BERNER “THE COMPETITION IS TOUGHER THAN EVER NOW”
MILAN, MI. – Pete Berner knew that defending a championship was going to be a tough proposition but this season has exceeded his high expectations. Headed into this weekend’s IHRA Motor City Nationals, Berner feels the competition will ratchet up a notch.
“The competition in this class is getting tougher than ever,” Berner said. “This is the time the championship is coming down the stretch and everyone brings their best game to the table, every time. There is such a tight grouping of high quality race cars. We have to get on our game if we want to win this thing.”
A trademark for Berner has been in testing. He tested at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan in the days leading up to this weekend.
“We are trying to develop this combination we’ve been working with lately,” Berner said. “The new one we are working on, once we get it right, we are going to be really fast. We are working on the consistency and it shows signs of greatness, but it also bites us from time to time. Once we get it consistent, I think we will have it better than ever.”
Berner will admit that he’s had a glimpse of his championship caliber earlier in the season, but lately he’s not running as well as he’d like.
“I wouldn’t call it a slump,” Berner said. “I just didn’t make good runs in Grand Bend. I fouled in the first round there and I really consider it a breakout for me.”
Berner said the foul start was a rare occasion for him.
‘I hadn’t red-light for two years,” Berner said. “That has a lot to do with my focus. When I am in the car, I drive real well. When I test, I drive real well. I consistently cut .035 lights or better on average when I test, it just doesn’t show on race day. Working with Bruce Deveau of The Racers Mind for the last couple of months, is where the .007 red-light came from.
“I came back to test at Martin and I made four runs where my worst light was .016. We went to the next race and sat on the pole, I actually fouled on that run, but mine was the lesser of the two. We adjusted the linkage on the clutch then that’s where I got the red.
“We’re just trying stuff and that might be where the performance decline might be coming from. We are definitely going to be better for the sacrifice. Working on my focus mentally has helped me as a driver. My best seasons have been the ones with the best mental focus.
“We have overhauled everything on this team. We don’t want to leave any stone overturned.
