ballast.................
....................Lets not forget that the GMG Porsche GT3 Cup of James Sofronas had "success" ballast as well, to the tune of 27 .lbs
Last edited by SpeedGT3; 03-28-2011 at 10:02 PM.
03-28-2011, 02:25 PM
#51
Rennlist Member
Seeing where you and James have come from, racing with you guys back in the "day" its very impressive.
That car looks familar. was it that monster 911 cup Long was driving, that was at the GMG GTGP race?
Anyway, great job.
Ill try and come down to Long Beach in April and see you guys!
Mark
That car looks familar. was it that monster 911 cup Long was driving, that was at the GMG GTGP race?
Anyway, great job.
Ill try and come down to Long Beach in April and see you guys!
Mark
Congrats to Pat Long for the double wins and I have to congratulate James on the drive both days.
I think its pretty impressive that James ran the fastest lap of the race overall in adverse track conditions.
Of course we wish he won but racing is racing and that's the way things happen. Touring car held him up and Long capitalized on the opportunity.
I think its important to point out one thing that often gets overlooked when we see guys race on TV and this is by no means taking anything away from Pat because he is a great guy, ambassador to the sport and probably one of the fastest guys out there in a Porsche, after all he is a factory gun who has been hired by Truspeed to go and win races. ( Nothing to do with a factory motorsport deal at all )
What people sometimes don't realize is that these hired guns are paid to drive the car at the absolute limit with out holding back and if they stuff it............. They walk away.. ( Pilgrim, Pobst, O'Connell to name a few) all get $$$$$$$$$ to do what they do.
James on the other hand has no 6 figure salary being paid to him to drive and that car is funded out of his pocket and GMG's... ( Ultimately mine too ) There are no million dollar corporate contracts backing our program it us run from within GMG.
So if James brakes something we pay for it.... You must take into consideration that when you have to race under these conditions and your the one writing the check in the end it puts a whole new meaning and light on the situation and how you race...
Which sometimes can make it even more impressive that a driver (like James)can do what he does under these conditions.
Rest assured you will see the resources applied to our program this year. It will be a very tough year and now with Porsche leading the manufacturers no doubt the other teams will be complaining about the speed we have so expect to see changes as SCCA will work to equalize the competition in the upcoming races.
Long Beach is the next stop, James is a winner at this track and its our home track so it should make for a exciting weekend to say the least..
If you are in So Ca be sure to make it out for the event as we are running in ALMS GTC and World Challenge GT & GTS.
Thanks for all the congratulatory emails that you all sent and the texts I received throughout the day..
We appreciate your support throughout the years.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Long Beach and for those running PCA Festival Of Speed a few weeks before that..
I think its pretty impressive that James ran the fastest lap of the race overall in adverse track conditions.
Of course we wish he won but racing is racing and that's the way things happen. Touring car held him up and Long capitalized on the opportunity.
I think its important to point out one thing that often gets overlooked when we see guys race on TV and this is by no means taking anything away from Pat because he is a great guy, ambassador to the sport and probably one of the fastest guys out there in a Porsche, after all he is a factory gun who has been hired by Truspeed to go and win races. ( Nothing to do with a factory motorsport deal at all )
What people sometimes don't realize is that these hired guns are paid to drive the car at the absolute limit with out holding back and if they stuff it............. They walk away.. ( Pilgrim, Pobst, O'Connell to name a few) all get $$$$$$$$$ to do what they do.
James on the other hand has no 6 figure salary being paid to him to drive and that car is funded out of his pocket and GMG's... ( Ultimately mine too
) There are no million dollar corporate contracts backing our program it us run from within GMG.So if James brakes something we pay for it.... You must take into consideration that when you have to race under these conditions and your the one writing the check in the end it puts a whole new meaning and light on the situation and how you race...
Which sometimes can make it even more impressive that a driver (like James)can do what he does under these conditions.
Rest assured you will see the resources applied to our program this year. It will be a very tough year and now with Porsche leading the manufacturers no doubt the other teams will be complaining about the speed we have so expect to see changes as SCCA will work to equalize the competition in the upcoming races.
Long Beach is the next stop, James is a winner at this track and its our home track so it should make for a exciting weekend to say the least..
If you are in So Ca be sure to make it out for the event as we are running in ALMS GTC and World Challenge GT & GTS.
Thanks for all the congratulatory emails that you all sent and the texts I received throughout the day..
We appreciate your support throughout the years.
Looking forward to seeing you all at Long Beach and for those running PCA Festival Of Speed a few weeks before that..
03-28-2011, 03:26 PM
#52
Basic Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Pat Long is not only a Porsche Factory Driver, but also a true gentleman and an ambassador for the sport.
Regarding ballast.................
....................Lets not forget that the GMG Porsche GT3 Cup of James Sofromas had "success" ballast as well, to the tune of 27 .lbs
Regarding ballast.................
....................Lets not forget that the GMG Porsche GT3 Cup of James Sofromas had "success" ballast as well, to the tune of 27 .lbs
Lets not forget James carries a more weight than Pat starting out.
James is 6'3" 205 and Pat is 5,8- 5,9 - 160? ( maybe ) no offense to James so add that up and James starts with a penalty weight
( LOL) I guess this really doesn't matter since the base weight is with driver starting out but we do need to get our car lighter to start not easy.
Last edited by gmgracing; 03-28-2011 at 04:11 PM.
03-28-2011, 03:29 PM
#53
Basic Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Seeing where you and James have come from, racing with you guys back in the "day" its very impressive.
That car looks familar. was it that monster 911 cup Long was driving, that was at the GMG GTGP race?
Anyway, great job.
Ill try and come down to Long Beach in April and see you guys!
Mark
That car looks familar. was it that monster 911 cup Long was driving, that was at the GMG GTGP race?
Anyway, great job.
Ill try and come down to Long Beach in April and see you guys!
Mark
Thanks for the kind words Mark.... Who would have thought huh..
03-28-2011, 03:37 PM
#54
Rennlist Member
Does that matter? maybe because James is much taller, he has a higher center of mass.
I thought SPEED GT still uses weight of car and driver as it comes off the track, thus giving no advantage of feather weight sticks like Pat Long.
Could that car have had more power? (if it was the one I saw at the GTGP race at Laguna it seemed like it did)
mark
I thought SPEED GT still uses weight of car and driver as it comes off the track, thus giving no advantage of feather weight sticks like Pat Long.
Could that car have had more power? (if it was the one I saw at the GTGP race at Laguna it seemed like it did)
mark
03-28-2011, 03:39 PM
#55
Rennlist Member
03-30-2011, 12:29 AM
#56
Pro
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Oakville Ontario Canada
Posts: 520
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My 2 cents worth, live broadcast difficult to do, at least we get to see it, if at home. As for the deal with the Jetta and Cayman, she did'nt see me even thought blue flags were flying 2 stations, i tried a pass, she turned on me. both at fault IMO. Cost me a good finish, lots $$$ to fix the Cayman. Could have, should have. Ready for paint by the weekend. Thats "racing"
03-30-2011, 09:12 AM
#57
Three Wheelin'
Pretty amazing in car video from Skeen's car. Enjoy!
Saturday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGlypxSKgc
Sunday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wydEeej3Kuo
Saturday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndGlypxSKgc
Sunday - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wydEeej3Kuo
03-30-2011, 05:21 PM
#58
Nordschleife Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Vacuuming Cal Speedway
Posts: 7,306
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes
on
5 Posts
Rob thanks for Skeen's in-car videos. I watched expecting a good race between James and Patrick and we got 2 great races. From a spectator's perspective, watching the yellow Corvette battle in both races was the highlight for me despite the poor coverage. Skeen just kept coming thru traffic and lousy drivers and wouldn't give up. "**** Luck" award Saturday, "Hard Charger" award Sunday.
Best racing I've seen on TV/video in awhile. I can't wait to see them all live when they battle again in Long Beach....
Best racing I've seen on TV/video in awhile. I can't wait to see them all live when they battle again in Long Beach....
03-30-2011, 05:59 PM
#59
Rennlist Member
That was some racing. Best in car Ive seen in a long time. Poor Mike, that was awesome just before hit hit the numb nuts spinning out. how a "pro" cant keep their own car underthem on the last lap, is amazing to me!
03-30-2011, 09:08 PM
#60
Nordschleife Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Vacuuming Cal Speedway
Posts: 7,306
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes
on
5 Posts
Not a pro, just a rookie who shouldn't have been on the track. He was 5 seconds off his fellow GTS competiors lap times and the 3rd slowest car on the track behind most of the Touring Cars. He just shouldn't have been on the track....