Following this week’s announcement reinstating Tomy Drissi to the TransAm Series, Tomy will drive the No. 8 Tony Ave Corvette sponsored by Kingsmen The Golden Circle. The second of the Kingsman movie franchise will open in theaters September 22. The TransAm Series presented by Pirelli, is at Mid-Ohio with the NASCAR Xfinity Series as part of the Mid-Ohio Challenge weekend.
With an entry list featuring 51 cars, the Trans Am slate for the weekend will feature two 101.96-mile competitions, 45 laps around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile course: The First Energy Muscle Car Challenge featuring the modern day pony cars of the TA2 class and the First Energy Trans Am 100 showcasing a multi-class competition composed of the TA, TA3 and TA4 classes.
No stranger to Mid-Ohio, Tomy has a long history of visits to the track’s podium in Trans Am and the IMSA series. In 2011, Tomy combined with Kyle Marcelli, winning the American Le Mans LMPC race. In addition, the 2009 Trans Am Series Champion, Drissi, set a track record on his way to claiming pole in 2013. With a time of 1.21:241, Tomy broke the previous qualifying record [1:21.645]—set by Tony Ave. Quite fitting for Drissi, driving for Tony Ave Racing, in a car built by Ave… broke Ave’s record.
“I’m excited to be back at Mid-Ohio,” said Tomy. “It’s a great race track and the fans are second to none.”
“More importantly,” added Tomy, “I sincerely want to thank the Series officials for their decision allowing me to resume racing in the [Trans Am] Series,” said Drissi. “I’m well aware of the seriousness of my most recent transgression and I’m committed to fulfilling the conditions they’ve established for my reinstatement. I would also like it known that I have voluntarily taken additional measures, actually going further than the Series request. Lastly, I want to apologize to my fellow competitors and extend my promise to them. I hope they will allow me the opportunity to rebuild their trust.”
Drissi’s suspension saw him excluded from Trans Am competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Brainerd International Raceway and Trans Am West competition at Portland International Raceway.
Series officials decided to suspend the existing decision after Drissi agreed to fulfill the Series’ terms and conditions necessary for his return to competition. The decision was also impacted by voluntary and ongoing efforts by Drissi to prevent further misconduct.
“Our decision to allow Tomy to return to full competition was not one taken lightly,” said Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Chief Steward of the Trans Am Series. “Tomy’s eagerness to accept responsibility for his actions and his willingness to meet and exceed the conditions necessary for reinstatement, were taken into consideration. At this time Series officials are satisfied with how Tomy conducted himself throughout this process and his commitment to changing his behavior. However, those conditions are ongoing and Tomy will remain under probation.”
The Mid-Ohio race will also be the site of the race debut for two new sets of Trans Am bodywork, the Chevrolet Camaro featured on the No. 50 GoShare/Axalta machine of Martin Ragginger and the Dodge Challenger on Jeff Hinkle’s No. 9 gogocreate.com/ Technical Realty entry. The addition of the two models stands as another step in adding diversity to the top class, which now includes the Ford Mustang, Cadillac CTS-V and Chevrolet Corvette.
In Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the sequel of Kingsman Film Series; With their headquarters destroyed and the world held hostage, members of Kingsman find new allies when they discover a spy organization in the United States known as Statesman. In an adventure that tests their strength and wits, the elite secret agents from both sides of the pond band together to battle a ruthless enemy and save the day, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy. The film opens in theaters, September 22, 2017.
