The long awaited American Le Mans Series presented by Tequial Patron debut at Circuit of the Americas is finally upon us. And no one is more excited that BAR1 Motorsport’s driver, Tomy Drissi. Drissi will team up for The International Sports Car Weekend with co-driver Rusty Mitchell in the No. 7 ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ ORECA Prototype competing in the highly competitive PC division.
Circuit of the Americas is located in Austin, Texas. It is the newest permanent road course in the United States. The Formula 1 designed sprawling 3.4-mile, 20-turn track will play host for the inaugural International Sports Car Weekend, featuring both the ALMS and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Tomy hopes to draw on his previous experience at COTA.
“We were here once before running with World Challenge. It’s an incredible facility. Just being here makes you immediately want to raise your game. It’s impressive.
“I drove a Porsche GT the last time here and to be honest, all I could think about was how exciting it’s going to be to drive a purpose built prototype on this track. It’s a perfect fit.
“I’m happy Rusty is on the mend and is ready to climb back in the car with me. He’s a great competitor… Baltimore gave us all a pretty good scare. It’s good to have him back.
“Austin is spectacular. It’s a great town and the track attracts a terrific fan base. They’re knowledgable, they know how to have fun and they certainly know how to make us all feel welcome. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend.”
The International Sports Car Weekend at Circuit of the Americas is set for September 19-21.Qualifying will be held Friday, September 20, at 2:40 p.m. EDT and will be streamed live on ESPN3. The race will be held on Saturday, September 21, at 3:45 p.m. EDT. In addition to being streamed live on ESPN3, the event will also be broadcast on ESPN2 Sunday, September 22, at 1 p.m. EDT.
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.