What an EPIC track day at Laguna Seca! Everyone had a great time driving and the weather was beautiful. NCRC put on yet another seamless event that was quite affordable too. We left ZCG at 6am Monday with a caravan of 6 Nissans/Datsuns: Herbert in his 240z, Matt in his 510, my 350z, Allen B’s Vortech’d 350z, Scott Smith in the Green Machine, and Rob in the ZCG 370z.

Matt and Allen were first-timers at ‘Seca, and judging from the ear-ear grins on their faces after each session I can tell they had a blast! If you are not familiar with track days or High Performance Driving Events(HPDE), there are usually 3 run groups based on prior track experience/skill level. In the Solo group, instructors ride with drivers for most of the day. Rob and Scott instructed Matt and Allen and they did extremely well! Allen’s supercharged 350z had some fresh Kuhmo rubber on 18″ Enkei wheels framing big Stopechs:

Matt’s 510 sported “#46” and it was a joy to watch him accelerate from corner to corner in his boosted dime…here he is going through the famous corkscrew:

I drove my Z in both solo and point-by groups so I got 10 sessions with almost 3hrs of driving time! ZCG recently upgraded my front brakes to a Stoptech setup and they were incredible! No brake fade and plenty of confidence especially with the stickier tires that Scott lent me(thanks!). I benefited from some in-car instruction as Rob rode with me in the last session. With his help I was able to apply full-throttle in turns/sections and make the most of the track. Pretty soon I’ll be able to catch Scott…
Speaking of Scott, have you seen the latest effort in making the Green Machine meet the  92db sound requirement?

I love hearing this Z on the street, and at the track it’s spine-tingling. The Motordyne Shockwave single exhaust is still loud with the new rear section. Listen to it on the front straight:

and for comparsion’s sake here is my Z with a Nismo exhaust 🙂

Armed with four 285-width Hoosiers(and a bit of talent) Scott ran 1:45s while giving a crowd of folks ride-alongs. Here is a brief commentary from the driver that a certain red 370z so fervently tries to catch:)
“I had logged 52 laps during the day and finally broken into the 1:45s on lap 16 during the second run group when I met Izzy, a guy who races a Z31T and has posted lap times in the 1:30s with an old Nissan. We finished the day out in the “open passing” group, which contains a mix of trailered-and-dedicated track cars and race-bred Porsche 911s. After a few practice laps for Izzy to see my line, we found time in T2, T5, T6, T8, and especially in T11, mostly by adjusting when and how much throttle application. Each lap was a little faster as we pushed a little harder. The tires were a little greasy, but we were still faster. I had just posted my fastest lap ever – a 1:45.28, on tires that had less traction than they did during the morning runs. We were at the limit in a few spots, like T2, T3, T4, T9-11, which are areas I’m comfortable pushing it in. T5 is a high-speed, uphill, left-hander that I had never given much attention to since the sound check is right there and I always have to lift off the throttle to stay under the sound limit anyway. Well, as we exited T5 and started making our way up the hill past the sound check and towards T6, the Z stepped out and spun counter clockwise. At ~80mph, there was little chance of saving it, and before I knew it we were facing backwards. Now you have to worry about your drive train unless you follow the oldest rule in the book, “if you spin, two feet in!” I saw there was no way to save it, so left foot to push the clutch in, right foot on the brake, and hold on. We hit the kitty litter (which is there to slow you down) hard, and the Z dug in, but it wasn’t enough to stop us as we back-sided the tire wall at maybe 30mph. Minus two flat tires and a busted wheel, the damage appears to only be cosmetic around the trunk and bumper area, and we drove the Z home without issue.”

The day was filled with lots of lead-and-follows, ride-alongs to friends and passerbys, and some “spirited” driving. There is something really special about Laguna Seca, and the appreciation grows 10-fold when you experience it from the driver’s(or passenger’s*) seat.  So come out and enjoy a track day with us! Don’t forget to check the gallery for more pictures. The paddock area was full of cool machines.

*special thanks to my friend Chris who took some fantastic videos and pictures. I think we may have turned him into a track nut.
There are many more pictures to enjoy just click below: