There’s no doubt that 2010 has been a year unlike any other for Pete Berner. With Summit Racing Equipment coming on board with major sponsorship, 2010 held much promise for the two-time IHRA Pro Stock World Champ.  Not only that, but after IHRA dropped the class, Berner was central in keeping quarter-mile Pro Stock racing alive by starting up the newly founded Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association. The fledgling organization was immediately well-received and has enjoyed three successful events so far, with two more coming up in October.

Despite all the positive things happening around Pete Berner Racing, the team has struggled this year, with one of the worst win-loss records in recent years. Although he’s been to two finals, Berner has yet to score a win and has seen more first and second round losses than he’s accustomed to.

Berner’s struggles this season certainly can’t be attributed to a lack of effort. With Jerry Janota and Mike Slaviero masterminding Berner’s engine program, the team has gained a tremendous amount of power and extended their efforts in putting that power to the ground. However a host of unusual and unforeseen problems have accompanied their efforts, often throwing R&D for a loop.

There’s no doubt that 2010 has been a year unlike any other for Pete Berner. With Summit Racing Equipment coming on board with major sponsorship, 2010 held much promise for the two-time IHRA Pro Stock World Champ.  Not only that, but after IHRA dropped the class, Berner was central in keeping quarter-mile Pro Stock racing alive by starting up the newly founded Mountain Motor Pro Stock Association. The fledgling organization was immediately well-received and has enjoyed three successful events so far, with two more coming up in October.

Despite all the positive things happening around Pete Berner Racing, the team has struggled this year, with one of the worst win-loss records in recent years. Although he’s been to two finals, Berner has yet to score a win and has seen more first and second round losses than he’s accustomed to.

Berner’s struggles this season certainly can’t be attributed to a lack of effort. With Jerry Janota and Mike Slaviero masterminding Berner’s engine program, the team has gained a tremendous amount of power and extended their efforts in putting that power to the ground. However a host of unusual and unforeseen problems have accompanied their efforts, often throwing R&D for a loop.
 
Adding to this stream of bad luck, the Pro Stock pilot was in a severe highway crash on July 30th. Berner’s SUV was totaled when a car in oncoming traffic hit him head on. Berner came away with compression fractures in his back and a couple of broken ribs, but managed to race the next weekend.

Despite the struggles plaguing Berner, he remains positive and is only more driven to succeed.

“Nobody’s working harder than us,” he tells. “There’s no doubt we’ve been struggling this year with tune ups and combinations with our engine program. Sometimes finding a good thing only creates more problems in the short term. We’re looking at long term and building for the future of Pete Berner Racing. Pat [Norcia], Rick [Jones, RJ Race Cars], Tommy [Sevier] and Eric [Flemming] along with Jerry and Mike in the engine shop have been analyzing every inch of this car, even disassembling the car from front to back. We’re doing everything we can to get this figured out and find a way to harness the power we’ve found. I have complete confidence in the guys in the engine shop and in my team. We’re headed in the right direction.

“Although this year has been tough, it’s also been a very good year for us,” Berner continued. “Partnering with Summit Racing Equipment is truly one of the highlights of my career. We are very grateful that they considered us for sponsorship, and we certainly don’t want to let them down. Summit doesn’t have to do what they do. They do it because they love the sport. There aren’t many companies out there that I can say that about. They have been very good to us, always supporting us on and off the track. When I had my wreck and couldn’t make it to the match race at Summit Motorsports Park, they were really great about making sure I was ok and taking care of my health first. I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of the Summit Racing Equipment team.”

Although Berner’s on track success isn’t what he’s used to, it’s still nothing to snub your nose at. He’s currently qualified for the ADRL Battle for the Belts, standing 8th in championship points. Berner is looking even better for the Championship race in the MMPSA, at 4th in points with only one race to go before the King of the Mountain Crown championship race. For an “off” year, Berner certainly isn’t doing too poorly.

“A lot of changes have happened in our program this year. And with change come an adjustment period. That along with a bit of bad luck has hampered our progress. But with a company like Summit supporting us, amazing help from all our associate sponsors, the best team in the business, and more drive and dedication than ever before I’m sure we’re headed in the right direction.”