Driving the No. 47 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Porsche, Tomy Drissi returns to the Detroit Grand Prix, a site where he enjoyed many Trans Am battles. No stranger to the Belle Isle course, Tomy can’t wait to put the TruSpeed Porsche through it’s paces around the 2.1 mile course on the jewel of the Detroit River for this week’s Rounds Six and Seven of the Pirelli World Challenge Series.
“Man, I love this race,” said the Trans Am Champion Drissi. “Back in the day, we had some great Trans Am battles with Paul Genitlozzi, Brian Simo and Boris Said… those were amazing races. It was great track, great town and a great time to be racing.”
The Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle has a rich history throughout the years. Beginning in 1982 and featuring Formula 1 open wheel cars racing on the downtown streets, the Motor City enjoyed a seven-year run of world class racing. Most notably were the three back-to-back Detroit wins captured by F1 legend Ayrton Senna.
Coming off a top-10 finish at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Tomy is excited about his chances of getting to the front in the No. 47 Porsche.
“I’m pretty confident we can do well here with the TruSpeed Porsche,” added Tomy. If the course is still close to how I remember it, I think it will suit the Porsche well. It’s a great mix of high speed straights and sweeping turns. Unlike a lot of temporary circuits, Belle Isle allows you to get into a rhythm.”
In 1989 the Detroit Grand Prix began making its mark with 13 consecutive years of CART races. While 1989 – 1991 were run on the city streets, the event moved to Belle Isle racing on the island course from 1992 to 2001.
After a a six-year hiatus, the Grand Prix was resurrected via the efforts of Roger Penske. The city and Belle Isle played host to the American Le Mans Series and Indy Car in 2007 and 2008. Since the Grand Prix returned to Belle Isle in 2007, event organizers have made over $6 million in lasting improvements to Belle Isle.
In 2012 the Detroit Grand Prix is back. The Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix returns to the Motor City on June 1-3, 2012. The event will feature the cars of the IZOD IndyCar Series, the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series, the Firestone Indy Lights Series and the Pirelli World Challenge Championship Series. The weekend collectively is referred to as the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.
The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac V-Series Challenge (Race 1) will get underway Saturday at 4:30 PM. Race 2 will take the green flag at 11:45 AM Sunday. The race will be broadcast on NBC Sports, Saturday, July 7th at 5-7PM eastern. The race will be streamed live on www.worldchallengetv.com
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
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is an American 3D action horror film based on the 2010 mashup novel of the same name. The film is directed by Timur Bekmambetov and is produced by him and Tim Burton. The novel’s author, Seth Grahame-Smith, wrote the adapted screenplay. The real-life figure Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (1861–1865), is portrayed in the novel and the film as having a secret identity as a vampire hunter. Filming began in Louisiana in March 2011, and the film is being produced in 3D. It is scheduled to be released on June 22, 2012.
Now in its 23rd consecutive season, the Pirelli World Challenge is one of North America’s top production car-based racing championships. Divided into four separate categories (Pirelli World Challenge GT, Pirelli World Challenge GTS, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec), each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action and world-class drivers. The Pirelli World Challenge features cars from the world’s most popular manufacturers – race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the series races at North America’s premier road and temporary street courses.