The No. 7 Secret Life of Walter Mitty car, driven by Tomy Drissi and Rusty Mitchell ran as high as second in the early stages of the American Le Mans presented by Tequila Patron race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The race was part of the inaugural Super Endurance Weekend with the Word Endurance Championship.
Unfortunately, Drissi was involved in contact with the CORE car, however both cars continued. Mitchell battled back throughout the caution free race, but then sustained suspension damage with just 10 laps remaining in the race.
Tomy remained upbeat given the tremendous effort made by the team after last weeks disastrous week in Baltimore.
“I had a great start in the race going from 7th in class up to 2nd. Unfortunately I got in to John Bennett which was totally my fault. I was issued a 60 sec. stop penalty which pretty much ruined our day.
“I am glad Bennett was able to keep going and that the incident didn’t mess up their race.
“Rusty got in and tried his best to make up time, but without any caution periods, it just was not going to happen. With this kind of completion, one little mistake and you’re out of it.
“I had a good run, though. It was great fighting through the field. At the start Jan Magnussen and I were side by side going into turn one. I washed out with cold tires. Fortunately, Jan gave me some room and saved us both. I’m happy he and Corvette went on to win.
“I’m especially happy for BAR1s win and for Chris Cumming. He’s put a lot into this program and finally got his first prototype ALMS win. Congratulations to him, Kyle and the No. 8 crew on their victory.
“I really enjoyed my time at Circuit of the Americas and in Texas. The track was great as were the people of Austin. It’s a fantastic facility.”
Next up for Tomy and BAR1 Motorsports is the Oak Tree Grand Prix at Virginia International Raceway on Oct. 3-5.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: Opening in theaters December 25, 2013. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an epic drama/fantasy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Bored office worker Walter Mitty [Stiller] spends his days creating elaborate fantasy worlds for himself in which he gets to live a life of adventure while romancing his co-worker Cheryl [Kristen Wiig]. However, when both their jobs are threatened in the real world, Walter finally shakes off his lethargy and sets off on a global journey to introduce some genuine excitement into his life.
Tomy Drissi is an American driver and Trans Am Champion. His driver experience includes ALMS, Trans-Am, NASCAR and Speed World Challenge.
Born December 9 in Hollywood, California, Tomy owns an advertising firm that produces upcoming film displays for cinemas. Drissi’s first racing experience in motorsports was street racing on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills.
His professional racing career highlights include; 1999 Trans-Am Rookie of the Year, 2000 Trans-Am BBS Most Improved Driver, 2000 Trans-Am Crew of the Year and Trans-Am Champion. He also competed in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class at Mid-Ohio finishing 3rd. 2011 saw Tomy’s return to the American Le Mans Series, LMPC division. He scored a 2nd at Long Beach, 3rd at Lime Rock, 1st at Mid Ohio,1st at Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix and second at Road Atlanta -Petit Le Mans. In 2012, Drissi teamed with Bruno Junqiera for finishing 2nd at Laguna Seca, a win at Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsports Park), 2nd at Baltimore and second at the season finale, Petit Lemans.
Tomy is married to Lacy Livingston Drissi.
Find out more about Tomy Drissi at http://www.tomydrissi.com or follow Tomy on Facebook /tomydrissi and Twitter @tomydrissi
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the world`s leading sports car championship and is recognized as the Global Leader in Green Racing. In the tradition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, multiple classes of cars – purpose-built prototypes and production-based Grand Touring automobiles – race on the track at the same time to create compelling race action and constant passing. All cars in the Series compete using one of five approved alternative fuels or energy sources: clean sulfur-free diesel, cellulosic E85 or E10, Isobutanol and electric hybrid technologies. The Series has more automobile marques involved than any other major race series in the world as manufacturers develop relevant technologies on track that transfer directly to the customer showroom. The ALMS competes at North America`s premier road racing tracks and selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets.