35th ANNUAL WERA GRAND NATIONAL FINALS AND 23RD ANNUAL SUZUKI CUP SERIES FINALS PRESENTED BY LOCKHART-PHILLIPS
So Mother Nature met us with rain on Wednesday and practice was open all day, but few riders took the track since the forecast was to be dry for the balance of the four days. Thursday we got up to more rain which did not end till noon and the track dried after about the 4th race of the day. The WERA Vintage and Pirelli Sportsman Riders took the track Thursday with their championship races. Multiple winners for Vintage included Jim Hinshaw and Doug Bowie. In the Sportsman races multiple winners included Experts Tedd Cobb, Tray Batey, Taylor Knapp and Robert Jensen. On the Novice side it was a three-way battle with up and coming riders Jimmy Merck, Reece Wacker and Robert Rowles. In the Lightweight Classes Benjamin Clinton, Chris Parrish, Phil Fortune, Alex Lazo, Cassidy Heiser all saw Championships. Novice Lightweight Champions included Heath Cope with multiple Championships, Anthony Creek, James Butler and Luke Echols. The Ridersurance.com Senior Superbike HW saw Expert Tim Hunt and Novice Rick Davis take championships and in the Ridersurance.com Senior Superbike MW, Expert J.B. Layman and Novice Troy Sorenson took home the Championships.
Friday was the Bridgestone/WERA National Endurance final round. Coming into this round two class titles were on the line Zyvax Racing came out on top for the Mediumweight Superbike Class and defending Champs Ghetto Customs held on to their #1 Plate for 2009. Vesrah Suzuki took the Overall and Heavyweight Superbike Class Championships with a perfrect season. Team TVR131 defended their Heavyweight Superstock Title and Dalke Motorsports defended their Mediumweight Superstock Title.
Saturday and Sunday the Michelin/WERA National Riders and Suzuki Cup Series Finalists took the track. Racing was very competitive with each race seeing groups of four to five in the lead pack. Big winners included Taylor Knapp (GSX-R 1000), Tray Batey (GSX-R 750), Michael Barnes (GSX-R 600) and Ryan O’Donnell (Suzuki SV650) in the 23rd Annual Suzuki Cup Finals.
For the names and results on all the Champions at the GNF visit the WERA web site at www.wera.com. Thanks to all the sponsors, riders, officials, corner workers and fans that came out to this event and made it one to remember. Look for the 2009 WERA Grand National Finals and Suzuki Cup Series Finals and the 2009 schedule to be released on the web site soon!
More, from a press release issued by Team Velocity Racing:
Things Heat up for Team Velocity Racing at Season Finale
BRASELTON, Ga. Team Velocity Racing wrapped up the 2008 WERA National Endurance Series season on Friday during a four-hour race at Road Atlanta, walking away with another Heavyweight Superstock championship and memories of a dramatic finale.
Nearly two days of rain cleared up in time for Friday’s race, but Team Velocity Racing (TVR) got very little practice thanks to the soggy conditions. One practice the morning of the race was all the team had to make some basic adjustments to the setups of the Yamaha R1 and R6, and to get the riders used to the changes in Road Atlanta’s turn 12 configuration. After that, there was just enough time to mount new EBC brake pads, top off the gas tanks with VP Fuel, and ensure that the Repsol oil and EK Chains were all ready for the long finale.
TVR had an impressive list of riders, all equipped with Arai helmets, including team owner Chuck Ivey, Zac Chapman, James Vanderhaar and Reuben Frankenfield on the TVR 131 Yamaha YZF-R1 in the Heavyweight Superstock class. The TVR 136 Yamaha YZF-R6 in Mediumweight Superstock included young talents Mike Wheelis, James Dellinger and Chad Lewin.
TVR 131 clinched the Heavyweight Superstock championship earlier this season, marking their fourth consecutive title in the class. There was little pressure on the team coming into Road Atlanta, but they still wanted to earn top results.
Chapman and Ivey kept the team in second overall during the opening of the race, but a difficult pit stop and an additional stop to replace an axle pin lost valuable time. Chapman, Ivey, Vanderhaar and Frankenfield fought to make up for the lost time during the remaining hours. Ivey even chose to double-stint the Pirelli tires to save time in the pits. It was a worthwhile gamble since the tires were holding up impressively and proved to be a great pairing with the YZF-R1. At the checkered flag, TVR 131 was first in Heavyweight Superstock, adding another victory to their successful season, and fifth overall.
The TVR 136 team had a dramatic pit stop early in the race, when gas lodged in the breather hose of their refueler spilled onto the bike and ignited. Frankenfield and Melissa Berkoff, from competing team Brand X, were able to get the blaze out quickly and the team eventually took the scorched R6 back onto the track. The setback lost the team’s second-place class standing in the race, but Wheelis, Dellinger and Lewin still sewed up third place in the Mediumweight Superstock championship.
“Our season got off to a difficult start when our teammate Rory died in a sprint race at Roebling, and going into the year I knew that having two teams would be complicated,” reflected Ivey. “But overall, getting the Heavyweight Superstock championship was our goal, and we were able to accomplish that. I’m also proud about TVR 136 wrapping up third in points. A lot of our riders on that bike are young, and several of them had no prior endurance experience, and they accomplished a lot this year.”
Ivey credits efficient teamwork for the successful race season, but he adds that teamwork involves more than just the riders and pit crew. “Even with hard economic times, our sponsors have all stood by us. Without their support, we could never come out here and win championships. We’re very grateful for their unwavering support,” said Ivey. TVR’s sponsors include XES Leather, Arai, Pirelli, EBC Brakes, Vortex, Repsol, EK Chains, VP Fuels, and Dyno Jet. Find out more about the team online at www.TeamVelocityRacing.com.
More, from a press release issued by Brand X:
Brand X Yamaha Ends Successful Year on Overall Podium at Road Atlanta
BRASELTON, Ga. Brand X Yamaha doubled their efforts for the WERA National Endurance Series season finale on Friday, entering two Heavyweight Superbike Yamaha YZF-R1s in the four-hour race at Road Atlanta.
Ben Walters and Brett Champagne stood on the overall podium after a third-place finish on the Brand X Yamaha. They also took third in the Heavyweight Superbike class. In only their second year as a team, Brand X took second in both the overall endurance and class championships.
The race didn’t go as smoothly as planned, and the first hurdle was faced by Champagne after he stalled on the starting line. He was one of the last bikes to enter turn one, but within a few laps he was already in the top ten.
When Champagne signaled that he needed to pit for fuel, the team directed him to stay on track for one additional lap while a fire in an adjacent pit was dealt with. The extra lap proved too much, and Champagne ran out of gas on the back straight. After coming to a stop, he was able to restart the bike long enough to crest the hill at turn 11 before coasting downhill into the pits.
Walters and Champagne continued to push for the front, even though their plans for double-stinting tires fell through because they were running a softer set of Michelins than usual. Despite the challenges, a combination of quick pit stops and fast lap times allowed Brand X to stand on the overall podium.
Brand X also entered their backup bike in the race, featuring riders Brandon Parrish, Sam Fleming and David Weber on the Army of X/Ridersurance.com Yamaha R1. The one-off team rode to an impressive finish of sixth overall and fourth in Heavyweight Superbike.
Brand X would like to extend their thanks to the crew members who traveled to each endurance round, as well as Sam Fleming and Melissa Berkoff, who lent their skills and resources to the team this year. In addition, the team is indebted to Audrey at MotoLiberty for her sponsorship support, Ben Walters, Sr. for his fabricating skills, Jim Williams at 13x.com, and Army of Darkness.
“We started this year with a different approach than last year,” commented Walters, noting that Brand X Yamaha finished on the class podium in every race, and missed the overall podium only once. “We were more practical this year, and we invested a lot of time into improving and developing what we had. We had a good package from the beginning, and Yamaha has been a big help. It’s an honor for a corporation as big as them to take an interest in our program.”
“This was the most fun year I’ve had. We had a lot of fun at every round,” said Champagne of the season. “We had a great year and I can’t believe it’s over already! We had great bikes, a great crew, and great racing all season.”
Brand X Yamaha is sponsored by Yamaha, Jamie James Productions, 13x.com, Michelin, Moto-Liberty, Arata, Thrust Company, Motion Pro, Silkolene, TGDRacing.com, Zero Gravity, Ridersurance.com and G2 Ergonomics.