On Board sideways action with Pat Long in a classic Porsche 911

Hop on board with Patrick Long for a masterclass in steering with the right boot in a vintage Porsche 911.

This clip was filmed by Chad Plavan at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in the far reaches of California at the closing round of the 2012 Vintage Auto Racing Association/Historic Sportscar Racing season. As well as being great fun to say out loud, Chuckwalla looks like a brilliant and flowing circuit set amongst the picturesque desert scenery of Chuckwalla Valley.

And exploiting all of it, along with every ounce of performance this mighty Porsche 2.5L 911ST race car can muster, is Porsche factory driver Patrick Long.

With class wins in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Mobil One 12 Hours of Sebring, three-time American Le Mans Series Drivers’ Champion and Pirelli World Challenge Drivers’ Champion Patrick Long is no slouch behind the wheel of a Porsche.

He hammers away from the line and spends the next few minutes giving it heaps and putting in neat and fast lines that belie the hard work he’s putting in balancing throttle and steering input. It’s beautiful to watch. The clip concludes with a brilliant little dice between Patrick and a friend in a Datsun Z.

Putting the power in the back of the Porsche is a 207 horsepower 2.5-litre short stroke motor, which is, somehow, kept in check with stock brakes and racing pads, and kept settled with full torsion bar suspension and no coil overs, wing or aerodynamics. It’s raced with class just like it was back in the ’70s.

Buckle up, and enjoy!