Lawson Aschenbach led an impressive beginning to the Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R era for Blackdog Speed Shop with a runner-up finish Friday in the opening GTS race of the season for the Pirelli World Challenge.
Both Blackdog Speed Shop Camaros showed well in the 50-minute race on the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street circuit.
A storming start from Tony Gaples in the second Blackdog Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R netted him the Hard Charger award after improving eight spots in the race.
Aschenbach, driving the No. 10 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, led the first 13 minutes from pole position at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg street circuit. He remained in second for the rest of the race and set the third-fastest lap – missing out on pole for Saturday’s Race 2 by just 0.119 seconds.
“I’m happy with a second-place finish and points with the new Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R,” Aschenbach said. “There is a lot of good to take from today’s race. The Blackdog Speed Shop Camaro performed really well throughout. There wasn’t much of a drop in performance as the race went on. The Camaro was remarkably consistent. So in a lot of ways, today was a big success. There will be room for improvement but I think we can be satisfied today with the performance of both our Chevrolet Camaro GT4.Rs in its debut race.”
Gaples qualified 15th but wasted no time in advancing through the field. He moved the No. 11 Blackdog Speed Shop Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R up to 11th after one lap and firmly into the top-10 by the midway point. He is eager to build on Friday’s momentum heading into Race 2.
“That was really fun and a really enjoyable experience getting to race this new Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R,” Gaples said. “The Blackdog Speed Shop guys have done a great job of getting these Camaros prepped and ready for this weekend. I felt a lot more comfortable and confident in the car today. I could attack from the start, which is normal for me, but the consistency of the Camaro GT4.R was a huge plus. We are all really encouraged by this first race. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.”
