Tomy Drissi returned to the east coast and Florida this week for the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg competing in rounds one and two of the Pirelli World Challenge GT class. Tomy finished both races in the top 10 driving the No. 4 ‘The Internship’ Corvette for LG Motorsports.
The Pirelli World Challenge at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IZOD IndyCar Round One ran Saturday, March 23, while Round Two ran Sunday, March 24. The race can be seen on NBC Sports, Sunday, April 7th at 12:30PM eastern. Note, time and date subject to change. View live streaming on www.world-challengeTV.com day of races and continuously on demand after races.
“We had a tough weekend,” noted Tomy. “In the first round we managed to hold our own and with the tech problems experienced by the winning Porsche, we finished 8th.
“In the second round, I got a good start and in the first five laps moved up from 11th to 6th with some good driving and a bit of luck. But then as the race settled in, the faster cars caught us and I had nothing for them. They were just that strong.
“Late in the race I tagged one of the Audis. Unfortunate and my fault. I apologized to the driver after the race … I was just trying to keep up with cars that clearly had a performance advantage.
“It was like we brought a knife to a gun fight. We will have to do something before Long Beach or we are cooked!
“I think the SCCA will look into the performance balance of things. The Corvette is going to need some help to be competitive. The Audi has way too much and so does the Volvo. As strong as the Cadillacs were, they really didn’t have much for the Audi or Volvos.”
At the completion of the 2012 season, WC Vision announce the approval of the Audi R8 LMS, Mercedes SLS, and BMW Z4 for competition in the Pirelli World Challenge GT class for 2013. Each of the approved models was subject to WC’s performance balance and aero specs. Pirelli World Challenge fans will now experience the most diverse racing on the planet with the GT class having representation from 10 different brands.
Tomy’s No. 4 Corvette featured the upcoming movie, The Internship, which will open in theaters June 7th starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. In the movie, Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are salesmen whose careers have been torpedoed by the digital world. Trying to prove they are not obsolete, they defy the odds by talking their way into a coveted internship at Google, along with a battalion of brilliant college students. But, gaining entrance to this utopia is only half the battle. Now they must compete with a group of the nation’s most elite, tech-savvy geniuses to prove that necessity really is the mother of re-invention.
This was the fourth straight year for the Pirelli World Challenge kicking of its race season in Florida with a doubleheader weekend. The series runs as part of the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg IZOD IndyCar event. Televised coverage of Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge from St. Petersburg is scheduled to air Sunday, April 7 at 12:30 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Network. Race fans can always tune in online for live race coverage at www.world-challengetv.com
With a successful weekend in the books and for the eighth-straight year, the Pirelli World Challenge returns to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and the ‘Roar by the Shore’, April 19-21. Only the GT and GTS fields will compete on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street course. Kia Motors America (KMA) will be the presenting sponsor of the Long Beach Pirelli World Challenge race. NBC Sports will provide coverage, Sunday, May 5th at 2PM eastern. Note, time and date subject to change. View live streaming on www.world-challengeTV.com day of races and continuously on demand after races.
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. In 2010 Tomy competed in Trans-Am taking 1 win, 1 pole, 3 podiums, 4 Top Fives, 7 Top Tens; 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
World Challenge – The Most Relevant Road Racing In The World
Celebrating its 24th season in 2013, the Pirelli World Challenge Championship has built its legacy around providing fans the most competitive road racing in the world, and the series has earned well-deserved praise the past few years from publications such as AutoWeek, Car & Driver and RACER Magazine for doing just that. But what really sets World Challenge GT, GTS and Touring Car apart from all other series is the “everyday” element it brings each event. World-class drivers piloting production-based cars that come from more than 10 auto manufacturers – it’s a formula that has and will continue to serve the interests of manufacturers, drivers and, most importantly, automotive enthusiasts and race fans.