Tomy Drissi will join forces with Muehlner Motorsports, regular competitors in the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, driving in the Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Mobil 1 Porsche Supercut will take place during the only FIA Formula 1 World Championship event in the United states.
Muehlner Motorsports is entering two cars at COTA for American sports car veterans Tomy Drissi and Mark Kvamme.
Drissi, known for his Hollywood connections, traditionally appears with box office spectacular motion pictures gracing the liveries of his cars. He will forego that tradition this week in an effort to raise awareness for the crippling disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body.
“This is something very close to home for me,” said Tomy. “Lacy (Drissi) and I believe strongly in the Project ALS… we wanted to do something to keep the research efforts in the forefront. It seemed like a great opportunity with all the excitement here at COTA, so we passed on the big support we get from the studios and major movie sponsors to keep pushing the Project ALS message out there.”
“Lacy’s mother lived with ALS for 5 years and she endured so many challenges,” added Tomy. “Not being to talk at first, then eventually not being able to move at all. It was hard to watch. Years ago Lacy heard about Project ALS (www.projectals.org/) and the incredible things they were doing in terms of ALS and brain research. She decided to donate a portion of all sales from her paintings to the project until there is a cure. She really believes in Project ALS. They are doing the most promising scientific research and it WILL lead to the first effective treatments and a cure for ALS.”
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup practice starts at 4 p.m. (CT) Friday, Oct. 31 on the 20-turn, 3.4-mile circuit. Qualifying begins at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, followed by Race 1 at 4 p.m. Race 2 starts at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. Both races are 14 laps each.
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
Project A.L.S. was founded in 1998, as a non-profit 501(c)3, when Jenifer Estess, a 35-year-old New York theater and film producer, was diagnosed with ALS.
Told at the time of diagnosis to “max out her credit cards and eat junk food,” Jenifer instead committed her efforts to making a difference for people with ALS—and producing treatments and a cure.
Historically, ALS research was conducted by committed ALS researchers working separately on various aspects of the disease.
Project A.L.S. changed that approach dramatically by requiring that researchers and doctors from many disciplines work together, share data openly, and meet shared research milestones.
Since 1993, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup has run exclusively as support to Formula One as the only Grand Touring race series. In this attractive environment, the flagship series of the 19 Porsche brand trophy championships worldwide has prospered. The Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, in which the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is racing this year, is not only regarded as an excellent recommendation for drivers in GT and prototype racing, but also offers partners and teams a perfect business platform.