The exhibit, called “Shinka”, is an immersive Japanese Automobile Exhibit featuring everything from classic models that laid the foundation to legends of the ’90s and their modern-day successors. The year-long display will showcase both JDM and US market vehicles from a variety of manufacturers, with new cars rotated into the exhibit, so plan to visit frequently!
Thanks for the heads up Greg, we are stoked that you are still Enjoying The Ride! See more of Greg’s Z HERE.
The third annual Laps for Laguna vintage racing event was held on May 31-June 2. This event is created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 3. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report!
Z Car Garage Racers
We raced and provided trackside support for 9 cars including B-Sedan Datsun 510s and Kenny’s 997 GT3 Cup car:
Gabe’s father Jeff is racing his B-Sedan Datsun 510:
#98 Kelly M
#68 and #30 Noah’s 510 and BMW 2002
#7 Rob Fuller
ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car (driven by Tom Dockery, see below)
Photo by Jim Rose
Let’s Race!
Laps for Laguna is a vintage racing event created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and California Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. It is an open sound event with multiple races for each race group, charity rides and more. We hope Laps for Laguna continues to be an annual affair.
Rob recaps the weekend:
“This was the 3rd time CSRG and Laguna Seca Foundation co-hosted L4L. Spectators got to do charity rides in race cars and street cars…speaking of street cars, Kurt W’s R32 Skyline GT-R is still in the break-in stage so he did not get to attend the R’s Day. I invited him for a little Laguna Seca redemption and he came down to run the R32. Everyone loved seeing it at the track, a great way to start the weekend. Friday afternoon began with practice and one qualifier. ZCG provided race support for 9 cars with crew of Cooper, Josh and Meghan….
“All cars ran flawlessly in the B-Sedan group with Jeff Rothman, the Tse brothers with Kenny running double duty in his cup car in G9, Noah and his friend Danny co-own a BMW 2002 that we prepare, and Lora Baggot’s Miata for VSP (I drove it). I was able to make my way up to the top 10 in Group 3 with the Miata, only a second off lap times with my own Miata. Another highlight was watching Kenny really come alive in the Porsche Cup car, earning a PB and podium amongst heavy-hitters like the 935 turbo and Flying Lizard Cup car. Kelly M did his PB and Tom Dockery also had fun. Josh M was struggling a bit with his 510 out of the PNW, so ZCG teamed up with Rebello racing to refresh his engine and he had a smooth weekend winning races.”
Tom Dockery
Tom shares his experience racing in Rob’s Datsun 510:
“Rob’s generous offer to run his Bay Area Datsun 510 at Laps for Laguna was incredible. It gave me a chance to get back on track after over a year of downtime, with people I know and trust. It also allowed me to experience racing a highly developed B-Sedan. From the first lap in Rob’s car, I fell in love with how it handled the course. With each session, I reduced my lap times until I was consistently running laps in race traffic that were better than my previous personal record. Despite some missed shifts with the Dog Box, I managed to qualify and finish in the top half of the field. I’m looking forward to this fall and the Velocity Invitational, where I’ll be back in the Balzer 510, hopefully set up as well as Rob’s Bay Area Datsun 510.”
Enjoy this in-car video of Tom in Group 3 with paddock footage as well:
The Z Car Garage Nissan Z as Pace Car
Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at Laps For Laguna. You might notice the new Z’s livery, it’s a nod to our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z, and we will dedicate a separate blog post to it:
Glenn’s FAR Performance Datsun 240Z
Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery. It was fun to watch him race this beautifully-restored 240Z, going as fast as he’s ever been too, earning a class win!
Enjoy this in-car video of Glenn in the BADD Z:
Paddock Highlights
Big thanks to Meghan and Ning for taking photos and video around the paddock. Enjoy this VIDEO highlighting paddock and race action
A weekend of great racing and good times
There was such a great vibe in our pit and it was an absolute pleasure seeing our clients all from different walks of life enjoying the company. Amazing weekend. Special shoutout to ZCG crew for keeping all of the cars running so we can race! More photos in the gallery below.
Join us for the 2024 Vintage Racing Season!
Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. Do not miss the next event: CSRG’s Charity Challenge at Sonoma September 13-15. We had a blast at last year’s Laps for Laguna, see our race report HERE.
The third annual Laps for Laguna vintage racing event will be on May 31-June 2. This event is created by the Laguna Seca Raceway Foundation and Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) to raise money for charity. It is an open sound event with multiple races for each race group, charity rides and more. We had a blast at last year’s Laps for Laguna, see our race report HERE.
Join us for the 2024 race season! See the full race schedule below and LONG LIVE THE Z! The next event will be Laps For Laguna on May 31 at Laguna Seca Raceway:
Filed under: 510,Events
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on April 18, 2024
Z Car Garage is excited to go vintage racing April 18-21 at the Sonoma Speed Tour with Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA). Come out to Sonoma Raceway this weekend and watch some exciting B-Sedan/Trans Am race action!
Z Car Garage Race Preparation
It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our trackside services include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno. Here is a video of the race cars we prepared this week with dyno passes and a walk around the shop. Enjoy!
Z Car Garage Racers
Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting several client cars at both events:
#64 Kenny Tse
Kenny will be in the Ex-Ted Gruner B-Sedan Datsun 510 featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles :
#8 Gabe Rothman’s B-Sedan
#7 Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers Datsun 510
Join us for the 2024 race season! See the full race schedule below and LONG LIVE THE Z! The next event will be Laps For Laguna on May 31 at Laguna Seca Raceway:
