Max Root will join Blackdog Racing this weekend as he and Tony Gaples team up in a pair of Pirelli GT4 America races at Sebring International Raceway.
Root, a past champion and race-winner in SRO Motorsports competition, will fill in for Michael Cooper behind the wheel of the No. 9 Blackdog Nissan in the series’ Pro-Am class. Cooper is set to return to the team in two weeks at Circuit of The Americas.
Sebring will mark the second event for the first-year relationship between Blackdog Racing and Nissan. The Cooper/Gaples tandem scored a pair of seventh-place class finishes to open the season at Sonoma Raceway.
A change of venue should be a positive for the Blackdog team. Gaples captured a victory last year in GT America’s GT4 class with a Chevrolet Camaro, and he has plenty of additional knowledge from previous years of racing and testing at the 3.7-mile, 17-turn Florida circuit.
Root also brings a history of success in GT3 and GT4 racing to Blackdog Racing. A past GT World Challenge America Am-class champion, Root has a pair of podium finishes to his credit at Sebring in IMSA competition. This will be his first Sebring race in SRO.
Blackdog Racing and the No. 9 Nissan Z NISMO GT4 will race in the first of two Pirelli GT4 America races at Sebring at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s second race at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage of both races plus timing & scoring will be available at gt4-america.com and SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.
MAX ROOT, NO. 9 BLACKDOG RACING NISSAN Z NISMO GT4: "I’m very excited to join my long-time friend Tony Gaples and Blackdog Racing at Sebring this weekend in Pirelli GT4 America. I always enjoy driving at such a historic track, and that’s made even better by the quality of racing in the SRO series. I’m looking forward to turning my first laps with the team on Thursday."
TONY GAPLES, NO. 9 BLACKDOG RACING NISSAN Z NISMO GT4: “I absolutely love racing at Sebring. This is a track that provides challenges that we don’t find anywhere else. It has character, is physical and demands everything from a driver and car to be successful. We still have a ways to go with the Nissan to get it where we want, and I suspect that we will learn a lot more about it during this weekend. That should be a positive for the rest of the year.
“I’ve known Max for a few years and am looking forward to driving with him this weekend. He’s young and fast with a ton of experience at a young age. I’m sure he’ll be able to help us continue to gain a better understand of this Nissan for when Michael returns to the team at COTA.”
RAY SORENSON, TEAM MANAGER, BLACKDOG RACING: “If you want to know what kind of racecar you have, there’s no better place to race it than at Sebring. Everyone in racing knows how this track tests cars and drivers. It’s a big challenge but one that I think a lot of racers and teams enjoy. It’s an important weekend for us as we try and make progress with the Nissan Z NISMO GT4. Having a newcomer to our team like Max can help us iron out a few things before we start into the midseason stretch of races starting at COTA.”