Hollister racer sets fastest lap among wingless sprints in the
history of Petaluma Speedway
Ryan Bernal doesn’t finish in second place often. A 15-year-old
sophomore at San Benito High School, the local speed racer usually
stands atop the proverbial podium at the end of the race season –
so much so the Bernal family towed about 400 trophies to the
landfill just last year.
Hollister racer sets fastest lap among wingless sprints in the history of Petaluma Speedway
Ryan Bernal doesn’t finish in second place often. A 15-year-old sophomore at San Benito High School, the local speed racer usually stands atop the proverbial podium at the end of the race season – so much so the Bernal family towed about 400 trophies to the landfill just last year.
But while a runner-up standing is never the goal for Bernal – “I don’t like to lose,” he said – the driver of the No. 87 wingless sprint car has a way of leaving his mark, nonetheless.
Bernal took second place in the All-Pro Wingless Sprint Car series at Petaluma Speedway recently, finishing behind Terry Schank Jr. of Santa Rosa in the final point standings – a driver three times Bernal’s senior.
Although the Hollister racer was rather disappointed with his performance afterward, he did set a record at the raceway. On Lap 24 of 25, Bernal recorded a time of 13.906 seconds and reached a speed of 97.080 miles per hour.
It is the fastest lap ever documented among wingless sprint cars in the history of Petaluma Speedway.
“The record, I didn’t think it was a very big deal, even though it’s the fastest lap ever recorded,” Bernal said. “I was still upset we didn’t get the championship.
“It’s history. It’ll be history for a while. But it didn’t really do anything for me.”
Bernal then paused for a moment, perhaps thinking about the accomplishment – his 13.906-second lap shattered the previous record of 14.01 seconds at Petaluma.
“Now that I think about it,” he said, “it’s kind of cool.”
Going into the final night, Bernal trailed Schank by 11 points. He needed to win both his heat and the main event at the end of the night in order to drive away with the upset victory.
But after Bernal fell short in his heat and Schank took first in his, all the Santa Rosa racer had to do was finish in the top 10 in the main event to clinch the points race.
“It was pretty much over,” said Bernal, who just last year defeated Foster City’s David Press to earn the wingless sprint division championship at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway.
“The competition is getting better, but we’re still close,” Bernal added. “We’re right there every weekend.”
Still, Bernal had a chance to win the main event later in the night, and he certainly tried to make something happen as a result – hence, the 97-mile-per-hour lap. With an average speed in a wingless sprint car hovering around 85 to 90 miles per hour, Bernal drove “flat-footed” on the last few laps – with the gas pedal all the way to the floor – trying to catch Schank.
“I was trying so hard to catch him,” Bernal said. “I was driving the car real hard.”
Along with thanking S&S Automotive, Nakid Clothing, Inc., Simpson, Anderson Windows & Door, Main Street Kickboxing, Firestine Tile & Stone, Dennis Auto Body, Mark Chavez and Vanlare Power Steering Repair, Bernal also extended gratitude to both his parents and grandparents. Although he didn’t earn the championship, owning the fastest lap ever recorded at Petaluma is certainly a fair consolation prize, and may just provoke Bernal to drive a little faster next season.
“I left the race track with at least something, with the fastest lap ever recorded,” he said. “That means something. But I want the championship more than that.”
