Total Performance Racing ready for fourth season of Trans Am
February 16, 2016
Detroit Based Total Performance Racing returns for a 4th season of Trans Am Series racing with a two car team for the tour’s 50th Anniversary season. Todd Napieralski will be joined by Tristan Herbert at Sebring International Raceway to kick off a two car run at the championship.
Napieralski has become a staple of the newly named TA4 class since joining the series for the first time in 2013. He’s been a consistent performer with five wins and at least one victory in each of his three years in the series. He finished 2nd in the class championship standings in 2015 and is looking for that next step up.
Napieralski is joined at Sebring by Tristan Herbert, who will be a series rookie. Herbert is a motorsports veteran with experience both as a team manager in professional road racing and as a driver.
"2015 was a very good year for us and we improved overall as a team. We had 8 of 12 podiums and we held the race lead in 2 of the 4 non-podium finishes. But, we fell short of our championship goal last year with the second place finish in points.” Napieralski said.
“For 2016, we assessed what we needed to accomplish our championship goals. At the top of our list was a full-season teammate. With that, we are pleased to announce the addition of Tristan Herbert to our team. He is an accomplished professional driver with many years of experience in motorsports. We will have two Chevrolet Camaro Z-28’s this season and a third driver appearing at a few events. This will give our team strength in numbers on and off the track and open many doors for TPR.”
TPR has a close relationship with several partners that are returning to his team for the 50th Anniversary campaign. “We are most thankful to have our title sponsor family of Tremec, SKF, Chevrolet Performance, and Backstreet Performance with us again this year. We would not be racing professionally without them. We also want to announce our new associate partners for 2016 with Auburn Gear and Motive Gear joining our team. Their excellent team of engineers and portfolio of racing parts will complement our team and racing efforts”, said Napieralski.
Herbert’s Camaro is a brand new Z28 owned by Dave Tilton. Herbert was the 2009 winner of the SCCA American Road Race of Champions. He was the 2011 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Class Rookie of the Year. “It’s a brand new car. Sebring will be a lot about learning the new car.” Herbert said. “I think our focus for having a competitive entry is really the second race at Road Atlanta after we have had some time to sort out the new car.”
“Todd and the team have been great helping me get comfortable and getting the car prepared to start the season. I am excited to get to racing with them.”
TPR is constantly evolving and growing and 2016 is no exception. “We have improved our infrastructure and our team. Our crew chief, Dave Jones, will lead us again towards the Championship. We have added more personnel and all of us have increased our levels of commitment. We installed a new data center in our hauler to help us be more efficient with getting information from our cars and drivers.” Napieralski commented.
The Golden Age of Trans Am showcased the factory production muscle cars battle it out on road courses across America. In its truest sense, the production based Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers of the modern day TA4 Class represent this storied history of the past. TPR is determined to place a Chevrolet Camaro on the top step of the Championship podium in this historic 50th year of Trans Am racing.
