March 4, 2021 –Multi-time Sportscar Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner Patrick Long has launched Patrick Long Esports and will be the only American entry in the Global World eX Championship debut. Competing in a newly homologated electric prototype car capable of producing 1000 horsepower at only 1000 kilograms in weight, Patrick Long Esports cars will be driven by IndyCar and IMSA driver Gabby Chaves and Sim Racer Liam de Waal.
“Joining this championship in its founding season is very exciting and quite an honor,” explains the Wright Motorsports driver Patrick Long. “I am looking forward to building this team with my partner Jeff Swoboda. He and I have known one another for over 20 years through motorsport, and we have had a lot of success together in past ventures. With our drivers Gabby and Liam, I am thrilled that we have two great talents who have proven they are hungry and successful behind the wheel, but both are also total pros outside of the car and realize motorsports is an entertainment platform as much as it is anything else.”
Long was introduced to World EX by his longtime friend, former Porsche Junior teammate, and World EX series co-founder Mike Rockenfeller. A business owner already with Luftgekühlt, a lifestyle brand that produces merchandise, events, heritage car builds, and experiences, Patrick Long Esports is the next evolution in the business career of the talented and longtime Porsche competitor.
The team will compete in their first event in Silverstone on March 11th. With races being broadcast on Motorsport.TV, the World eX Series will feature drivers such as Romain Grosjean, Frank Biela, Nico Müller and Antonio Felix da Costa as well as Chaves and de Waal in the entries. With the World eX Championship promoting the stop of Global Warming through their #RacingForTheClimate initiative, Patrick Long Esports is honored to take part.
“The world of sim racing has taken off amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, but the World eX program is a little different,” explained Patrick Long Esports Co-Founder Jeff Swoboda. “The World eX Series is a truly Global Esports Championship with an emphasis on combining entertainment and sustainability with a clear mission: supporting the fight against climate change with the help of motorsport and esports. We are proud to represent the U.S. in the inaugural season.”
Former 2014 Indy Lights Champion, 2015 IndyCar Rookie of the Year, 2020 IMSA TCR Champion, and multi-time race winner Gabby Chaves will throw his name into the mix in the Pro Category. Winning in some of the biggest series offered in North America, Chaves is no slouch in the sim world finishing third at the Open Wheel 250 in 2020. Representing the Patrick Long Esports program, Chaves will look to put his entry at the top of the results sheet when the checkered flag flies.
“I’m looking forward to the world eX Championship getting started and specially representing the United States,” added Gabby Chaves. “I will be starting some practice in this new car and can’t wait to share my experience and tackle the championship head on with Patrick Long Esports!”
A stud in the Esports world, Liam da Waal will compete in the Esports category and look to put the Patrick Long brand at the top step of the virtual podium. Originally from Portugal but living in The Netherlands, da Waal has competed at the highest levels of virtual racing around the world and battled some of today’s biggest starts, scoring countless race wins and championships.
Liam de Waal added, “I’m very excited start this new journey with some very passionate and motivated people, and I can’t wait to drive my first official meters as a Patrick Long Esports driver in the first race of the World eX Series this month.”