Momentum on the side of Cooper, Gaples in stacked GT4 America Pro-Am field
Blackdog Racing is bringing momentum, a four-race win streak and renewed championship hopes to Barber Motorsports Park for rounds 10 and 11 of this year’s Pirelli GT4 America series.
Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples arrive with their No. 33 Blackdog Performance Cars McLaren Artura GT4 as the hottest duo in GT4 America’s Pro-Am category. Blackdog Racing has won the last four races in class – including two overall and the team’s 50th all-time in GT4/GTS competition – to jump back into the Pro-Am championship picture despite two non-points scoring finishes earlier this year.
They are third in the Drivers Championship and only 17 points out of first place. Blackdog Racing stands second in Team points and 19 points back. There are 100 possible points left with the top-10 in each race scoring points. A total of 31 cars are on the provisional grid for Barber with 14 in the Pro-Am class.
Cooper has been a force in the current run, which started with a pair of third-place finishes at Sebring earlier this summer. He drove the No. 33 McLaren to overall race wins at Road Atlanta and Road America with pole positions at both. At Elkhart Lake, he became the winningest driver all-time in SRO America and ended the weekend with 45 victories.
It came one event after Gaples set a record for career starts at Road Atlanta, and that weekend has brought out the best in the veteran. He qualified on the Pro-Am pole position at Road America and hasn’t set a foot wrong during the current six-race hot streak.
All races in Pirelli GT4 America from Barber Motorsports Park will stream live on SRO Motorsports’ GT World YouTube channel.
MICHAEL COOPER, NO. 33 BLACKDOG CARS McLAREN ARTURA GT4: "Mathematically, if you look at it after COTA it was a longshot for this to be in this position. But no one on this team ever gave up, and now you see it. We're back in the fight. We've had some good fortune. Now we've got four races left so let's see who can do the best job.
“Barber last year, because of how short the track is and the number of cars there are, it's a little bit of a lottery. I felt like we were really good at Barber and we walked away with nothing. I think the strategy will be one of the most important factors. Obviously everyone has to execute - the team, the drivers."
TONY GAPLES , NO. 33 BLACKDOG CARS McLAREN ARTURA GT4: “It’s pretty amazing to be on a run like this, especially in this series and this class. We obviously come into Barber with a lot of confidence and momentum. But there’s also a lot of belief inside the team that we can continue this for the next two races. I think we can do well at Barber. Qualifying will be really important with the layout of the track and how traffic can stack up. We know Michael will be fast and I have a high level of confidence in myself, the team and the car so we are expecting more big things this weekend.”
About Blackdog Racing
Ever dreamed of piloting a real SRO GT race car? Blackdog offers rental and “arrive and drive” racing in addition to purpose-built cars. Email sales@blackdogspeedshop.com to discuss the best way to put you in the driver’s seat!
About Blackdog Performance Cars
At Blackdog Performance Cars, luxury and performance converge in an exclusive collection of high-end vehicles, each designed to deliver an unparalleled driving experience. Our curated inventory is a testament to exceptional craftsmanship and innovation, while our GT4 America McLaren Artura race team subtly underscores our passion for precision engineering on the track. Discover the ultimate blend of sophistication and speed at www.blackdogperformancecars.com.