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With the American Le Mans Series season break in the rear view mirror, Tomy Drissi is ready to get back behind the wheel of the RSR No. 9 LMPC prototype. Bringing along Scrat, Manny, Diego and Sid and the rest of the Ice Age 3 cast of characters, Tomy and the RSR crew see the July 7th. Northeast Grand Prix and Lime Rock Park as a great opportunity to ride the momentum of their second place podium finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
Not one to sit around, Tomy has been keeping himself busy during the six week respite. Tomy made an appearance in the TruSpeed Porsche at the Detroit Grand Prix and made his debut appearance in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series at the Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
“No rest for the wicked,” laughed Tomy discussing his other racing ventures. “Those two races are too much fun to pass up and I just can’t sit around. Back in my Trans Am days, the Detroit Grand Prix was one of the highlights of the season. It was great to go back there. Then when Tommy Baldwin offered us the chance to bring the Ice Age 3 / Continental Drift to NASCAR’s Sprint Cup race at Sonoma, there was no way I was going to pass that up. That was a great opportunity for me and great exposure for Ice Age 3.”
But now it’s back to business trying to win an ALMS championship for RSR in the Series’ LMPC division. While the team had a tough go in the first two rounds, their second place finish at Laguna Seca could be the catalyst they need as the Series heads into a compressed seven race / four month schedule.
“We’ve definitely got our work cut out for us,” noted Tomy. “But I’ve got a lot of confidence in my co-driver, Bruno Junquiera and in the RSR team. I’m hoping we’ve got all the bad luck behind us and we can mount a solid run up to the championship. We’re coming into the part of the season that was very good for me in 2011, so I’m hoping to keep things moving in the right direction.
Given the track is only 1.53 miles in length, featuring only seven mostly right-hand corners, the ALMS mix of 30+ prototype and GT cars lapping in well under a minute, the big challenge facing ALMS drivers is traffic. There’s never a dull moment. While technically challenging, the natural terrain course boasts some of the fastest speeds in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón. Average qualifying and race speeds are well in excess of 100 mph.
“This is a track that demands 110%,” said Drissi. “With the varying closing speeds among the four classes, you have to be aware of everything going on around you. You think you’d have a breather coming down the hill and onto the front straight away, but that’s probably not going to happen. You’re going to have a slower car in front of you and an LMP1 car behind you… you’ve got to be on your game.”
The American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix is Saturday, July 7. The two-hour, 45-minute race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET from the 1.5-mile, 10-turn Lime Rock Park circuit. ESPN2 airs the race the same day at 4 p.m. ET. Live coverage is available starting at 2:45 p.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
About Ice Age 3 / Continental Drift:
Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid. In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.
For more information, games and much more, visit www.iceagemovie.com
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.