Allen Berg (born August 1, 1961 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) was a Canadian racing driver who most notably drove for Osella in Formula One during the 1986 Formula One Season. Berg has also raced in Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, Sport Prototypes and Touring Cars. He currently owns the Allen Berg Racing School, which he founded in 2007.
Winner of the Formula Pacific Tasman Championship in 1983 and runner-up in the British Formula 3 Championship the same year, Berg is one of Canada's top racing drivers. He participated entered in 10 Formula One races during the 1986 Formula One season with Osella.
Although his driving career came to an end, he insisted on staying involved in the racing world. He worked with multiple racing teams as an instructor and formed the Allen Berg Racing School in 2007.
Career[]
Before Formula One[]
Allen Berg karting in 1978.
Berg first got into karting then he eventually moved to the Canadian Formula Ford where he finished just behind Scott Goodyear. He moved to Formula Atlantic the following year, in 1982. He performed extremely well and was awarded the rookie of the year award. He jumped over to the Australian Formula Pacific Tasman Championship in 1983 where he won the championship title.
Allen Berg (right) on the podium with Ayrton Senna (left) and Martin Brundle (center)
Berg was offered a ride for the 1983 British Formula 3 Championship. The season was overshadowed by the Ayrton Senna and Martin Brundle, who were able to win most of the races that season on their path to Formula One. On multiple occasions he was able to finish on the podium with the two great drivers. He won in Silverstone, after the tyre regulations prevented Senna and Brundle from scoring points towards the championship. Berg finished the 1983 season in fifth position.
He stayed in the British Formula 3 Championship for the 1984 season on the Eddie Jordon Racing team. He was able to finish runner-up to Johnny Dumfries in the championship, seeing as both Senna and Brundle had moved on.
After the 1984 season, Berg returned to Canada to seek money. He spent most of 1985 racing in Mexico. He eventually earned sponsorship from Landis & Gyr, an electric company in Switzerland. This gave him the money required to purchase a seat on the Osella F1 Team for the 1986 season.
1986[]
After spending 1985 in Canada earning funds, Berg was given an opportunity to race for the Osella F1 Team for the remaining races in the 1986 Formula One Season. This opportunity came after the team's secondary driver, Christian Danner, moved to the Barclay Arrows BMW team. Berg would be racing alongside Piercarlo Ghinzani.
Allen Berg's Osella car being removed from the track, following his accident in the 1986 British Grand Prix.
The Osella car proved to be off the pace of the other cars and consistently qualified near the back of the grid. Berg spent his first two races struggling to finish: suffering an electrical failure in Detroit and a turbocharger issue in France. His third race was not any better, being collected in the first corner accident caused by Thierry Boutsen that brought out the red flag in Britain.
Berg celebrated his first race finish in Formula One at the German Grand Prix, after finishing in 12th. He was the last race finisher and was a staggering four laps behind the leader. He bad luck continued when two early mechanical failures forced him out of the Hungarian and Austrian Grand Prix. He missed the Italian Grand Prix and his his seat was filled by Alex Caffi.
The next two races following his return to the driver seat were more successful. Still not able to place points, Berg managed to complete the race in Portugal and Mexico. He was again the final race finisher in both and finished multiple laps behind the leader. For the final race of his Formula One career, in Australia, he was not classified.
Berg's earlier opportunities to continue in the 1987 Formula One Season disappeared, following the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix for the 1987 season. He never returned to Formula One.
After Formula One[]
Allen Berg racing his BWM in the 1993 season of the DTM series.
After retiring from his short Formula One career, Berg drove in sportscar racing and the Trans-Am Series. He entered the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft (DTM or German Touring Cars) in a BWM M3 part way through the 1991 season. He spent most of his DTM career finishing in the mid 20s. His highest finish in DTM was eighth position in the second round of the 1992 ADAC-Preis Singen, which was held at the Allemannenring.
In 1993, he spent lots of time south of the US border. He participated in Mexican Formula 2, winning the championship title in 1993. He won the final championship of his career in the Indy Lights Panamericana series during 2001, then retired from driving.
After his driving career came to an end, he began a career in driving instruction. He worked as a driving instructor for Derek Daly Racing Academy, Skip Barber Racing School, and the Mosport Racing School. He then served as BWM Mexico's chief instructor, a position that he held for three years. He also spent time as the chief instructor for the Calgary Sports Car Club.
Allen Berg Racing Schools[]
In 2007, Berg created the Allen Berg Racing School which operated in Western Canada for five years. He later moved the business to the southern United States so that the school could operate 12 months out of the year. The school offers a variety of programs for drivers with little or no professional racing experience and also provides amateur racing drivers with a chance to practice their skills. Since its founding, the school has produced many professional racing drivers.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Osella Squadra Corse | Osella-Alfa Romeo | 0 | NC | Report |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 10 |
| Starts | 8 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 285 |
| Distance Raced | 1,294 km (804 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pts | Pos | |||||||
| 1986 | 
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0 | NC | |||||||
| Ret | Ret | Ret | 12th | Ret | Ret | 13th | 16th | NC | |||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
External links[]
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