DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2025) – Patrick Long was named the 2024 recipient of the RRDC Bob Akin Award. He was honored at the annual Road Racing Drivers Club members' dinner on January 22, prior to the running of the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season opener of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Each recipient of this honor, considered the top prize in motorsports for amateur, vintage/historic or semi-professional drivers, is selected by Akin's son Bobby, RRDC members Brian Redman and Judy Stropus, and approved by RRDC president Bobby Rahal.
The distinctive trophy was conceived by the RRDC in 2003 to honor the memory of longtime RRDC member and past president Bob Akin, who lost his life following a testing accident in 2002.
It was designed by Steuben Glass in Corning, New York, and is given to a driver who best exemplifies the extraordinary qualities and characteristics that Akin represented, including a passion for motorsports and automobiles, a high level of sportsmanship and fair play, and who has contributed to the sport of motor racing and the community at large.
The primary award, etched with the names of the recipients, is displayed at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, New York. Each honoree receives a smaller replica.
A modern-day Porsche polymath, Patrick Long is familiar to the U.S. air-cooled car scene as one of the founding fathers of the Luftgekühlt brand for lovers of air-cooled Porsches. A Porsche Brand Ambassador and competition advisor for Porsche Motorsport, Long also heads up North America's young driver development program, sharing almost 20 years of international experience as a Porsche factory driver with the sports car stars of tomorrow.
Long's close ties to the brand were forged at the start of the new millennium, when his precocious talent in single-seaters came to the attention of Porsche's scouts. Initially recruited as a Porsche Junior, Long found himself on the Works roster soon after, competing initially for The Racer's Group in the ALMS endurance series and the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004.
At home aboard every subsequent generation of 911 GT3 Cup, R and RSR, Long has claimed class wins for Porsche at the big four endurance classics, come second in class in IMSA and won the Blancpain GT World Challenge America.
He's also won in the World Endurance Championship, twice reached the top step at Le Mans 24 Hours and won his class at both the Bathurst 12 Hours and the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
"This year's recipient of the RRDC Bob Akin Award has a legendary pedigree, with wins and multiple championships," said Akin. "His tenure with Porsche spanned over a decade, but that's not why he was chosen. Like my father, our winner has a true passion for driving and the people involved in motorsport. You'll still find him in historic events, often driving one of my dad's old 935s, just because he loves it.
"And he also had a desire to go the extra mile to make the experience better not just for himself but for everyone. He actually called and asked me to send him the artwork for my dad's original Coca-Cola driving suits, and he had a suit made just for his vintage racing in the Coke car.
"He also spends time working with young drivers and always takes time to provide advice, counsel, mentorship and guidance for people who are just getting started. What he and his team on the business side have put together, including [fellow] Akin Award winner Jeff Zwart, in creating Luftgekühlt, has transcended the car culture as a global phenomenon that brings people of all ages together to celebrate cars in a truly spectacular way.
"To me, the most important criteria of the Akin Award is being a good guy. I have known our winner for the better part of 20 years and have had the pleasure of watching his evolution as a driver and businessman. He is a truly good human. Please welcome Patrick Long."
"I'm super honored and humbled," said Long. "When I got this phone call from Bobby [Akin], I was emotional and it led me into a little bit of reflection. Everything that I've always known about Bob Akin is what a gentleman he was, what a competitor he was, what a leader he was, what a family man he was. All these things that you would aspire to be recognized for one day.
"When Bobby told me I'd be receiving this award, I felt a sense of relief and a sense of pride that the last four years have been a reset button for me. It's been about being present, about being conscious, about being a leader and a family man, and everything that my ability didn't allow me to do when I was a Works driver because I was just completely on edge and would do anything to put it on pole or bring a car across the finish line.
"I am very, very honored to accept this award and my pledge going forward is to think about who Bob Akin was as a character and to make myself available to the next generation and to lead my team in business, and my family, as Bob Akin would've done. Thanks for having me."
Past RRDC Bob Akin Award honorees:
2003 - Sam Posey
2004 - Charlie Gibson
2005 - John Fitch
2006 - Jim Haynes
2007 - Cameron Argetsinger
2008 - Jim Downing
2009 - Steven J. Earle
2010 - Augie Pabst
2011 - Don Knowles
2012 - Miles Collier
2013 - Peter Sachs
2014 - Bill Warner
2015 - Judy Stropus
2016 - Murray Smith
2017 - Archie Urciuoli
2018 - Jeff Zwart
2019 - Rob Dyson
2020 - Jeremy Shaw
2021 - Awardee Not Selected
2022 - John Fergus
2023 - Tom Davey
About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club's membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.
In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar – www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called 'Ask a Pro.'
Bobby Rahal is President, John Fergus is Vice President/Treasurer and John Clagett is Secretary.
The RRDC presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award, the Mark Donohue Award, and the Bob Akin Award.
Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only.
Article By: Judy Stropus