In his 19 years, Alex Berg has learned that it’s sometimes valuable to look backward for inspiration while moving forward in the present.
Berg began racing cars in large part because his father operates Allen Berg Racing Schools out of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California. Allen Berg reached what many consider the pinnacle of motorsport by starting nine Formula 1 Grands Prix for the Osella team in 1986 in a diverse career for the Canadian that extended into the 2000s.
Another one of Alex Berg’s other mentors is HSR stalwart Travis Engen, who fields a variety of machinery, including one of the Audi R8 LMPs that won the 24 Hours of Le
Mans five times between 2000 and ’05. Engen also owns a brace of Indy Lights and other open-wheel cars, and he occasionally offers young Berg the opportunity to compete in HSR events – most recently in a pair of Grand Prix Classics races at the 49th HSR The Mitty Presented by Hagerty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“Travis usually has a spare or extra car, and I’m local here to Road Atlanta,” Berg said. “Travis called up and asked if I wanted to drive one of his Lights cars. It’s the third time he’s allowed me to drive one of these magnificent beasts, and I’ve been having a blast so far. These cars are incredibly well balanced, they make a ton of downforce, and the guys at GMT Racing do a great job keeping the car dialed in with small setup tweaks to help me go faster ever single session.”
Berg thoroughly enjoyed his seat time in the 2001 Lola T97/20 Indy Lights car at The Mitty. Running in Group 4C, he won his class in both races, bested on the track by only the more powerful class entries that formerly competed in SuperFormula and A1GP championships.
“In Race 1, I was able to break the Road Atlanta Indy Lights lap record set by Townsend Bell back in 2001 in one of these cars,” Alex Berg said. “Being completely honest, this car is 100 times better to drive than the USF Juniors car is. These cars are definitely a lot more physical. A lot more power, and I think the thing that’s probably the most different is the 5-speed H-pattern shifting, versus the paddle shifters in the USF Juniors car. I love the old cars. A ’92 Mazda Miata is my daily driver.”Interestingly,
Allen Berg won the Indy Lights Panamerica championship in Mexico in 2001 in a previous generation Lights car. Bell was the 2001 CART-sanctioned Indy Lights titlist.
“My dad has helped out a ton,” Berg said. “Pretty much everything that I’ve learned, whether it’s from coaching or for business, I’ve learned from my dad. He’s my biggest supporter off track. He’s taught me a lot about business and obviously he has a lot of contacts, and that has helped me open doors and find sponsorships.”
Energetic and ambitious, Alex Berg also competes as a rookie in the USF Juniors Championship with his own family run team, Berg Racing, from a facility near Michelin
Raceway Road Atlanta. He also coaches drivers, both privately and at the track Racing School.
“We don’t come from a wealthy family, so all my racing has been funded through sponsorships and business-to-business deals,” he added. “A lot of that is thanks to my
dad for helping find these opportunities or open these doors.”
Next up on the HSR calendar is the HSR Classic Road Atlanta 10 Hour presented by Mission Foods and the HSR Atlanta Fall Historics, September 17 – 20, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
