TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha Wins Two Classes in WERA Endurance at Miller

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May 28, 2009

TOOELE, Utah—The long drive from Augusta, Georgia, to Miller Motorsports Park in Utah was well worth it for TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha owner Chuck Ivey, who led his team to a dual victory in Saturday’s WERA National Endurance Series race.

Ivey, Zac Chapman, Brett Champagne and James Vanderhaar rode the TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha YZF-R1 to the Heavyweight Superstock class win while notching a finish of second overall. Meanwhile, TVR136 sailed to victory in the Mediumweight Superstock class, with Reuben Frankenfield, Ethan Ellis and James Dellinger finishing fourth overall on a Yamaha YZF-R6.

The six-hour race went smoothly, both in the pits and on track. Michael Dunn was the only permanent crew member in attendance, and he deftly handled all of the prep work for pit stops. “It was pretty busy between mixing fuel, getting tires mounted and setting tire pressures for two bikes,” said Dunn. “The guys at Michelin really helped out, and Ethan’s dad worked the pit board. He did a great job keeping up with both bikes.”

The riders, meanwhile, each had a job to perform during stops. “It was a lot of hard work, but everybody had a job to do and they came together to get things done flawlessly,” commented Ivey.

The Michelin tires did their job flawlessly, too. “The Michelins were great, especially the front tires,” said Ivey. “We only had to change the front tire once on each bike, so we saved a lot of time in the pits. That’s a huge advantage for us as a Superstock team.”

“We tried a different strategy to make the tires outlast the tires used by the Heavyweight Superbike teams,” said Chapman. “I had to really watch my pace, especially when I saw Superbike teams pulling away from me, but it worked out perfectly because we saved time in the pits and came away with second.”

Champagne echoed the sentiment about the advantageous pit stops, saying, “The pit stops were excellent, the bike handled great, and the tires were superior. The communication in the pits was perfect and we had no hiccups.”

Vanderhaar said, “Zac started the race and he really did the work of giving us a huge lead in our class, and I just had to maintain that. I went out again with 40 minutes to go, and the oil light went on. I slowed down because I realized it was better not to blow the bike up and just finish the race!” Less than 48 hours later, Vanderhaar was on his way to the Isle of Man, where he is competing for the first time.

Fans who met the TVR riders during a promotion at a local Applebee’s the night before the race came to Miller to see the team Yamahas in action. They weren’t disappointed, thanks to the combination of skilled riders, quick pit stops and the handling abilities of the bikes.

TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha now has a seven-week “summer break,” during which time they will be making numerous promotional appearances and prepping the Yamahas for the next round at Grattan Raceway.

TVR’s sponsors include EBC Brakes, Michelin, Yamaha, Aiken Motorcycle, XES Leather, MotoHeaven.com, Arai, Vortex, Repsol, EK Chains, VP Fuels, and Dyno Jet. Keep up with the team’s season and find pictures online at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com.

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