Roadracing Legend Jamie James Joins Team Velocity Racing at Barber Motorsports Park
AUGUSTA, Ga. Team Velocity Racing has announced that roadracing legend and fan favorite Jamie James will join the team for this weekend’s WERA National Endurance Series race at Barber Motorsports Park, riding the No. 131 TVR Yamaha YZF-R1.
James is no stranger to the Birmingham, Alabama, track since it’s the home of the Jamie James Yamaha Champions Riding School. In fact, it was the school that initially brought James and Team Velocity Racing (TVR) owner Chuck Ivey together. Ivey has been an instructor for the school since its inception, and before long the two racers were discussing endurance racing.
“I think a lot of Chuck and TVR works really hard on their program. I told him that if he ever wanted an older guy to ride for the team, to let me know!” said James. “I’ve done endurance races several times over the last five years and I’ve always had a good time. Chuck and I have become friends through the school and I’m looking forward to having some fun with the team.”
Ivey echoed James’s sentiment that fun is going to be a big part of the weekend. “It’s a perfect match to bring Jamie onto the team, especially since he put me on his team with the Yamaha school. He’s a really talented guy and a lot of fun to be around, and he always adds some flair to the paddock,” he said.
In addition to fun, the team will also be focusing on results: TVR hopes to clinch the Heavyweight Superstock class championship on their Pirelli-shod Yamaha R1, which boasts EBC Brakes stopping power. James and Ivey both have a lot of laps around Barber Motorsports Park as instructors, and they hope their knowledge their can be parlayed into both another class win as well as a solid overall finish.
Fans will notice that TVR has a new look this weekend. XES Leather has joined the team as a sponsor and the XES leather suits will complete TVR’s look along with their Arai helmets. TVR would also like to thank the other sponsors who have been involved in the championship chase, including Vortex, Repsol, EK Chains, VP Fuels, and Dyno Jet.
The four-hour WERA National Endurance Series race at Barber starts this Saturday, September 20, at 12:45 p.m. CDT. Keep up with TVR online at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com. More information about the Jamie James Yamaha Champions Riding School can be found at www.JamieJamesYamaha.com.