When the checkered flag fell on the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup season finale at Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans Powered By Mazda, Tomy Drissi and his teammates had completed the heroic feat of finishing the legendary 10 hour racing marathon.
Drissi, teamed with Martin Plowman and Marc Drumwright persevered throughout the 10 hour event working their way through 13 caution periods and a crowded 56 car field. The No. 87 BAR1 Motorsports Prototype Challenge car, featuring the October 10th release of the movie DRACULA Untold, withstood all of the trials and tribulations a 10 hour race can dish out… but in the end, Tomy and his team prevailed to see 1016 miles and the checkered flag.
Tomy Drissi, known for his movie themed race cars, thrilled the after dark crowd with this year’s livery, DRACULA Untold, opening in theaters October 10th. Tomy admited, DRACULA Untold just had that extra bit of kick racing under the lights.
“This is just a great effort by the BAR1 Team, Martin, Marc and myself,“ noted Tomy. “And, yeah…. running through the woods at 180mph plus with DRACULA on board was a blast… I think the fans got a big kick out of it and we added something to the fun and excitement Petit Le Mans is known for.”
“These guys at BAR1 worked really hard,” Tomy continued. “I was in the car for almost four of the ten hours, it was a ‘fright-mare’… just crazy. Things were going very well for us… until a car that was 18 laps … yes 18 laps, off the pace, made contact with us. We made the repairs, but we could never make up the time and it effected the cars handling.”
“Regardless, everyone kept their heads down and drove the whole race like we were on the lead lap,” Tomy added. “While we’re not happy with our finishing position, we’re extremely proud of the effort and the fact we finished. Petit Le Mans is a 10 hour sprint race… our guys and the team deserve a lot of credit for what it takes just to finish a race like this.”
“It was great being back with BAR1 and I really had a good time driving with Martin and Marc,” said Tomy. “When we were on the grid for the fan walk, the whole team came out to meet the fans and show their support for the No. 87 car and DRACULA Untold. The car drew a lot of fan interest and everyone was excited to see and have their picture taken with us. The size of the crowd was amazing!”
The ten hour Petit Le Mans has become one of the classic endurance races in the world and is the fourth and final leg of the Patrón North American Endurance Championship. The Patrón Endurance Cup recognizes the top performers in the four endurance races on the TUDOR Championship schedule. It opened with the Rolex 24 At Daytona and continued with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen at Watkins Glen International. Points were awarded on a five-four-three-two basis at key segments in each event; for Petit Le Mans, points were scored at the four-hour and eight-hour marks in addition to the finish after 10 hours. The top teams in the Prototype (P) and GT Le Mans (GTLM) classes received $100,000, with a $50,000 year-end prize in both the Prototype Challenge (PC) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes.
“It’s great to see Tomy back in the car with us,” added BAR1 Motorsports team owner, Brian Alder. “He’s a terrific driver and a great member of any team. He knows what’s expected of him and goes out and gets the job done. In a long race like Petit, that’s a huge asset.”
The TUDOR Series will be on hiatus until January 9-11, 2015 when the teams will decsend upon Daytona Speedway for the annual winter testing at the Roar Before the 24. The Rolex 24 at Daytona will take place January 22-25, 2015.
DRACULA Untold
Almost an entire century after the world’s cinematic introduction to Dracula placed audiences under his haunting spell, the studio that pioneered the genre reawakens one of legend’s most captivating figures in an action-adventure that heralds a pulse-pounding rebirth of the age of monsters. LUKE EVANS (Fast & Furious 6, The Hobbit series) transforms from the cursed man history knows as Vlad the Impaler to an all-powerful creature of the night in Universal Pictures’ Dracula Untold, the origin story of the alluring immortal we have come to fear as the sun sets: Dracula.
TUDOR United Sports Car Championships
The Tudor United Sports Car Championship, formerly the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón, merged with the Grand-Am Road Racing Series at the conclusion of the 2013 season. 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 Tudor United Sports Car Championship competes at North America’s premier road racing tracks and selected temporary street circuits in major urban markets.
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.
Tomy’s 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
2000 Trans-Am Long Beach Champion
2009 Trans-Am Champion.
2010 ALMS (one off race) Prototype LMP1 3rd. at Mid Ohio
2011 saw Tomy’s return to the American Le Mans 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.
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.
2013 NASCAR CUP/Nationwide. Best result at Mid Ohio starting 38th and finishing 19th.
2014 IMSA LMPC at Daytona 3rd.
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