Mazda Factory Driver: Tom Long

Tom Long is a full-time driver with Mazda Motorsports in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the Prototype class. This third week in December, we pay homage to our factory drivers.As a factory driver, Tom Long is the total package – on- and off-track. In the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Long, piloting the #07 (teammates Joel Miller, Ben Devlin, and Sylvain Tremblay) led the entire field in the Mazda SKYACTIV-D Prototype race car; this was the first Mazda and diesel to lead the race overall in its history. While his on-track results speak volumes, his work off-track is equally valuable and impressive.Long started his racing career in grassroots sports car racing with the SCCA Showroom Stock and Spec Miata classes. He quickly took a liking to lightweight sports cars, setting multiple track records and winning championships, while competing in the SCCA Runoffs with podium resultsLong went on to win the 2005 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup National Championship before moving into the Continental Tire championship in 2006.