Blackdog Speed Shop and its two Chevrolet Camaro GT4.Rs return to Sprint competition in the Pirelli World Challenge with its annual visit to the very fast and very thrilling Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s the first weekend for a pair of 50-minute, single-driver races in the series since the opening event in March at St. Petersburg, Florida.
There may be no track on the schedule that stirs senses – and the insides – like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit is one of North America’s oldest and best, having played host to just about every form of major motorsport including Formula One and of course World Challenge. Blackdog Speed Shop drivers Tony Gaples and Lawson Aschenbach will look to carve out their own history at the circuit in their Camaro GT4.Rs.
Blackdog Speed Shop is among the teams throughout history to score a victory at CTMP. Lawson Aschenbach, the reigning GTS Champion and current GT Sprint points leader, won in a Blackdog Speed Shop Camaro in 2016. He began his 2018 season with back-to-back victories on the St. Petersburg street circuit.
Driving the No. 1 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, Aschenbach is second in overall GTS points, which includes GTS SprintX results. He will try to deliver another victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – he has three at the circuit in his World Challenge career. In the Camaro GT4’s first season in 2017, Aschenbach drove it to second- and third-place GTS finishes at CTMP.
Gaples, in the No. 11 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, stands fourth in the GTSA Sprint standings and sixth in overall GTS points. He has four top-10 GTS finishes in six starts at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, and three additional top-10s in Canada when PWC competed on the Toronto street circuit.
A year ago, Gaples drove his Camaro GT4.R to a runner-up and third-place GTSA finish at CTMP. He began the Sprint season with third- and fourth-place showings at St. Petersburg.
Built to global GT4 regulations, the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R is based on the road-going Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. It features a 6.2-liter, Chevrolet small block V8 that was developed and validated by Chevrolet Racing. Power is delivered to a six-speed Xtrac sequential transmission with paddle-shifting and adjustable traction control. Additional mechanical features include an Xtrac racing limited-slip differential, a two-way adjustable Ohlins Racing dampers and adjustable ABS along with Brembo brakes.
LAWSON ASCHENBACH, NO. 1 BLACKDOG SPEED SHOP CHEVROLET CAMARO GT4.R: “The trip to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a definite highlight of our World Challenge season. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy the high speeds and massive elevation changes! It really pushes drivers out of their comfort zone. This also has been a great track for Blackdog Speed Shop and the Camaro the last few years. We can carry good speed through the corners and go deep into the braking zones. Both of those attributes are important to produce a fast lap! We will be pushing hard to keep our GT4.Rs up front.”
TONY GAPLES, NO. 11 BLACKDOG SPEED SHOP CHEVROLET CAMARO GT4.R: “I’m looking forward to returning to Sprint racing. To do it at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park makes it even better. I can’t think of a track better suited to our style of racing. The track has so many ‘wow’ moments during the lap – really fast corners and big elevation changes. It has remained a classic, old-school circuit for a long time but never loses its thrill. Our season has gotten off to a pretty solid start, and the key to continuing that at CTMP is limiting mistakes during the weekend. Let’s see what the weekend and the Blackdog Speed Shop crew brings us.”
