"Stoll, Bergfelt and White winners of final Unlimited All-Star races of 2001"
OCTOBER 18, 2001 - Pine Hill Speedway in Shippenville, Pennsylvania was the site of the eleventh scheduled stop of the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club - B.R.E. Small Engines - Unlimited All-Sars tour. Pine Hill is situated in a beautiful wooded area, the pits resemble a park, and the concession stand serves great food deals. The track is a hard, flat, 1/8-mile clay surface that is smooth. It usually develops a wide black groove that is just wide enough for two karts to travel around. Stay on that band of rubber and a driver will do well. Venture off of the edge of the groove and catch the dust and beware. The day's activities were sponsored by Preston America, Inc.
In the first qualifying heat race, Ronny Stoll of Orrville, Ohio took the checkers. Mark Bergfelt of West Mayfield, Pennsylvania won the second qualifier.
Stoll started the feature on the poll and Bergfelt on the outside of the front row. At the drop of the green, Bergfelt took off at a blistering pace and immediately began to build up a substantial lead. Each lap he seemed to go faster and deeper into each corner until lap eight when his right rear tire just kissed that band of dust outside of the groove causing the leader to spin. At the restart, Stoll capitalized on the situation and motored on to his first unlimited All-Stars feature win. Stoll was followed by Ed Hudock, Scott Deasey, Bergfelt and Curt Bish. Stoll wanted to thank LAD, Buller and Frankland for their valuable support of his racing effort.
Event twelve on the Unlimited All-Stars schedule was at Slippery Rock Raceway, in Slippery Rock Pennsylvania. This 1/8-mile oval, with very modest banking, gets very hard during the Sunday afternoon shows but does not take on any rubber. This makes it very challenging for the high powered Unlimiteds to get the power down. Preston America, Inc. was the sponsor when the All-Stars took on that challenge.
Scott Deasey, who won his first Unlimited All-Stars race at Slippery Rock three years ago, won the first heat. Mark Bergfelt won the second qualifier. Bergfelt, on the inside, and Deasey paced the field for the feature. At the drop of the green Deasey got a better bite and lurched forward to lead into turn one but his tires were too cold and he drifted off of the groove and spun, collecting many of the following competitors. The flagman, some how missed seeing Deasey off the side of the track and failed to display the yellow and the race went on. Deasey pushed his kart to the on ramp of the track and the yellow came out. Deasey replaced the chain that had come off in his incident. At the restart, Deasey trailed the field in a race that was already several laps old. Bergfelt took advantage of the situation and lead until the finish. Mike Clark did a great job of taking his Tecumseh Star powered kart from fourth to second. He spent the entire race holding off the challenge of Ed Hudock with his K-30 powered machine. Both drivers were piloting Margays. Hudock was trailed by Deasey, John Kraus and Bryan Krstonich.
The thirteenth and final race of the Unlimited All-Stars eleventh season took place at Naugle's Speedway, not far from the Pittsburgh International Airport. Racing at Naugle's Speedway is always exciting on the 1/8-mile high-banked oval that resembles a bowl.
In the qualifying heats, Jeff Metsger made a clean sweep of both of his races. Joe Mudrick and Mark Bergfelt split the heat wins in group two. Mudrich did not finish one of the heats and this put him into a seventh place starting position for the feature.
The line-up for the feature showed Metsger on the inside pole and Bergfelt in the second spot. After several attempts at a start, Metsger dropped out with mechanical trouble allowing Scott Deasey to claim his starting spot. At the drop of the green, Deasey and Bergfelt took off together and spent the first two laps full throttle all the way, wheel-to-wheel, rubbing bodywork until the pair's next trip into turn one where Bergfelt managed to get a little better bite on the high side and began to pull away coming of of turn two. Bergfelt began to streatch out a considerable lead. In spite of several caution periods, Bergfelt with his Parilla Sudam powered CRG built up a substantial lead over the second place modified Briggs powered Mongoose pilot, Paul White. The pair began to lap karts during the latter laps of the race until Bergfelt, who was coming off of turn two, ran into a road bolc of three karts who were racing for position three abreast. The leader had no choice but to slow down and wait for a hole to open up. This delay allowed White catch up and was in the perfect position to take advantage of a hole that opened up on the inside. White arrived at the traffic jam just as the hole opened up, before Bergfelt could react, and took the lead, but not for long. Bergfelt tucked in behind him and the pair swapped the lead seven times in the last four laps of the race! Coming off of turn four of the final lap, White who was on the high side, was several feet ahead, while Bergfelt barrelled off or the last turn gaining rapidly. At the stripe, White won out by no more than six inches. They were followed by Mudrick, David Grey, Harry McElhaney, Scott Deasey, Mike Clark, Bobby Castlevetter, Don Roy, Stoll, Jeff Metsger, Paul Kish and Ed Hudock.
The final top ten in the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club - B.R.E. Small Engines - Unlimited All-Stars are; #99 Mark Bergfelt, #86 Scott Deasey, #21 Mike Clark, #30 Ed Hudock, #3 Ronny Stoll, #55 Joe Mudrick, #12 Harry McElhaney, #20 JeffMetsger, #29 Kurt Bish, #77 David Grey. These drivers will celebrate the 2001 season at the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club banquet in January 2002.
