Earlier this month, Nissan announced that two new teams will enter the new Nissan Z NISMO GT4 in this year’s Pirelli GT4 America series. Each of them is familiar to SRO Motorsports America competition: Flying Lizard Motorsports and Blackdog Racing.
The familiar red and silver heritage colours of Flying Lizard will adorn the new #5 Nissan that will compete in the Pro-Am class of GT4 America, marking the team’s first year as a Nissan Z GT4 Customer Team. Canadian drivers Damir Hot and Stefan Rzadzinski form an all-new driver line-up, backed with sponsorship from British Columbia-based Applewood Auto Group.
“I’m proud to be entering my first season of GT4 racing surrounded by some of the most professional and experienced folks around,” said Hot, a newcomer to GT4 racing who has been racing since 2020. “My goal in racing is to explore how far discipline, dedication, and rigour can take me in the sport; I can’t think of a better setup in that regard than teaming up with Stefan, Nissan, and the legendary Flying Lizard Motorsports organization.”
31-year-old Rzadzinski comes to GT4 America with a background in single-seaters including Indy Lights (Indy NXT), Star Mazda (USF Pro 2000), and USF 2000 National Championships; he most recently competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series and in the European GT Winter Series – sharing a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with Hot in the latter to prepare for the upcoming season.
“It’s an honour to join a team with the legacy and history of Flying Lizard Motorsports,” said Rzadzinski. “I’m confident that with the support of Applewood Auto Group and our partners at Nissan, we will have a strong season in GT4 America. The series will be new for us, but my co-driver Damir and I will be up for the challenge. We look forward to fighting for the top step of the podium.
“This is a really exciting program for us this year,” said Flying Lizard Program Manager Darren Law, whose team will also step up to GT World Challenge America with Aston Martin this year. “I have been speaking with Nissan for quite a while and happy we were able to put this program together.
“Stefan and I initially discussed him joining our team late last year and when this opportunity came up it was a great fit. His teammate Damir has been putting in a lot of seat time over the off-season and we are looking forward to watching his progress this year.
“Having Darren Graham of Applewood Auto Group on board is a key part of our operation and I am looking forward to growing this relationship. We have a lot to do before the start of the season as this is a very new program, but as always, Flying Lizard is up for the challenge.”
Meanwhile, Blackdog Racing’s plans with the new Z see Michael Cooper returning to the team to join Tony Gaples in the #9 Pro-Am car. It marks the first time since the 2018 Pirelli SprintX Championship that the Blackdog Speed Shop’s racing arm has competed in a multi-driver championship format.
Blackdog Racing, which has been a mainstay in SRO America since 2002, has 42 wins in SRO GT4/GTS competition – the most in series history – along with five Drivers’ Championships and four Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championship titles.
Gaples drove last season in the multi-class GT America sprint series. He scored his first GT America win at Sebring aboard the previous Chevrolet Camaro GT4.R, plus two more podium finishes in the GT4 class.
“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!”
Cooper last raced for Blackdog Speed Shop part-time in the 2021 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge alongside Gaples and Spencer Pumpelly, a year after he won the 2020 GT4 America Sprint Pro Class title with the team. 19 of his 34 wins and two of his five series championships across all SRO America series have come with the Blackdog team, which includes the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge GTS title.
“Getting the band back together at Blackdog Racing is very exciting,” said 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.”
Last year Cooper took two Pro-Am class wins in six starts with Flying Lizard Motorsports, including an overall win in Race 2 at Circuit of the Americas.
“Running the Camaro in GT America last year and getting Tony a win was a nice way to ease ourselves back into competition shape,” added Ray Sorenson, Team Manager of Blackdog Racing. “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.”
TechSport Racing’s two-car effort will round out the Nissan Z Customer efforts in 2024 in North America, while in Japan, Team ZeroOne and Team Impul will combine to enter three cars in the Eneos Super Taikyu Series.
Feature image © Nissan
