Driving No. 5 Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules in Theaters March 25 / Muscle Milk Porsche GT3
St. Petersburg, Fla. March 26, 2011 – Tomy Drissi kicked off his World Challenge Series Championship run with round one of this weekend’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg driving the No. Muscle Milk Porsche GT3. Tomy’s Porsche carried the colors of Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules in Theaters March 25 for the Series opener.
In what promoters hope to be a sign of things to come for the World Challenge Series, round one saw a packed field of 49 combined Touring Car, GTS and GT entries. No stranger to city streets, Tomy put the No. 5 Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Roderick Rules in Theaters March 25 / Muscle Milk Porsche 12th on the grid and stayed in the hunt finishing the race in 12th.
“The Porsche is a big change for me,” said former Trans-Am standout, Drissi. “You basically kick a Trans-Am car in the behind and go. With the Porsche, there’s a lot of finesse required in feeling how the car turns in and works through the corners. They react a lot different to anything else I’ve ever driven. It’s going to be up to me to adapt and get the most from the car. But it’s a great car and a lot of fun to drive.”
The 50 minute race saw a rather lengthy yellow about half-way through the race. By the time the clean-up was completed, the scheduled 34-lap race had bumped up against the 50-minute time limit, and only eight minutes remained when the green flag flew again on lap 18.
“The caution periods were kind of frustrating,” noted Tomy. “I want to get race laps under my belt. Given the 50 minute format of the World Challenge Series, track time is limited. As the race went on, I had hoped to pick up a few spots and get a quick lap time to improve my starting position for Sunday’s round two. But we’ll be alright. The guys are making a few changes based on my feedback and what I learned in today’s race. I’m sure we’ll make some headway as I learn the car and (maybe) as the car learns me.”
Round two of this weekend’s double header will run Sunday and the No. 5 Muscle Milk Porsche will feature RIO from the creators of Ice Age and opening April 8. The race will use each competitor’s fast lap from Saturday’s race to set the starting grid. Pre-race ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., with the lights out for the standing start at 4:55 (EDT).
The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg is run on a 1.8-mile, 14-turn waterfront circuit that includes a combination of adjacent downtown streets circling Pioneer Park, the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, the Salvador Dali Museum and extending onto runways at Albert Whitted Airport that overlook the Bay and picturesque St. Petersburg Harbor and Marina.
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 competing in 7 rounds and 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. Tomy is married to Lacy Livingston Drissi.
Find out more about Tomy Drissi at http://www.tomydrissi.com or on Facebook. You can follow Tomy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tomydrissi.