Greg Pickett, No. 6 Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Winning races is hard. Winning races over the long haul is even more difficult.

Winning races over the long haul and having fun doing it?

You need to see Greg Pickett and meet the Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing prototype team.

Pickett’s racing philosophy for success is simple and pure.

On the eve of the team’s ALMS debut at Mid-Ohio in 2009 with a Porsche RS Spyder, Pickett called together his crew and said; “We have great technical partners in Porsche and Michelin. We are proud to put our Muscle Milk and CytoSport brands alongside their incredible brands and to race with their technology. We are going to listen very closely to what they tell us, work hard and have fun.”

The Benicia, CA based team finished second that weekend and promptly reeled off nine consecutive podiums.

In 2010 Pickett, Graf and Muscle Milk kicked it up, taking the team’s first class win at the Twelve Hours of Sebring and first overall race victory at Lime Rock.

When Pickett was injured in a crash at Mid-Ohio last year, Graf then teamed with Romain Dumas to deliver the pole and a dominant overall race win at Mosport.

Graf and the team finished as runners-up in the 2010 ALMS prototype championship.

Winning is nothing new to Pickett, a legend in Trans Am racing and one of the few drivers who can claim victories in five decades of racing.

To win over the long haul requires more than talent or being in the right place at the right time.

You need good people, good management, the right technical partners and the ability to balance your core philosophy and change.

Change is afoot at Muscle Milk for the 2011 season.

With Porsche retiring the RS Spyder at the end of 2010, Pickett and Graf joined with Aston Martin for a stunning Aston Martin powered Lola coupe.

Lucas Luhr, a former Audi factory driver joins Graf here at Long Beach.

The 2008 ALMS LMP1 prototype champion has 31 wins in 70 races and has also won a LMP2 championship in 2006 as well as GT class championships in 2002 and 2003.

His record includes victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, and the 24 Hour races at Daytona, Spa, and the Nurburgring 24 Hour.

The car and the driver roster may have changed, but Greg Pickett has not.

As an early favorite here in Long Beach, Pickett also knows how to seize an opportunity.

After all, the thing about winners is that they know how to win, and a win at Long Beach? Now that would be fun!

This story appears in the Long Beach issue of The Alley, available online as a PDF on michelinracingusa.com and at the track at the Long Beach street circuit.