As the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón ramps up for its first official visit to Virginia International Raceway for the VIR 240, Tomy Drissi is excited to take on the challenge of the legendary sports car circuit. Drissi, just of a second place finish at Baltimore, will pilot the No. 9 RSR Taken 2 Prototype Challenge car with co-driver, Bruno Junquiera.
Virginia International Raceway is located in Southern Virginia and is known for being one of the world’s finest road courses. The long straights, the legendary esses and Oak Tree turn are all waiting for the ALMS cars to take their best shot at this historic venue. While VIR provides four road course configurations, the American Le Mans Series will do battle for four grueling hours on the 3.27-mile Full Course.
“I am looking forward to going back to VIR; it is a beautiful race track, fast yet very challenging,” said Drissi. “The track has a few features that are really daunting. Figuring out the fastest way to get through them is what separates the fast guys from the rest. I learned back in my Trans Am days, the quick way around was managed by being strong under breaking and quick in cornering. If you have the speed, and a good setup that is suitable for this track, you’re definitely ahead of the game.”
While Tomy was unable to take advantage of the ALMS test held earlier this year at the Virginia venue, Tomy has his Trans Am experience to call upon. In 2002 Drissi started 8th and finished 13th and in 2010, he improved by starting sixth. Late in the race he was chasing down Klaus Graff, bound for a podium finish, but finished fifth overall.
“That was a really tough race,” commented Drissi. “I got hit four different times, but was able to stay strong and just missed out on a podium finish. It was the last lap, I was in third and I thought I could catch second and overtake. I pushed a little too hard and gave up a couple of spots. But that’s the past… I know we’ll be competitive with the No. 9 Taken 2 PC and be fighting for the win.”
The VIR 240 at Virginia International Raceway is the penultimate round for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón Championship. The four-hour race is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 15. ESPN2’s broadcast begins at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 16. Full, live coverage starts at 2:15 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
Taken 2: Taken 2 is an upcoming 2012 French action thriller film directed by Olivier Megaton and starring Liam Neeson. The sequel to the 2008 film Taken, will be released on October 5, 2012.
6 months after the events in Paris, Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) has reconciled with his wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), and now they have taken a family holiday in Istanbul. But an Albanian mobster Murad (Rade Šerbedžija), whose son, Marko, Bryan killed in Paris, arrives in Istanbul to take revenge, and he abducts Lenore. Bryan escapes, and now he must save Lenore and find Kim, who is lost in the middle of Istanbul, before Murad finds both Kim and Bryan.
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.