Tomy Drissi, Rusty Mitchell and Chapman Ducote all brought a ‘never quit’ attitude the season opener for American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida. Known as one of the most challenging endurance races in the world, Drissi and his co-drivers finished 6th in the Prototype Challenge class with the No. 7 G.I. Joe Redemption, Chevy powered ORECA FLM09, fielded by BAR1 Motorsports.
Prior to this year’s race, the Prototype Challenge teams were dealt a wild card when the Series issued notice that all teams would be relegated to a new class tire supplier, Continental Tire. While the change is the same for everyone, teams were left quickly sorting out setups and developing new race strategies based on the tire’s performance.
“This was a tough race for the No. 7 G.I. Joe Redemption car,” noted Tomy. “We got a bit behind early in the race and with the top level of competition we were never really able to find what we needed to get back to the front.”
“Sebring is the toughest race in North America,” said Drissi. It’s certainly tougher than any 24 hour race. The track is extremely rough and stretches cars and drivers to their limit. To finish the race without any mechanical problems is an accomplishment in itself.”
“The new Continental Tires seem to be pretty good,” said Tomy in agreement with BAR1 owner, BrianAlder. “They felt close to or as fast as last year’s tire though they need some work in order to double stint. We’ll see how they improve over the season.”
“It was a fantastic week, though,” added Tomy. “The fans were fantastic and it was great to be back racing in the ALMS after a fairly long off-season. The G.I. Joe car was a huge hit. During the autograph sessions, we had some of the longest lines I’ve ever experienced. We had a great poster to hand out and kids were loving it. G.I. Joe was well represented!”
Tomy now heads to St. Petersburg, Fla. and the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg where he’ll compete in the Pirelli World Challenge GT driving the No. 4 Corvette featuring The Croods movie prepared by LG Motorsports.
Next on the schedule for the Tomy in the ALMS is the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach scheduled for April 19-20, 2013.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3D(also known as G.I. Joe 2 or G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation) is an upcoming 2013 American science fiction action film directed by Jon M. Chu, based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe toy, comic and media franchises. It is a sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.[4] The film was written by Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. G.I. Joe: Retaliation features an ensemble cast, starring Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson, with Channing Tatum, Arnold Vosloo, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, and Lee Byung-hun reprising their roles from the first film. North American release date is March 28, 2013.
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.
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.