Blackdog Expands into GR Cup With Harrison

Image: Blackdog Racing

Blackdog Racing will expand into Toyota GR Cup North America competition this year, confirming an entry for up-and-coming driver Liam Harrison.

The 21-year-old will pilot the No. 55 Blackdog Cars Toyota GR86 in the full championship starting with next month’s Arlington Grand Prix.

It marks the first campaign for Blackdog in the single-make series, but it’s not the GR Cup outing for Harrison, who scored a pair of top-20 finishes last year at Barber Motorsports Park in a Copeland Motorsports entry.

Harrison recently took part in his first test with the Chicago-area based team at Barber, which included Blackdog McLaren Artura GT4 drivers Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples, who helped Harrison get up to speed.

“The team support makes me very confident,” said Harrison. “All the guys are spectacular.

“They have so much experience and success not just from the driving side but on the crew and engineering sides, too. It gives me full confidence that I have the best team behind me for this upcoming season.”

An aviation management student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Harrison’s previous racing experience includes competitive sim racing before real-world stints in Skip Barber F4 and Spec Racer Ford cars as well as in SCCA.

“There is a ton of experience throughout the field in Toyota GR Cup,” he added. “I would be ecstatic with some podium finishes or even top-fives.

“Realistically, the goal for both my race weekends and the finishing position at the end of the season in the championship is going to be top-10. I think that’s a realistic goal to achieve.”

Team manager Ray Sorenson added: “This is an exciting new program for us at Blackdog Racing. Liam performed well over the weekend in testing at Barber, which is very encouraging heading into his first full season at this level of racing.

“We all learned a lot across the two days – Liam behind the wheel and the team operating the car.

“We should have a good combination for success. Liam has a good approach and mindset that should help him acclimate well. We’re all looking forward to this new chapter.”

The GR Cup season kicks off on March 13-15 at the inaugural Arlington Grand Prix, in support of the NTT IndyCar Series.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John