Blackdog Racing’s Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples climbed back on the Pirelli GT4 America Pro-Am podium with a second-place run Sunday in the No. 33 Blackdog Performance McLaren Artura GT4.
Gaples took advantage of a late-race, full-course yellow period to go from fourth to second on a restart with seventh minutes remaining. Gaples’ effort helped deliver Blackdog Racing a fifth podium finish on the season and retain third place in the Pro-Am Drivers Championship.
The pairing also finished fifth in Saturday’s opening race of the weekend.
Cooper led Sunday’s race early from the class pole position and second overall. He drove the first 32 minutes before handing off to Gaples, but the team lost more than five seconds on the exchange and Gaples resumed the race fourth in class but in good position to challenge for the podium.
The team’s fortunes turned on the race’s lone full-course yellow with 17 minutes to go. With the field backed back up, Gaples made his charge to pick up two spots in the opening six corners and stayed in podium position the rest of the way.
Weather impacted the running for Blackdog Racing and the rest of the GT4 America field during Thursday testing, Friday practice and Saturday’s race. In between the raindrops when the track was dry, the Blackdog McLaren worked through its setup program with an eye toward qualifying.
After Gaples qualified sixth in the first session Saturday, Cooper flew to the top of the charts in the McLaren to take the Pro-Am pole and second position overall for Race Two.
In Saturday’s race, Gaples and the rest of the race’s starting drivers didn’t get in a full racing lap before a full-course yellow and eventual red flag due to severe weather in the area. Once cars started going again, Gaples pitted on the next lap to hand over to Cooper. Some trouble in the pitlane pushed the Blackdog McLaren down the order, but Cooper was able to rebound to another top-five finish for the duo.
Blackdog Racing’s next event in Pirelli GT4 America is August 14-17 at Road America, the team’s home track.
MICHAEL COOPER, NO. 33 BLACKDOG PERFORMANCE McLAREN ARTURA GT4: “A great job by Tony to get us back on the podium after a little trouble in the pitlane. That was huge for the points and a really impressive restart… maybe one of the best I’ve seen from him. We do need to fine-tune some things from an execution standpoint. The level of competition in this series is so close that every second can make a difference. We’ll work on things and be ready for another podium and hopefully more at Road America.”
TONY GAPLES, NO. 33 BLACKDOG PERFORMANCE McLAREN ARTURA GT4: “Considering where we were at the time, I’m really happy to drive back to second place. I knew I needed to make something happen and take advantage of the late yellow to salvage the weekend. So I’m very pleased to be able to do that for the team. Up until then it was a frustrating weekend with the weather and our performance. I got three laps Saturday between the yellows and red flag before trouble on the pit stop. Then we had another issue today on the stop and lost about five seconds. Michael did a great job at the beginning and put us in good shape. We just need to make sure we’re in shape to execute a little bit better at Road America for our home race.”
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.