Character Defines TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha en route to Talladega Class Win MUNFORD, Al.””Patience and perseverance were the keys to Team Velocity Racing’s Heavyweight Superstock win during Saturday’s four-hour WERA National Endurance Series race at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway. Even a double shot of trouble couldn’t keep the team from rallying to a class win. A countershaft nut on the front sprocket of the TVR/EBC Brakes Yamaha YZF-R1 came off twice: once near the end of the first hour, and again with only 10 minutes remaining in the race. The mishap was later traced to a faulty impact gun. Zac Chapman, Brett Champagne and James Vanderhaar had the task of making up for the time lost in the pits. At the start of the race, Chapman led the field for about 40 minutes before he came to a halt on track. He got help bringing the bike back to pit lane, where the crew assessed the problem and replaced the countershaft nut. Champagne took the TVR Yamaha out next, facing a five-lap deficit with a lot of time to make up. The team did, indeed, make up time, advancing from 12th to fourth during the next three hours. Champagne was catching up to third place when the countershaft nut came off again, and he, too, was stranded on track. The bike was pushed back to the pits, and Chapman rejoined the race to take the checkered flag. TVR’s perseverance awarded them the Heavyweight Superstock victory. They finished sixth overall despite the double trouble, thanks in large part to the double advantage of their EBC brake pads and Michelin DOT tires. This race marked the first time TVR has competed in a full four-hour event without needing a front-tire change for their R1. In their maiden season on Michelins, TVR is already seeing an advantage: even after four hours on the same front tire, they were still closing in on the competition at the end. “We did really well in the first hour; I passed for the lead when we started getting into lapped traffic,” said Chapman. “After we broke, we were making up time and catching third place overall. If things had gone our way, I think we would have been on the podium.” “I came out on track about four seconds back from the race leader, and I tried to pace him. I knew if I could do that, we’d make up time. It was just a matter of putting our heads down and trying to make up for all that time we lost,” said Vanderhaar. “It was a pretty clean race, and we didn’t do anything stupid, we just had a couple of nuts fall off!” said the always-optimistic Champagne. “I’m stoked about the next round at Jennings. I love that track, plus we’ll be on the new bike.” The team’s Mediumweight Superstock entry, TVR II, featured Reuben Frankenfield, James Dellinger and Mike Wheelis at the controls of a Yamaha YZF-R6. Despite an early slip in the puddles left by the week’s rain, TVR II made their first podium appearance of the season, finishing second in class and seventh overall.