Tomy Drissi, driving the No. 7 Sea of Monsters Prototype Challenge car, was three laps away from turning over a second place car to co-driver Rusty Mitchell when suddenly he was a passenger heading into turn one at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during Sunday’s American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron Mobil 1 Sports Car Grand Prix.
Tomy had already completed a pit stop for fuel and tires and was preparing to make a driver change for the final hour of the race. Reporting that the front end was a bit erratic in right hand turns, Tomy told the team he was going to stay out and hold onto second place as long as possible.
“The car was great. I’d been running in the top three all day and wasn’t about to get out of that car. With a few more laps, we could pit for fuel and put Rusty in to go the rest of the way. We were definitely on the podium.
“When the front end started feeling a bit skittish, I was suspicious of maybe having some rubber build up that might have been rubbing, then shifting as I would turn in. It was odd… but didn’t feel drastic or unmanageable.
“I came down the front stretch, set up to take the downhill right hand turn into one and heard a rather loud ‘clunk’ … then the front end shifted… but this time it didn’t come back. As I hit the runoff, I thought I could get it back, but there was nothing there. I was heading for the tire wall. Fortunately, I had a bit of an angle at impact, but it was a pretty hard hit.
“I was actually trying to get the car re-fired… then I saw my wheel heading up into turn two. That’s when I knew the day… and a great run… was over.
“I really felt bad for the crew and my co-driver Rusty. We had a great run and it looked like today would be our day. I pride myself on bringing my co-driver a good car ready to go the distance. This was a big disappointment.”
The Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters livery was a big hit with the crowd and, as usual, Tomy had a great turn out from his Canadian fans.
The next race for the No. 7 car will be Round 6 of the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at the Orion Energy Systems 245 at Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisc., August 11, 2013. The race is part of a doubleheader weekend with the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
PERCY JACKSON: Sea of Monsters – Percy Jackson’s seventh-grade year has been suprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death math against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things get… well, ugly. And the unexpected arrival of his friend Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed. In this fresh, funny, and wildly popular follow-up to The Lightning Thief, Percy and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first, Percy will discover a stunning new secret about his family–one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.
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.