Brian Berney was one of the leading WERA Production class racers of the mid-1980s, and being a Chicagoland resident he was tough as nails at the Northern Illinois track Blackhawk Farms Raceway. So racing Berney on his home ground presented a major challenge to Yamaha contingency king Bart Peterson. I was lucky enough to capture the battle of Berney and Peterson at Blackhawk in a 1985 WERA B Production race. Here Berney (56) leads Peterson (3), which he did the entire race until the last lap. By then Peterson, who’d shadowed Berney like this the entire race, had figured out the hot lines around Blackhawk and made his move after taking the white flag and was able to hold on to win the race.
Brian Berney (56) and Bart Peterson (3) turned in a great race in the Yamaha-paying WERA B Production final at Blackhawk in 1985. Blackhawk was Berney’s home track, but Peterson studied Berney’s lines and on the final lap made his move to take the victory. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Rider Files 
One slipper ass track, was almost as if it oil on half the track!! But also made for multiple lines to ride and race.
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Totally agree RT. Riding it in the rain was in a word: insane.
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Surprised Ed Key isn’t in that pic.? Those money races were the best. Nail biters!
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Hey Jim
Yeah it seems like Ed would be right in the middle of this one. Not sure where he was that weekend.
Larry
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Can you nail down the date any better that 1985?
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I remember seeing Bart’s bike at the track and no one would never think he had a chance, but that dude was fast, real fast
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