Gaples is optimistic about the upcoming season.

"The new TV package is exciting, and having 20 percent more events with 20 percent less travel vs. last year is a good thing,” Gaples said. “This has the potential for being a very good year for Blackdog.” 

Team manager Ray Sorenson shares his driver's optimism.

“We are really looking forward to seeing how this season, and in particular some of the new rules, shakes out,” Sorenson said. “We hope that the new performance baseline for GT cars adequately addresses some of the issues from previous years. Corvette is an American sports car icon, and deserves to have a fighting chance against the exotic competition and factory supported vehicles we"ve seen in GT recently.”

Another new twist this year is the mixed fields on the track, with all three World Challenge classes (GT, GTS and Touring) running at the same time. 

“This could be interesting,” explained Gaples. “Having three distinct performance levels of cars out on the track at one time presents some unique challenges and opportunities, that’s for sure”.

The team owns and maintains two Corvettes.  The first will be driven by Gaples, and negotiations are underway to fill the second seat. Blackdog Racing also acts as an R&D platform for Blackdog Speed Shop, which specializes in all aspects of GM performance.

The 2010 World Challenge Season kicks off March 26-28 at the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Fla. For more information, visit www.blackdogracing.net or www.blackdogspeedshop.com.