RSR Taken 2 Prototype Challenge car and with that of his co-driver, Bruno Junquiera.
“This was just one of those days,” said Tomy. “When the P1 car lost control and spun around in the first corner, everyone got hung out with nowhere to go. Bruno tried to take evasive action only to get hit from the rear. He was by all means a victim. He got back to the pits and the team did a fantastic job of making the repairs and getting him back out there. Knowing it was a four hour race we tried to remain optimistic. It was just too much ground to make up.”
“I got in the car sometime around the two hour mark,” added Tomy. “I had a good clean run. The car was fast but I hadn’t had any time in the car since the team made a significant setup change after morning practice. I just kept my head down and pushed as best I could.”
Virginia International Raceway is located in Southern Virginia, the 3.27-mile circuit is known for being one of the world’s finest road courses. The long straights, the legendary esses and Oak Tree turn provided an excellent showcase for the American Le Mans Series competitors.
“I loved running at VIR,” noted Tomy. “It’s fun, challenging and fast. You come off that last turn before the esses and then hold on. If everything is right you’ve got a fast straight shot. If not, you’ve got to sort it out and get through their as quick as you can. You really need to keep your wits about you. I’m looking forward to going back.”
Junquiera got back in the car for the final half hour. In spite of the team’s best efforts making early race repairs, time simply ran out for the No. 9 RSR Taken 2 Prototype Challenge car
The team will now enjoy and extended break as they prepare for the season finale at Road Atlanta, the 1,000-mile/10-hour Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 20. ABC’s broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 21. Full, live coverage starts at 11:15 a.m. ET on ESPN3.
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. In 2011 Tomy returned 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.
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
Taken 2: Taken 2 is an upcoming 2012 French action thriller film directed by Olivier Megaton and starring Liam Neeson. The sequel to the 2008 film Taken, will be released on October 5, 2012.
6 months after the events in Paris, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has reconciled with his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), and now they have taken a family holiday in Istanbul. But an Albanian mobster Murad (Rade Šerbedžija), whose son, Marko, Bryan killed in Paris, arrives in Istanbul to take revenge, and he abducts Lenore. Bryan escapes, and now he must save Lenore and find Kim, who is lost in the middle of Istanbul, before Murad finds both Kim and Bryan.
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.