Z Car Garage is excited to participate in the Velocity Invitational at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca October 14-16. This is a must attend historic racing event for any Nissan/Datsun fan with IMSA GTU Z cars, B-Sedan Datsun 510s and special guest appearances from John Morton and Pete Brock. Tickets are still available, to purchase simply on click on the flyer link below:
Z Car Garage Racers
Z Car Garage will be racing and providing support for several client cars. We are excited to be running in Group 5 (1972 – 1977 IMSA GT Cars) and Group 8 (1966 – 1979 Under 2-liter Trans-Am, SCCA B-Sedan, C-Sedan cars). Here is a preview:
#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z
Rob Fuller will be driving the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:
Group 8 Trans Am B-Sedan Datsun 510s!
Historic B and C Sedan cars will get their own run group at the Velocity Invitational! Z Car Garage will be supporting the following Datsun 510s in this super exciting race:
The Corky Bell Trans Am 510
Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage will restore it back to its former glory and Trans Am livery (to be documented in a dedicated blog post) and Corky will be driving it at the Velocity Invitational. Yes that’s Corky Bell at our shop, re-united with his race car at 82 years young!
Gordon McCall’s Datsun 510
Gordon McCall joins Z Car Garage for the first time at the Velocity Invitational with his vintage Datsun 510. He is the co-founder of The Quail- A Motorsports Gathering and “McCall’s Motorworks Revival” at the Monterey Jet Center, the “Kick-Off” party (which we attended) for the iconic August automotive week in Monterey, California. This 1972 Datsun 510 was first ordered from the Nissan Motor Corporation by Garrison Datsun of Florida and subsequently converted into a race car, and it was sponsored by the dealer and raced in SCCA competition through 1977. After 20 years it was returned to its original livery.
#72 Tom Dockery
Tom Dockery is driving the Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car is making a triumphant return to racing after an incident at Sonoma Raceway. Stoked to see Tom back on the track!
Kelvin’s Ex-Ted Gruner TransAm 510
Kelvin Tse is a repeat ZCG trackside support client and he will be running the Ex-Ted Gruner Trans Am 510.
Glenn’s Ex-Finn/Harris Datsun 510
Glenn Chiou is running his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. He restored this 510 himself and ZCG will be dyno tuning it this week. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsun race cars and we will highlight this 510 soon.
Living Legends at the Velocity Invitational
Z Car Garage is really proud to announce special guests (and our heroes) John Morton and Pete Brock will be at the Velocity Invitational on Friday and Saturday. This is a rare opportunity to get an autograph and chat with these iconic gentlemen.
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Trans Am (under 2.5) racing series, Z Car Garage coordinated with Nissan Corporate to have the original BRE Datsun 510 displayed with the Horst Kwech Alfa Romeo at the Velocity Invitational. See the actual race cars in person, only at the Velocity event!
Z you there!
Photo by Larry Chen
To all automotive enthusiasts, Nissan/Datsun fans this an event you don’t want to miss. We encourage you to caravan to the Velocity Invitational and show your support for Datsun racing history. Together we can ensure that the Historic B and C sedan groups thrive and see more racing groups accepting Z cars and 510s. This is also a wonderful event for the whole family, check out our report from last year’s Velocity Invitational.
Enjoy this video we made showcasing the sights and sounds of the Velocity Invitational. Rob Fuller gets interviewed by the Goodwood Livestream just before the evening race, and I included the lineup from my favorite vintage race group (other than IMSA), the Trans Am cars!
Mark those calendars for October 14-16 and purchase tickets HERE. A full event schedule can be viewed HERE.
Thank you Velocity Invitational for an incredible event. We look forward to running with you again! LONG LIVE THE Z!
