Tomy Drissi made his 2014 Pirelli World Challenge debut on the Streets of Long Beach this past weekend, competing in the “Roar by the Shore” presented by KIA, as part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Driving the No. 15 TRG Aston Martin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 livery, Drissi, a Hollywood native, was hoping to bring a bit of a home court advantage this weekend. Tomy’s previous successes at Long Beach includes a win in Trans Am and podiums in IMSA prototypes. Unfortunately, his race ended just a few laps earlier than expected.
“This was a fantastic weekend,” said Tomy. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Aston Martin was so well received. The fans… especially the kids, loved the car. Everyone coming through the Expo Center paddock would flock to the car for pictures. We’re thrilled to have Sony on board with us and glad we could give The Amazing Spider-Man 2 some pre-release exposure. It was great!”
“This is such an iconic event,” added Tomy. “For me personally, it’s my home track. Plus, I got my first Trans Am win here… many of my friends and supporters are here… it’s just a great weekend. I really look forward to it each and every year.”
“Drissi Motorsports teamed up with Kevin Buckler and the guys at TRG-AMR to get the Aston Martin Amazing Spider-Man 2 car up to speed,” Tomy noted. “We faced a few challenges throughout the weekend… especially with braking. We really had a tough time getting the car to stop. By the end of practice we had found the speed… but handling and braking continued to elude us. I have to say, though, the guys on the crew worked their butts off trying to get things sorted out and helping me find the handle.”
“During the race, we saw some of our fastest times of the weekend,” said Tomy. “But not having the confidence under braking made the tight street course a real challenge. When you’re having a hard time slowing down, you’re going to pick up a push in the corners. So, in the end, I was pushing in every corner.”
“We had an unfortunate incident late in the race,” Tomy acknowledged. “I made a little mistake so I laid back and let people go by. It was no big deal but the Mercedes hit me pretty hard. I don’t think he was paying attention. Then I passed another car, came back again and got up to him and he was slowing me up. I came down the front straight and he seemed to brake a lot sooner than he should have and I hit him.”
“The TRG-Aston Martin Racing team was really good,” said Drissi. “There were just a couple little things that kept us from running with the front guys. We laid down a couple of laps that showed we could go fast. At this level of competition you have to really be right there, so we were missing a little bit. Hopefully we’ll get some more sponsorship and come back and race some more.”
Drissi Motorsports went all out on preparing a special livery for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Aston Martin. The movie, scheduled to open in theaters May 2nd looks to be the summer blockbuster for 2014. In this sequel, Peter Parker continues to stare down his personal demons while waging his fight on crime. We’ve always known that Spider-Man’s most important battle has been within himself: the struggle between the ordinary obligations of Peter Parker and the extraordinary responsibilities of Spider-Man. It’s great to be Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, there’s no feeling quite like swinging between skyscrapers, embracing being the hero, and spending time with Gwen. But being Spider-Man comes at a price: only Spider-Man can protect his fellow New Yorkers from the formidable villains that threaten the city. With the emergence of Electro, Peter must confront a foe far more powerful than he. And as his old friend, Harry Osborn, returns, Peter comes to realize that all of his enemies have one thing in common: OsCorp.
The race will air on NBC Sports Network, Sunday, April 20 at 5:30pm. It will re-air Friday, April 25 at 1am. All times are eastern standard.
About Tomy Drissi
Tomy Drissi is an American driver, Trans Am Champion and multi time winning IMSA driver.
His driver experience includes ALMS, IMSA, NASCAR, Trans-Am, 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.
A regular participant in the American Le Mans Series, IMSA, NASACR and WC paddocks.
Tomy’s professional racing career highlights includes:
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.
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
About Pirelli World Challenge
In 2014, the Pirelli World Challenge series, one of North America’s top production car-based racing championships, will celebrate its 25th anniversary season. Divided into four separate categories (Pirelli World Challenge GT, Pirelli World Challenge GTS, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec), each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action and world-class drivers. The Pirelli World Challenge features cars from the world’s most popular manufacturers – race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Pirelli World Challenge is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the series races at North America’s premier road and temporary street courses.