As if the track weren’t tight enough and tough enough, soaring temperatures and smothering humidity were the icing on the cake for the Fourth of July weekend and the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron Northeast Grand Prix and Lime Rock Park.
With over 40 cars circulating the roughly 1.5 mile track, some turning lap times in the mid 40 second range, it was a battle of speed, reliability and luck of the draw. On a track were everything is compressed… time, speed and patience, drivers are sometimes left to only hope they can be in the right place at the right time.
Tomy Drissi, while pleased with the performance of his No. 7 “The Wolverine” ORAC FLMO9 Prototype and tenacity of his team, just couldn’t get a break in Saturday’s two hour and forty five minute battle.
“We had a great car. Rusty (Mitchell) and I were both on the pace and the guys on our BAR1 Motorsports crew threw everything they had into keeping us on track and in the mix.
“It just seemed like once the green flag flew, nothing came our way. We were battling at every turn and mixing it up all afternoon. It just really seemed like we were right in the thick of things and we’d find our way to the podium. But in the end, we got caught out by circumstances beyond our control.
“The pace was really dizzying. Lime Rock is truly a bull ring that is all right handers with only one real left turn. We were running in the high 40’s low 50 second lap times. But with the traffic, the heat and a few untimely yellows, the day didn’t turn out the way we wanted. But we still had a lot of fun and, as I said… all of our guys did a great job.”
The Lime Rock Park fans were ecstatic to see the beautiful No. 7 The Wolverine white and black graphic livery on Tomy’s prototype. Fans lined up for photos and genuinely enjoyed seeing the car trimmed for the Marvel comic and movie action hero.
The Wolverine is an upcoming American/Australian superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Wolverine and is intended to be the sixth installment in the X-Men film series. Hugh Jackman reprises his role from previous films as the title character. Set sometime after X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan travels to Japan, where he engages a mysterious figure from his past in a fight that has lasting consequences. Vulnerable for the first time, and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel, but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than ever before.
The Wolverine opens in theaters, July 26, 2013.
Next on the schedule for the American Le Mans Series and BAR1 Motorsports is the annual trip to Bowmanville, Ontario at the newly remodeled Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix, July 19-21. The race will air at 1PM EDT on ESPN2 and be accompanied by Live Streaming on ESPN3 beginning at 11:45AM. Fans can also watch Live Qualifying on ESPN3 Saturday, July 20 at 3:20PM ETD.
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. He also competed in the American Le Mans Series LMP1 class at Mid-Ohio finishing 3rd. 2011 saw Tomy’s return 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. In 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.
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
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.