Godzilla ‘King of the Monsters’ Wows Laguna Seca Crowd as Drissi Claims Second Podium of the Season
May 6, 2019
Hollywood, CA - May 6, 2019 - Tomy Drissi claimed his second podium finish of the 2019 Trans Am season with a tremendous third place at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, May 4, where the star of the show was undoubtedly the stunning Godzilla ‘King of the Monsters’ movie theme that bedecked the No. 8 Burtin Racing Chevrolet Camaro. The Trans Am National Championship returned to California for the first time in fifteen years, and the points Drissi scored in his home state race mean that after three rounds the Angelino pilot is now in a clear second position in the drivers’ championship behind fellow Burtin Racing teammate Lawrence Loshak.
On a sunny and clear California weekend, Drissi was not the only driver caught out by reigning champion Ernie Francis’ tactics in qualifying. The driver dubbed ‘The Rockin’ Moroccan’ appeared to be booked for third place on the second row of the starting grid after clocking 1:26:400 on lap 8 of qualifying Friday afternoon. A combined qualification session of all the classes resulted in heavy traffic and the presence of slower GT and Super GT cars made a clear run a difficult task. Francis, however had waited until most of the drivers were done before he headed out to claim pole and relegate Drissi to fourth, but still on the second row of the grid and primed for a great race.
When the race got underway Saturday at lunchtime, Drissi quickly got into a smooth rhythm, negotiating the notoriously tricky “corkscrew” - the hallmark of the stunning WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca - with ease. While Ernie Francis converted his pole position into an outright lead on the track, Drissi became embroiled in a battle with his Burtin teammate Loshak. As was the case on race day at Atlanta, the two swapped positions and then a retirement of Chris Dyson promoted Tomy to a comfortable third place after the 45 laps were completed and a second podium finish of the season.
This weekend at Laguna Seca Godzilla ‘King of the Monsters’ was the talk of the paddock and grandstands alike. Now standing in second place in the Driver’s Championship, Drissi was generous in his praise of the Burtin Racing team, while the stunning No. 8 Godzilla ‘King of the Monsters’ Burtin Racing Racing Chevrolet Camaro looks primed for another bold showing at Lime Rock Park at the end of the month.
Speaking after the race, Drissi said, “I think first of all, good job to Burtin Racing and the whole team. We finished second and third as a team. We’ve been searching for that nice set up for Laguna Seca which is so hard to do. You can find a great set up, but if somebody finds something a little better, it’s very hard to keep up. The track is so tricky, it’s such a great track here. I love being here. The fans were amazing, they loved the Godzilla car (opens May 31). I just want to say thank you to everybody. The car just ran so good. Loshak did a good job. I got by him we had a good fight going, and then we raced for quite a few laps. I thought I put some distance on him and all of a sudden my car started going away and his car started getting better. Thanks again to the team and all the great fans that joined us this weekend.”
With eight rounds of the 2019 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season still to go, there is still very much everything to play for and the championship battle is just heating up. The next outing from the 2019 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli is at Lime Rock Park, Connecticut, May 24 to 27. New England fans will have a chance to see the one and only Godzilla Camaro!
The action in cinemas gets underway May 31 when the $200M Blockbuster Godzilla ‘King of the Monsters’ opens in theaters. Set become one of the biggest box office hits of all time, the film follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance. Readers can see the latest trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFxN2oDKk0E while updates from the studio on Twitter are available here https://twitter.com/godzillamovie?lang=en.
Follow Tomy Drissi online at tomydrissi.com and on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. @TomyDrissi and the team Burtin Racing @Burtin_Racing on social media for race weekend videos, updates and a look behind the scenes from the race track!
