2009 Trans Am champion Tomy Drissi was back in action promoting “War for the Planet of the Apes” participating in the Belle Isle for the Motor City 100 and the WeatherTech Championship Chevrolet SportsCar Classic as part of the prestigious Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear weekend.
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship along with the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Trucks joined the Verizon IndyCar Series for one of the great weekends in motorsport, the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.
“We really had a ball competing on Belle Isle,” said Tomy. “It’s a great venue and a terrific opportunity to be involved with the fans. I love coming to Detroit… the whole weekend is a party. We always get called out for the movie we feature on the car and the War for the Planet of the Apes was no different. It was a big hit with the fans.
Tomy has a full plate Saturday. The TransAm Motor City 100 took the green flag at 8:45AM. Tomy’s No. 8 Ave prepared Mustang had been fast in practice, running P1 earlier in the week. Tomy qualified the car P3 for the race.
“I had a good run going with the Mustang,” said Tomy. “I was running in third and working through traffic. With a bout 10 minutes to go, the back end of the car stepped out on me and the engine stalled. I knew with a quick restart of the motor, I’d continue on and secure a third place finish. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get it started in time. It was a tough break… we had a good car.”
Next up for Tomy was the WeatherTech Championship Chevrolet SportsCar Classic, a 100 minute race. Sharing the No. 26 BAR1 “War for the Planet of the Apes” PC with Bruno Junqueira, Tomy qualified the car second.
“Hustling the PC car around Belle Isle is a big challenge,” noted Tomy. “We were pretty good in practice and had a good setup for the race. I did the first stint then turned the car over to Bruno. He did a great job managing the car. He was really quick and setting a great pace. But… these races are usually a lot longer than 100 minutes. We finished second on the podium. The team did a great job and Bruno was awesome!”
In the July 14 release, Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species and the future of the planet.
Keep up with Tomy at http://www.tomydrissi.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomydrissi/ – Catch Tomy’s Twitter feed at https://twitter.com/tomydrissi
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.
Tomy’s 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
• 2000 Trans-Am Long Beach Champion
• 2009 Trans-Am Champion.
• 2010 ALMS (one off race) Prototype LMP1 3rd. at Mid Ohio
• 2011 saw Tomy’s return to the American Le Mans 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.
• 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.
• 2013 NASCAR CUP/Nationwide. Best result at Mid Ohio starting 38th and finishing 19th.
• 2014 IMSA LMPC at Daytona 3rd.
• 2014 NASCAR CUP/Nationwide. Finished 19th at The Glen
• 2015 TUDOR Series. 2nd Place Rolex 24 at Daytona
• 2016 WeatherTech Series. 2nd Place Rolex 24 at Daytona
About TransAm
The Trans Am Series is America’s Road Racing Series and dates back to 1966. Throughout the years, some of the greatest names in motorsports have participated in the Trans Am Series. Names like Tommy Kendall, Mark Donohue, Peter Gregg, Bob Tullius and Wally Dallenbach, Jr. have all won multiple championships under the Trans Am name.
While Trans Am will always be dedicated to honoring its history and legacy, it is far from simply living in the past. Since the addition of the Trans Am Race Company, LLC in late 2011, Trans Am has experienced unprecedented growth as a new class based model has been implemented. Now, three distinct classes take center stage; TA, TA2 and TA3, Trans Am is positioned to power into the future, not live in the past.
The iconic Trans Am Series – America’s Road Racing Series – is operated by the Trans Am Race Company, LLC. Through a five-year agreement, the Trans Am Race Company manages the marketing rights to the series and is responsible for Trans Am Series public relations and promotions. SCCA Pro Racing sanctions Trans Am events and provides event operations services to the series.
For more on the Series visit www.gotransam.com, “like” Trans Am on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam, or follow Trans Am on Twitter at @gotransam.
IMSA
The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) is the sanctioning body of the WeatherTech Championship, the road-racing series resulting from the merger of the American Le Mans Series and the GRAND-AM Sports Car Series. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, Ferrari Challenge North America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.