Grand Bend outing brings confidence
GRAND BEND, ONT. – Pete Berner admitted the key to his success cannot be attributed to one thing. It’s the whole overall combination of manpower and car working in unison. He modestly says the driver is the weakest link but those close to the team know better.
Berner said it’s all coming together at the right time in the IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam series when the 10-race series jams a multitude of races together in a short time. The defending Torco’s CompetitionPlus Pro Stock world champion has reached the finals in three of four races thus far.
“We have had a great team effort and we are coming into a point in the season where it is working to our advantage that all of our team is firing on all eight cylinders,” Berner said. “When you couple that to great horsepower from Jon Kaase and a great car from Rick Jones, throw in the carburetor talents of Dave Braswell – you have the combination that it takes to win.
“In a nutshell if you ask me what we’re doing to generate success that is the answer you are going to get. It is what we are doing down to a tee.”
Berner enters this weekend’s IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals as the defending event champion. His final round opponent was Robert Patrick, a driver he leads currently by a scant 18 points. Last year Berner entered the final event of 2006 trailing by 31 points and won the championship.
“That’s why we are aware of how tough maintaining this lead is going to be,” said Berner, who assumed the lead after his victory in Tulsa. “This class is so competitive that you will see this title go down to the wire. All you have to do is to look back to last year.”
One of Berner’s strongest attributes has created quite a bit of stir in the pits – a set of Braswell carburetors.
“Dave Braswell’s 7520 carburetors have really complimented our engine program,” Berner said. “It works well and this combination has helped our guys to make those crucial tuning decisions right on the money.”
Because Berner’s team has been on their game simultaneously, they have won the IHRA’s Last Man Standing Award at the last three events.
“We qualified on the pole the last two races and doing it back to back is something that is uncharted territory. When you add in the fact that we went to the finals in back-to-back races it is something that motivates you to go to the next level. I’m not saying this to glean any glory for myself but rather for my crew. They are the one that busts their butts to make it all happen. If you’re looking for somewhere to give credit – looking at those guys is as good of a place to start as any.”
