Patrick will make his debut at the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia next week, driving the #12 Icebreak Competition Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3, competing in Class B. The team, fielded jointly by California-based Competition Motorsports and Australian McElrea Racing, will compete in a field of 44 cars, and will go head-to-head with 13 cars for class honors. Class B is comprised entirely of FIA GT3-spec cars.
Long’s teammates will be David “CJ” Calvert-Jones, an Australian living in Los Angeles, and Alex Davison, a longtime V8 Supercars star and no stranger to Porsches. CJ runs Helifilms, a helicopter filmwork company which provides aerial images for feature films and the world’s biggest sporting events including the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and FIFA World Cup. CJ has flown helicopters himself – in both filming and stunt-based roles – for box office hits such as Transformers, Star Trek into Darkness and Déjà Vu. CJ is also a Producer for his own film and television production company.
Davison is a veteran of 149 V8 Supercar starts, Davison is also regarded as a ‘gun’ Porsche driver, and with very good reason. Davison’s history with Porsche dates back to 2000 when, as a teenager straight out of Formula Ford, he raced for Manthey Racing in Carrera Cup Germany. Davison is the only Australian driver to win a race of Porsche Supercup having won at Indianapolis in 2002, and also finished second in the 2008 Le Mans Series, partnering good friend and Porsche factory driver Marc Lieb at Team Felbermayr-Proton.
Long said, “I can’t wait to head to Mount Panorama to drive the Icebreak Competition Motorsports Porsche. This opportunity has been long awaited ever since I started reading Auto Action when I moved to Europe. Ryan Briscoe, James Courtney and Will and Alex Davison were all friends and flat mates of mine when I was racing in karts and open wheel, and that’s where I learnt about Bathurst and set my goals towards being able to one day compete on the Mountain.
“The race has massive momentum going and this year looks to be the best turn out of cars in the recent running of the race! I am under no illusion about how tough the track is to learn, but I know I have one of the best that has ever driven a Porsche at Bathurst as a coach and team-mate in Alex, having raced against him in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2003. Also, CJ and I are part of a small group of LA-based Porsche racers and we also have some mutual friends away from the Porsche scene, so it’s very cool to be joining two good friends on this journey.”
An international viewing guide for the Bathurst 12 Hour can be found here: https://www.bathurst12hour.com.au/news-more-ways-to-watch-12hr
To learn more about the team, download the team’s Media Guide.
