Long Returns to Park Place in Full-Season Porsche GTD Entry

Photo: Park Place Motorsports

Patrick Long will return to Park Place Motorsports for the first time since 2013, pairing up with Patrick Lindsey in a new Porsche 911 GT3 R for the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season next year.

The Porsche factory driver makes the move from Wright Motorsports, having shared a car with Christina Nielsen this year.

Lindsey is coming off a partial-season entry in GTD after teaming up with Joerg Bergmeister for five races in 2018, alongside his full-season commitments in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“Park Place is a great team and I enjoy working with them,” Long said. “They’re a group of very determined people with tremendous talent.

“We had some memorable moments when we last raced together, but I’m hoping we can build on those accomplishments this coming year.

“They’ve made great changes and additions during the offseason to the team which I’m sure will pay off during the season.

“I’m happy to be back with Patrick; he’s a great a teammate. Hopefully, we can make some magic happen this year.”

Lindsey, who currently leads the WEC GTE-Am drivers’ championship with Bergmeister and Egidio Perfetti, will contest all WeatherTech Championship races except for the Mid-Ohio round, which clashes with the penultimate WEC round of the season at Spa.

“I’m extremely excited for our team this year,” said Lindsey. “We’re growing as a team, and we have the full support of Porsche Motorsport North America to chase a championship.

“I do believe that we’ve never been in a better position to make the leaps we will make this year and to do them with great success.

“Maybe we won’t make them without setbacks or issues, but we will have success this year. Everyone on the team feels that.”

The team is also set to run a GT4 entry in Michelin Pilot Challenge in addition to a possible return to the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA.

Wright’s future in GTD, meanwhile, remains unclear amid Long’s departure and news that Nielsen is on the driver market for 2019.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.