We had a fabulous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-16. More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours. Every year the RMMR highlights a featured marque but for 2024, the 50th anniversary of historic racing was celebrated. Enjoy our race report with photos and video!

Serious recognition for Japanese Classics

 

The Reunion is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. The Japanese Automotive Invitational hosted by Infiniti returned for its fifth year showcasing JDM icons. We are proud of several Datsuns displayed including John Baker’s 1969 Datsun 2000 and Allen Horwitz’s 1967 Datsun 2000. See more in MotorTrend’s JAI coverage.

  

Epic racing

Z Car Garage supported 5 race cars starting with the Pre-Reunion. It was surprising to see very few Datsuns entered at the Rolex: there was not a single Datsun 510, even in the Group 3: John Morton Trophy! Despite the lack of Japanese cars we were happy to see a few Z cars and Roadsters driven in anger. Below you will find each car supported by Z Car Garage followed by in-car video. Enjoy!

 

Take a lap in the #49 Joel Datsun Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob Fuller piloted the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z in Group 8 IMSA.You might recall the story behind this special, 1972 IMSA GTU 240z as it was owned, built and raced in the 70’s by none other than Joel Anderson.  ZCG restored #49 back to its former glory and it debuted at RMMR 2014. John Morton would drive #49 at RMMR 2015. Enjoy this extended video with in-car footage of Rob dicing it up with big power Porsche RSRs… Volume UP and Long Live The Z!

Rob drove #49 Z hard and finished the race 6th place overall out of 23 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:36.38. Rob recaps the Rolex event:

“The ZCG crew with Joshua and Cooper kept all our clients on the track and safe. Kenny Tse was in his 997 cup car, it was the return of Alex in his Skyline and the #49 Z in the IMSA group, Adam Carolla in the first BRE car, and Greg Hoff and myself in the ’67 Mini Cooper S. The Pre-Reunion was a success…the Mini was really competitive and the IMSA Z car did well placing in the top 10…Kenny and I both got our personal best times at Laguna. What makes this special and fun is getting to share the stories of these epic sports cars, and also doing with friends. So many people came by the ZCG paddock excited to see the Datsuns, the underdogs. Really great racing.”  

 

See the entire Session 2 in-car video from Rob on his YouTube Channel and give the man a subscribe! View the livesstream from Group 8

 

BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster (Group 3)

 

We were stoked to prepare and provide trackside support for the #44 BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster, owned by Adam Carolla. This 1968 SRL has a rich history, highlighted by the 1969 SCCA racing season with drivers Frank Monise and John Morton battling with privateer Jack Scoville. This roadster joined 3 others in the highly-competitive John Morton Trophy, Group 3.

 

Adam drove #44 hard and finished the race 28th overall out of 40 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:55.44. Enjoy this video with in-car action and Turn 6 footage with fellow Datsun Roadsters:

View the livesstream from Group 3

Rob recaps working with Adam and the BRE 2000:

“We got Adam got there but the car fought us a bit with charging issues/wiring. He had a great Friday morning session moving up in the field. Really proud of him and the car. If there was a MVP of the Rolex weekend it was Joshua Corwin who stayed overnight and re-wired parts of the BRE car. We had to source parts so shoutout to shoutouts to Mike Young and Rod’s Discount Datsun as we went back and forth between Laguna and San Jose to make sure Adam was going to stay out on the track. Unfortunately on Saturday am on last race of the weekend we started the car and it had a compromised head gasket. Really enjoyed working for Adam and it was great to see his son Sonny, Matt d’Andria and Charles. Good times”

   

Alex’s Skyline

 

Alex McDowell returned to Laguna Seca in this C10 Skyline built by our friend Jim Froula of Racecraft. Z Car Garage has prepared and supported Alex’s race efforts with the Hako and it has been an awesome experience. Two very memorable racing events were the The Mitty and RMMR

photo by Josh Nelson

Alex raced the Hako successfully at the Pre-Reunion and race week, winning the Award of Excellence for Group 8!

   

Alex drove #9 hard and finished the race 15th overall out of 23 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:41.11. Enjoy this video of the Skyline below, speakers up!!!

 

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup (Group 7)

 

This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards. It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and our client Kenny Tse raced it in the Legends of Endurance group at the Rolex.

 

Kenny’s brother Kelvin was there to root him on as was Kenny’s wife Marsha. We love learning and it’s always fun to do something new…helping Kenny with his 911 also allows Rob to say “if it’s not the Z-car, let it be the P-car!” Kenny drove #9 hard and finished the race 14th overall out of 27 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:32.33. Enjoy this video below with Kenny’s group, paddock action and more:

View the livesstream from Group 7

Mini Cooper (Greg/Rob)

 

Rob and Greg drove #44 hard and finished the Group 13 race 2nd overall out of 35 cars, posting a best lap time of 1:47.84. View the livesstream from Group 13

Paddock Highlights

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told.

 

Datsun Roadsters at RMMR

Three other Datsun Roadsters were racing with Adam in the John Morton Trophy (Group 3):

 

Please visit the gallery for more roadster pictures, and see in-car video from Steve Walker’s Datsun Roadster HERE

Z Car Garage in the MEDIA

 

The 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo at Z Car Garage was displayed at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week. It was great to see this legend with fellow IMSA race cars at Laguna Seca. The media also took notice, with Hagerty writing an article about the ZX-T’s development, recognition and restoration at ZCG. View the article HERE

 

Bonus media exposure: Motor Trend’s top classic car picks from Car Week included the GTP ZX-Turbo and the Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z!

Required Reading: The Nissan GTP Story

 

One of the highlights of the Rolex event was meeting Electramotive engineer Chris Willes! He wrote an incredible book chronicling the design and development of the Nissan GTP car that dominated the IMSA GT series during the late 1980’s. It’s a must-read for all Nissan/Datsun fans, and you can purchase the book HERE. Rob invited Chris to the Rolex event to be reunited with his beloved ZX-T. (Below) Here I am with Chris and we look forward to working with him!

People

Contributing to the fun were family and friends.

 

We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners Anthony Schwisow and Jan Trondsen. We will have an updated feature on Anthony’s 2JZ-powered Datsun 510 Wagon soon!

Paddock finds

Super cool to see our client Linda Williams’ 1972 Datsun 240Z OMS Pace Car Duplicate at Laguna Seca and in Carmel during Car Week. Way to drive it Linda!

 

From massive transporters, to exotics and downright crazy vehicles the paddock never disappoints. Here’s a few of my favorites, more in the gallery!

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the 2024 Monterey Historics! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including ZCG Crew: Josh, Cooper, Keith and Meghan Fuller. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

 

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.

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On March 15-17, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is hosting the David Love Vintage races at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in the B-Sedan Group. Spectators are FREE, so come out and enjoy a weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track.

   

Z Car Garage Races Ands Supports Six Datsun 510s!

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do 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.

Video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Rob and Tom), Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

Here is a preview of the Z Car Garage clients running at the David Love Vintage races:

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers car

 

#7 Kelvin Tse

 

#64 Kenny Tse

  

#8 Gabe Rothman

 

#25 Jeff Rothman

Gabe’s father Jeff is racing his B-Sedan Datsun 510:

 

#98 Kelly M

 

#68 and #30 Noah’s 510 and BMW 2002

 

 

We will also be supporting Lora’s Spec Miata!

 

For more information please visit Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG). See you at the track!

Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts. Please enjoy our belated race report from November 2023.

WE LOVE RACING! On November 10-12 we attended the Velocity Invitational at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting clients in Group 6 (1968 – 1978 IMSA GT Cars), Group 9 (ALMS) and Group 10 (Mini vs Mustang Enduro). This vintage racing event was just as fun for spectators with a friendly, immersive vibe. Enjoy our report from the weekend with photos and in-car video of the action.

Z Car Garage Racers

 

#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z

Rob Fuller piloted the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z

 

Porsche 997 GT3 Cup

This very special Porsche is the 2006 FIA European GT3 Championship winning car that was driven by Sean Edwards. It is a 997 GT3 Cup S Prototype and our client Kenny Tse raced it in Group 9 (ALMS). Listen to this car on the Z Car Garage dyno below!

#78 IMSA Porsche 911

 

Z Car Garage prepared and provided trackside race support for our client Kelvin Tse and his IMSA Porsche 911, running with the Z cars in Group 6.

Mini Vs Mustang Enduro

Rob Fuller and Greg Hoff raced a Mini Cooper against Mustangs in the Group 10: 1960’s Mini Vs Mustang Enduro, this was an action-packed group!

  

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.

 

Racing With Group 6 IMSA

Photo by Chris Constantine

Group 6’s IMSA cars were dominated by big-power Porsche 911 RSRs with a few BMS CSLs and four S30 Datsuns. Rob Fuller ran the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z joining Dave Stone’s 260Z, Gary Cook’s CP 240Z and Glenn Chiou’s’ 240Z:

 

#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z

 

This was Z Car Garage’s third time running the Velocity Invitational event. Enjoy Rob Fuller’s race report with video below…

ROB: “The IMSA GTU Z made a switch this season from Avon to Goodyear tires, and it’s really been quite amazing. You have to remember that all of the suspension on this 240Z is what Joel ran in 1981, and it still rocks. Group 6 was fun and I was in the mix with legends…spent the last 20 years attending the Historics watching Bruce Canepa in his Porsche 935, Ken Epsman in his DeKon Monza, the Greenwood Corvette…just unreal to be actually racing with them!”

 

ROB: “My personal best lap time was 1:46 and I think that is the highest finishing Datsun 240z ever in that group. Shoutout to Glenn Chiou in the BADD Z he kicked some ass, Gary Cook brought out an old CP car and Dave Stone was in his GTU 260Z.”

Enjoy these shots of the #49 car in action by photographers Kris Poulin, Chris Constantine and Charles Frerking:

   

Video!

We have in-car video from Rob in the Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z and Group 6 racing action below, volume up and enjoy!

Sunday Race:

Catch some Turn 2 action HERE and watch more of Rob’s racing adventures on his YouTube Channel.

 

Z Car Garage Trackside Race Support Services

ROB: “ZCG provided trackside support for 4 cars. Kelvin in IMSA 911 and myself in G6, Kenny in G9 ALMS with a bunch of 996/997 Porsche Cup cars, Ford GT’s and really cool metal. They all had a blast. We changed up a few things on the IMSA 911 and solve some issues that came up at Rennsport so he was able to have a good time at Velocity.”

 

Kenny with his 997 GT3 Cup car and first time on track since 2018. Z Car Garage prepped the car with fluids and dyno tuning, and wow what a car:

 

ZCG is always willing to lend a hand to fellow racers, like Dave Stone:

 

Mini Vs Mustang Enduro

 

ROB: “We also ran a Mini with Greg Hoff in the Enduro. The Mini kicked our ass all weekend and we had to do an engine swap (thanks to Nick for the assist!)…we had electrical woes. British Steel really challenged us and thanks to the ZCG crew we were able to catch the last Enduro race and take the checkered flag.”

 

Paddock Action

Enjoy this video highlighting the Sonoma Raceway paddock with race group walk-throughs, engine sounds and more:

Exotic cars

 

There was no shortage of rare and exotic cars from well-known and upcoming supercar marques. Guntherwerks had their 911 Speedster and McLaren showed off an incredible display of F1s mixed with newer models:

 

Privateer Spirit

Our friend and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his FAR Performance 240Z. It’s worth noting that not unlike privateers of the period, Glenn builds his race cars, maintains and manages racing efforts himself. Not an easy task so we applaud his work ethic. Glenn builds some beautiful Datsuns and we will highlight his B-Sedan 510 soon!

 

A Fan-Friendly Race Event

 

Formerly known as the Sonoma Speed Festival (2019), the Velocity Invitational re-imagined the vintage race experience with a Goodwood-inspired vibe that we enjoyed at the 2022 Velocity Invitational. One of the best experiences for spectators is the paddock and organizers made access to drivers and their machines seamless. Fans could get up close and personal with race cars without the typical ropes or 45-foot RVs in the way:

 

ROB: “First time running at Sonoma for us with VI, since we missed the inaugural event in 2019. Jeff O’Neill ‘s event is first class and reminds us of what the Rolex MMR used to be. So much excitement in the air…when you drive in people would be everywhere. Thanks to Jeff, Ryan Turri and Ardelle Lind for accommodating our needs.”

 

“They have done an incredible job making the guests and fans welcome. Organizers created a memorable experience, down to the driver’s meeting and we really enjoyed the paddock design, signage, F1 energy. All three days there were lines to get into the event! More driver amenities like the lounge, food and drink…ZCG’s first shop helper Jeff Garcia and his company was in charge of coffee/drink services at the event, small world!”

 

The hot pit area where all run groups stage before heading out to the track is an amazing place to be. Typically, access is only granted to pit crews and media. At the Velocity Invitational however, organizers staged a “false grid” where any spectator could walk amongst the race cars.

  

If you want to see action from the event in its entirety, check out Goodwood’s live streaming coverage of Day one and Day Two. Huge thanks to Meghan Fuller for capturing photos/videos for ZCG. More photos in the gallery below!

ZCG Race Crew

 

Huge shoutout to the Z Car Garage race crew including Josh, Meghan, Nick and Cooper. We are grateful for your support, keeping us safe and on the track!

   

Racing into 2024!

 

Thank you Velocity Invitational for an incredible event. We look forward to running with you again. Join us for the 2024 race season starting March 1 with SVRA at Thunderhill. See the ull race schedule below and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

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WE LOVE RACING!  Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is hosting the 20th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway, this weekend September 8-10. Z Car Garage is participating and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). This vintage racing event is totally FREE to spectators so please join us! Bring the family, enjoy cool cars and charity rides around the track.

 

See our 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage is happy to announce our 2023 Nissan Z will be on Pace Car duty at the Charity Challenge. Again, admission is FREE for this event and you will have access to all spectator areas on track, race cars and drivers. Parking is in Lot 2 overlooking the paddock. You can see our report from the 2022 Charity Challenge HERE

Z Car Garage Supports Five Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do 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:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd enjoyed his Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the Laps For Laguna event!

#7 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…

  

Gabe’s B-Sedan and his Dad’s B-Sedan:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

     

Rob will also be racing the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at Sonoma Raceway.

 

We look forward to seeing you at the races. Check out the race schedule below and a full report coming to zcarblog.com. Do It In A Datsun!

 

 

Join us for the 2023 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending in 2023, including CSRG and SVRA . Please join us!

March

March  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

August 12-13                    Monterey Pre-Reunion
August 16-19                    Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

November

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

 

Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts, so please enjoy our belated race report from April.

WE LOVE RACING! On April 1-3, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the David Love Vintage races at Sonoma Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 9 (John Morton Cup). It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos.

 

Z Car Garage Supports Three Datsun 510s

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do 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.

Video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Rob and Tom), Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

ZCG clients running at the David Love Vintage races included:

#7 Kelvin

Kelvin’s 510 features our Z Car Garage CV Axles and dyno tuning. He achieved a personal best lap time at Sonoma:

   

#71 Ed M

 

Ed is friends with Kelvin and started joining Z Car Garage last year. He also achieved a personal best lap time at Sonoma.

 

#7 Rob Fuller

 

Rob Fuller piloted the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute 510. Here is his report from the race weekend with in-car video:

“First CSRG race of the season and our favorite events to go to with a relaxed atmosphere and super cool people. This is one of the oldest vintage racing groups in the US and we love watching the B-sedan group grow. As we continue to report on these events it makes u happy to see more and folks racing and spectating. We want this sport to grow and be alive for the next generation of enthusiasts and drivers!”

 

“We headed to Sonoma Raceway, missing our buddy Tom Dockery in his Ex-Norm Balzer 510. It was involved in an incident on test day preparing for the event and will return soon. It was a superb race weekend for myself, Kelvin and Ed. We were cutting it up with Troy Ermish and Parker McKean (son of Bruce from PNW) in his fast Alfa.”

“Our buddy Josh Moriarty in his 510 had engine failure so Dave Rebello made a guest appearance visiting the track. We installed Rob’s back up engine into Josh’ 510 and he was able to finish the race weekend…that’s the spirit of vintage racing. We are all there to support each other and have a good time. Sure, it’s fun to be competitive but at the end of the day it’s more important to spend time with friends and family. It was a great weekend.”

 

Enjoy this in-car video from Rob’s 510 chasing Parker and Troy:

You can see more of Rob’s race videos from the CSRG event (and other race) on his YouTube Channel. Give the guy a thumbs up and subscribe while you are there!

 

More photos in the gallery below!

 

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, report soon!)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge

9/13-16 Laguna   VI

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

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