Laguna is awesome!

BERG Racing rolled into Mazda raceway Laguna Seca after a long cross country trip ready for action. The REDCOM West WR1000 rolled off the trailer fast and it was a tough job for driver John Weisberg to keep pace with the tricky Laguna track. Richard Watson and Richard Picut were also coming to terms with the track with Picut fastest in the close competitiveness of the Playboy MX5s. In his own terms Picut had “made a turn” with the MX5 and was gaining pace and comfort with each session. Unfortunately it all came to an end in the very fast turn six during qualifying when he lost control and hit the inside wall. The car was un-repairable for the race. Watson improved also with each session and was looking very racy but a small mistake in turn 4 ended his race in the tire wall. Both drivers came away unhurt but anxious to come back and conquer this awesome track.

In the REDCOM West John had missed pole for race one by only a tenth of a second but was able to take the lead on the first lap from pole man Lee Alexander. Lee regained the lead midway but in the end Weisberg took the checker for a second consecutive win in the Cooper tires prototype lites championship.

In race two, a 75 minute enduro, Weisberg would start on pole due to his race win from Saturday. At the green flag John was able to put some distance between himself and Alexander and lead till the mandatory pit stop. Lee got out of the pits first and assumed the lead. With only five minutes left John made his bid for the lead entering the famous Laguna corkscrew and came out on top. The final margin of victory was more them 5 seconds. The win made it three in a row for John and he assumed the championship points lead.

Next race for the team will be New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville NJ. Picut and Watson will be there to again to take the fight to the MX5 Cup championship and Weisberg will be giving his all to continue the win streak.

Next event: May 21

Mazda raceway Laguna Seca.

BERG will be fielding the 09 Championship Redcom West with John Weisberg driving and two Mazda Playboy MX5 Cup cars. MX5 driving duties will be handled by Richard Picut and Richard Watson.

Race day, and running as a support race to the NASCAR gang makes for a long lead time up to the race. The kids from Hillside showed up and got a chance to see the team in action as they prepared for the race. It was great to see the excitement in their faces as most had never seen anything like this before. As the start time loomed Weisberg suited up and strapped into the GTO. The green flag flew right on time and the two hour 200 mile race was on. Starting 14^th, well back in the field John had his work cut out for him. A steady pace moved the car into the top ten and just before halfway co-driver Alessie took over. Alessie moved up one more position to get up to 7^th. The racing was tough and he fought hard to keep position but fading tires and a late race stop for a splash of fuel dropped the car back to 10^th. Over all the race went well and although we didn’t win we did have twenty true winners in the form of the Hillside kids who got to experience a once in a lifetime moment. We also raised over $6000 for the center.  Weisberg said post race, “this was a great experience for me and even better, we were able to do something good for the kids. I can’t wait till next year!”

Practice revved up at noon on Thursday in the hills of WGI. The REDCOM, Battery Tender, Hillside Children’s Center GTO-R was ready to go but new driver John Weisberg was starting off slow on a steep learning curve. Steady progress was being made but time was cut short due to yellow flags on coarse. Co driver Deago Alessie got in the car next and using his experience with the car, set the pace and showed the potential of the car, running in the top five in class. John's turn in the car again and with only a lap or two a tire blow out sent him into a 100mph spin ending with the car safe but a very close call. Damage repairs ate away at valuable track time and qualifying was looming. In a decision to get some more seat time, Weisberg got in the car and as time clicked away. The MCM crew thrashed on the car but John was only able to get one lap in qualifying on cold tires. Needless to say the car will be starting down in the field but hopes are high, and the potential is there.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Watkins Glen International in 2009. The weekend action kicks off as the Daytona Prototypes and GT's of the Grand-Am Rolex Series make their second appearance at The Glen for the Crown Royal 200 on August 7.

Thanks to John Weisberg, of  Berg Racing, 20 children from Hillside Children’s Center will travel to Watkins Glen to see this race.  John , with support from REDCOM Laboratories Inc. and Battery Tender Inc. has been giving an opportunity to drive a Pontiac GTO-R in Friday’s race. The GTO has great following with fans worldwide and will take the fight to the Porsches and Mazdas of the Rolex GT field . And to top it off, the Hillside Logo will be placed on the car for all to see.  What an exciting opportunity for all involved!

This effort will provide a lasting experience for the kids who attend, tremendous exposure, as well as garner donations, to Hillside Children’s Center. Members of the community can support this endeavor by pledging a monetary amount for each lap (the race should be about 75 laps, so a pledge of $1 per lap would be a $75 donation to the children) or by making a one-time donation. Donations will directly benefit Hillside Children’s Center. Call (585) 256-7660 or click here to make a donation online.

Please support this effort in any way that you can. Every dollar counts and could ensure the future of a child in need.

Donations can also be made in support of the team through Paypal Use This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or mail to our shop

BERG Racing

799 Holt Rd,

Webster, NY 14580

MILLVILLE, N.J. June 13 – In one of the most exciting races of the year, championship
leader Matt Downs won his third IMSA Lites presented by Frisby Performance Tire race
at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
Downs ran a consistent race, never actually leading on track. At the end of the
day he was announced the winner after on-track race winner Kyle Marcelli was
penalized for blocking.
“I was quicker through the first part of the track. I just got killed coming onto the
straightaway every time,” Marcelli explained. “I saw him getting the run and I moved to
the middle of the track. He was right on the inside.”
In a race filled with cars going off track, Marcelli ran second to Lucas Downs for a
while before spinning, allowing Matt and brother Antonio to slip by him. For a few laps it
looked like it would be an all Downs podium, then Marcelli took advantage of small
mistakes to move back into second place. That is when Lucas, who led the first 25 laps,
went off track.
“I had an eventful race. I got run into before the green,” Lucas said. “I spun after
leading and just held on.”
The Lites Two class was just as exciting at the start with Eric Vassian and John
Weisberg swapping the lead. Weisberg managed to get past Vassian for good on lap three.

  “The L1 cars didn’t accelerate like we talked about in the driver’s meeting. They really bunched up
and we all kind of got into each other,” Weisberg said. “On the third lap I was able to draft by
Eric going into one and hold the lead.”

Tomorrow’sround six at New Jersey Motorsports Park will also be a 45-minute race. The green flag will
fall on round six at 12:05 p.m.

 

races in support of the American LeMans Series, but this weekend the racers will be on their own at
New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Formula X event.

Part of the appeal to racing in the series is being able to showcase driver talent in front of the
American LeMans Series crowd, but without the other series, IMSA Lites drivers will have more track
time on the 2.17-mile, 12-turn Thunderbolt course. Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is one
driver looking forward to the extra track time.

“In the 30-minute races there isn’t enough time to make any mistakes. The 45-minute race will
definitely change the situation,” Feinberg said. “We usually have four Lites cars and the ALMS
Viper, so this weekend will be better. I usually do much better when I focus on one or the other. ”

Feinberg will need to focus if he’s going to make up ground on points leader Matt Downs,
Butterfield, Minn., and his brother Lucas, who is second in the point standings. Matt leads Lucas
by 10 points, with Joel another nine points behind.

In the Lites II class John  Weisberg of BERG Racing will be fighting hard to take over the points lead from Robby card and team mate Mike Hill.

Round five of the IMSA Lites presented by Frisby Performance Tire takes place Saturday, June 13 at
12:05 p.m. The green flag will fall again at 12:05 p.m. for Round six Sunday, June 14.
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Well it's been a long time since the site was updated and I apologize for that but we've been busy racing! The 07 season ended with a very successful showing at the 13hrs of VIR where BERG entered 3 Miatas in the ITS class. Competition was fierce and they had us on speed but our Redcom Laboratories, Kumho tires Miatas were sipping the fuel and  the plan was to play tortis to their hare. The stratigy paid of and BERG cars were 1st and third on the podium. The win was enough to clinch the overall drivers championship for BERG drivers John Weisberg and Richard Picut.