Long Donington Park report

DONINGTON PARK, England, July 22   Californian Patrick Long closed in on the Slick 50 British Formula Ford Championship points lead last weekend at Donington Park, scoring a solid second place finish behind teammate Richard Goransson.  Long is now in third place in the Championship, trailing leader Robert Dahlgren by 14 and Goransson by one. During the weekend, Long also scored an impressive second place in Round One of the Formula Ford Euro Series. The 19-year-old Van Diemen works driver is definitely "on a roll," with four consecutive podium finishes -- three seconds and a win at Brands Hatch. In the British Formula Ford race, Long qualified second behind Goransson.  In the early laps, Long had a spirited duel with long-time rival Adam Carroll of Ireland.  The two Elf Campus graduates swapped positions four times, before Carroll tried an ambitious pass into a 130 mph chicane.  The two Van Diemens touched wheels, sending the Irishman into the air and out of the race.  Long raced on to a place second finish, despite a slightly bent suspension. In the Euro Series event, Long qualified third behind Goransson and Hideki Mutoh of Japan.  At the start, Mutoh nearly squeezed Long onto the grass during the run into Turn One. Long eventually passed Mutoh on Lap Two, but the Swede -- on form this weekend -- was too far up the road to challenge.  Long drove a steady race to the flag, matching Goransson's lap times, finishing second.

"While we didn't get the win, Donington was an excellent weekend for me," explained Long.  "I finished ahead of Dahlgren and moved closer to the championship lead.  And the Van Diemen team finished 1-2-3, which also was impressive.  My confidence is soaring right now, and I'm looking forward to Knockhill and picking up more valuable points." Patrick Long's championship quest continues August 18-19 at Knockhill.  For more information on Patrick Long, visit his website at: www.patricklong.com.  And to follow the Slick 50 Formula Ford Championship, log on to www.powertour.co.uk.    

<pre> Donington Park, British FF Race 

1 Richard Goransson 2 Patrick Long 3 Gary Turkington 4 Robert Dahlgren 5 Robin Rudholm

Championship Standings (Points are awarded to the top- 15 finishers at each round as follows: 30-27-25-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2-1. Pole position = 1 point. Fastest lap = 1 point.)

1  Robert Dahlgren      193 2  Richard Goransson    180 3  Patrick Long         179 4  Alan Van Der Merwe  137 5  Robert Bell          135

Donington Park, Euro Series Race

1 Richard Goransson 2 Patrick Long 3 Hideki Mutoh 4 Steven Kane 5 Robert Dahlgren

-PLR