Gaples and Cooper reunite for GT4 America

After winning several championships individually and together, Blackdog Racing's Tony Gaples is partnering again with Michael Cooper in a Nissan Z NISMO GT4 in Pirelli GT4 America.

Gaples and Cooper will team for the full season in the Blackdog Racing Nissan. It will mark the first time since 2018 that the Blackdog squad will enter a multi-driver championship, having competed in that year’s Pirelli Sprint X Championship.

Blackdog's history includes 42 GTS/GT4 victories in SRO Motorsports America competition, with five drivers' championships and four team championships. Gaples, a fixture in the paddock since 2002, is coming off a solo season in the GT America GT4 championship in a Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, highlighted by a victory at Sebring.

“After winning last year at Sebring, we’re ready for a new challenge,” said Gaples. “We’ll find it in GT4 America, which is pretty entertaining racing to watch. I’m glad to take this new step with our long-time teammate and friend Michael. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since he started racing for us in GTS. His experience in a number of different cars will help us get up to speed with our new Nissan Z NISMO GT4. I can’t think of a better teammate than Michael or a better team than what we have at Blackdog Racing. We’ll be ready for Sonoma!”

This isn’t the first time that Gaples and Cooper have teamed together, having driven together during the 2018 Sprint X campaign. A five-time champion in World Challenge/SRO competition, Cooper’s best years have come with Blackdog Racing. Of his 34 wins, 19 have come in Blackdog machinery with four championships to go along with those victories. Cooper contested six GT4 America races in Pro-Am a year ago, netting two victories, one runner-up finish and a pole position.

“Getting the band back together at Blackdog Racing is very exciting,” declared Cooper. “Just as exciting is the team’s debut with the Nissan Z NISMO GT4. This team and I have been through several different programs since my first days with them, all of which had great success. I’m very confident in the capabilities of everyone at Blackdog Racing as well as Nissan to field a front-running car. Sharing a GT4 car with Tony in this two-driver format is something with which we have past experience. Any head start we can get on the competition in this series is important. We all know each well enough to hit the ground running.”

The effort will be spearheaded by longtime Blackdog team manager Ray Sorensen, who says he's confident the team can perform as it returns to GT4 America competition.

“Running the Camaro in GT America last year and getting Tony a win was a nice way to ease ourselves back into competition shape,” Sorensen said. “Moving to Pirelli GT4 America is a significant step up given the number of experienced drivers, teams and manufacturers. We have a lot of learning to do about the strategy of the series and also the Nissan Z NISMO GT4. We’ve had a chance to take a close look at the car once we got it to the shop to understand its operation and how best to prep it. Bringing Michael back is a huge boost for all of us. He enjoys being part of this team and obviously the feeling is mutual. We’re confident that with our crew and team, we can make an impact this season.”

The GT4 America season begins April 5-7 at Sonoma Raceway.