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McLaren Tops Pirelli GT4

McLaren wins Sprint Manufacturers’ Championship in Pirelli GT4 America
McLaren Factory Driver Michael Cooper takes third GT4 America Sprint victory of the year
McLaren Customer Racing team Blackdog Speed Shop secures vice-champion title; Cooper and teammate Gaples take runners-up positions in Drivers Pro and Am standings

McLaren Automotive secured top honours in the Sprint Manufacturers’ Championship standings at the 2019 Pirelli GT4 America Sprint season finale at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The result was confirmed as the 570S GT4 claimed a victory and three podium finishes across the weekend’s two races for Customer Racing teams Blackdog Speed Shop and Andretti Autosport.

The entertainment capital lived up to its billing, with Las Vegas delivering an action-packed final round of the season. The results of the double-header saw Blackdog Speed Shop clinch the runner-up position in the Sprint Teams’ Championship standings, ending the year on a high with outright race victory and a further Am class podium. The team’s two drivers – Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples – also took the vice champion positions in the Sprint Pro and Am Drivers’ Championships respectively.

Cooper led the charge throughout the 2019 Pirelli GT4 America Sprint season with three race wins and a further five podiums at the wheel of the #10 570S GT4 of Blackdog Speed Shop. This level of success kept Cooper and the team in the title hunt until the final race of the season. This is the second title for the 570S GT4 in the 2019 season, after ALFAB Racing secured the GT4 Scandinavia Championship earlier this month.

The first Sprint race of the weekend saw a late puncture rob Cooper of a race win, after a sterling drive had seen him in contention until the final moments. Instead, Andretti Autosport 570S GT4 driver, Jarett Andretti capitalised on this misfortune and was promoted to second place to take his first of four podium finishes of the weekend across the Sprint and SprintX races.

Despite the setback in the opening Sprint round, Cooper and the Blackdog Speed Shop team bounced back in the season finale to take a hard-fought victory, while another strong drive by Andretti saw a second consecutive podium for the Andretti Autosport team, crossing the line in third place. Cooper’s Blackdog Speed Shop teammate Tony Gaples also took home silverware with third position in the highly-competitive Am class after starting at the back of the grid.

With a double podium in the Sprint races in Las Vegas, Jarret Andretti achieved a 100 percent record of podium finishes over the weekend, clinching his first SprintX victories of the season alongside teammate Colin Mullan as the pair convincingly took top honours in both races to end the season on a high.

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