On May 1-2, Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) hosted the Trans Am Speedfest at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 8. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with photos and exclusive in-car footage!

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. Below is a video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Rob and Tom) and Kelvin in the second video on the dyno prior to the Speedfest weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

 

510s Galore!

With ten Datsun 510s in Group 8 it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not allow spectators, we’ve got you covered!

Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported, beginning with our clients. All of our cars ran flawlessly:

#7 Kelvin Tse

 

Here is Kelvin’s re-telling of his race weekend with us:

“Driving Laguna Seca during the spring time is a wonderful experience in itself. Racing Laguna with other B Sedans in a well prepped 510 is a racers high on another level. Track conditions were perfect with sunshine and daytime highs in the mid 70’s. The weekend was uneventful as far as mechanical problems were concerned a fact that has not always been the case for me. 5 years and far too many let downs.
I have really never had a 510 that I felt like I could just drive at the limit with a fair degree of control.  Z car garage has given me a proper race car. MOTOR, TRANSMISSION AND SUSPENSION have been sorted out and now the car could be driven at the limit. I finally was able to trust the car to steer correctly after full compression of the shocks and springs. The car was very predictable . I have also been working on getting use to the new dogleg transmission installed recently and finally have learned how to properly downshift thru the gears. 

 

Saturday Race I started in position 8 and had a battle for every corner with David Murray in his BMW 2002. We pretty much changed positions for every lap. I was excited to have a car that I felt comfortable enough to go door to door racing with. David said that this is the best race he has had in years and I have to agree with him as we were duking it out. On the last lap, he left the door slightly open entering the Wayne Rainey curve and I took it. After passing him I knew that he would try to set me up for turn 11. Well, he did put his nose in there, and we both got thru 11 with me having a slight advantage. Drag racing down the straight bumper to bumper … Yep , the 510 came out ahead. Position #7

Sunday morning … a mix up with SVRA tech paperwork DQed me and put me at the back of the grid. I was listed as a 2L and need more weight to qualified as a 2L.Problem… My car has a 1800cc.  In fact I could still loose a 100lbs. hey Rob and Josh next project….

Starting at the back of the grid was not where I wanted to be. So my start was going to have to be something else. Years of racing cars and karts have helped me on my starts. Well , I did get a good jump when the starter started to move his hands up. I dived all the way to the right of the track in turn one kicked up a little dirt and put the car exactly where I wanted on the outside of turn two (SEE VIDEO BELOW). Full power on the inside of turn 3 made me go from the last position to position #6 behind Tom Dockery. Whew…that was fun…We only got in 2 laps before the race was red flagged because of an Alfa who’s driver got out of his vehicle in turn 5. A big no no… Position #6

Overall, Rob was the winner, Tom finished #5 and little old me got a #6.   I am still developing and learning how to drive this wonderful car. But what strikes me as a successful weekend is when everything just seems to go your way, the sun is shining and you are out with some great friends having FUN!!! This was accomplished only with the help and support of everyone at Z Car garage. The racing gods were smiling at me this weekend.”

  

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing.

Tom had a blast here are his thoughts on the race weekend:

“The SVRA TA Speedfest was so much better than I expected.  Coming in I set myself up for disappointment, mostly because my last experience on Toyo 888Rs was so disappointing, almost scary. But my first practice flushed those fears away. In the first practice I beat my previous PR, breaking the 1:50 mark which I did earlier in the year on fresh R7s. Over the course of the weekend, I continued to set new PR’s finishing up on Sunday with a mid 1:48. I think the trick was me continuing to get comfortable with the new engine and the idea of sliding though a corner. There might have been some additional benefit of the small diameter Toyo tire giving me a final drive the fit really well with my speeds at Seca.

 

The run group was large with a strong mix of 510’s and 2002s.  GTV accounted for just 2 of the 35 cars. Strangely the field set up with all the 510’s qualifying ahead of the 2002s for the most part. My experience with Steve Walker and John Murray suggests this was probably just drivers and not cars.  Although I was able to keep reasonably attached to the top five cars (though Troy and Rob were pulling away at a steady rate) I really enjoyed watching my rear view in car video as Kelvin and I pulled away at a pretty good rate from the rest of the field ….. that was fun.

My car was perfect, no issues and ran in top form all weekend long thanks to Josh and Rob.”

 

#7 Rob Fuller

With the assistance of ZCG crew Josh and Keith we also supported ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car:

 

Rob performed admirably with a fastest time of 1:44.068, here is his experience:

“SVRA is mostly an East coast association, coming out West a few times a year so we were happy to be a part of their events. This year they did back-to-back events with a weekend at Sonoma (unable to attend ) and Laguna Seca April 30-May 2. We supported three cars with Josh as crew and myself as driver/crew. All had a great weekend with each car running really well. SVRA rules require us to run a Toyo R888 tire, not as sticky as Hoosier R7s we typically use. Dockery and Kelvin finished in the top 10 with personal best lap times, I am really proud of them. On Saturday I finished right behind Troy Ermish.

   
Race 2 on Sunday was dramatic. Wherever you finished Race 1 is where you start in Race 2. Troy and Rob were just .002s apart in qualifying!

“To be close to Troy was fun, because he can drive like hell. In Sunday’s race both of us were out in front, a good 3 seconds ahead of the 3rd place car when suddenly an Alfa oiled down the track outside of Turn 4. I saw Troy’s car move around, and then my car got loose. As he moved into turn 3 I a saw strip of shiny oil across the whole tack and as I changed my line to avoid oil I watched Troy go off outside of Turn 4. Most drivers would have tried to correct this and probably hurt their car…not Troy! He drove right through it, foot to the floor dirt-track style. For the next laps I didn’t look in my mirror,  just drove the defensive line and hoped I could stay in front…as we approached Turn 11 I could see Troy throw his car into the turn but overcook it…we finished under yellow flag.”

  

Rob got the checkered flag finishing in front of Troy and took First place on the podium, though not under ideal circumstances…

“I don’t take it as a real win, even though I placed ahead of him. Troy is an amazing driver and I love the challenge he brings. I hope to enjoy many more races with him, under green flag conditions.”

You can see in-car footage of Rob below:

 

Rear view, same race from Rob. Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel

Here’s is Troy’s in-car video from Sunday’s Race 2:

 

The Race 2 Results:

 

Thank you!

   

We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2021 Trans Am Speedfest! SVRA did an amazing job with the event running like clockwork considering the sheer number of race groups. Kudos to them for excellent safety and organization. We hope October’s event with CSRG will be open to spectators!

*See you in October for the CSRG Charity Challenge in Sonoma!*

  

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Twenty years in the waiting, but the Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is returning to Laguna Seca this weekend, June 5-6! They are hosting a (FREE) car corral in the paddock of Laguna Seca with a limited number (30) of parking spots available for your vintage car. This event is not open to the general public, only parking corral participants! To get your car corral parking spot please contact Geoff at CSRG: race.director@csrgweb.org
Get ready for some B-Sedan Racing action!

 

Here is a map of the paddock with car corral parking area and race schedule. You will need to fill out the following form HERE
This info will be provided to Laguna Seca for use on the gate list. NOTE: One driver and one passenger per car, masks on, and no pets please. This is all part of Laguna’s COVID-19 protocols.

 

Z Car Garage will be racing and supporting our clients. Rob Fuller, Kelvin and Tom will be racing their Datsun 510s in Group 9:

 

Rob will also be racing the #49 Mazda Miata in Group 8:

 

 

The vintage race season begins this weekend with the HMSA Spring Club Event at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage is racing and providing support for three Datsun 510s; all having participated in previous events like the HMSA Driver Appreciation, John Morton Cup and David Love Memorial at Sonoma Raceway.

Full race preparation (dyno tuning/alignment+more) and trackside support are services we offer our clients. Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we prepared.

#7 Kelvin

 

Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track.  We installed a fresh Rebello engine with dyno tuning so Kelvin is ready to rock this weekend. Stay tuned for a full report!

    

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery is running the Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and Tom continues to improve his craft with each event. His 510 is running a refreshed Rebello L18 with dyno tuning:

 

Tom is also running our Z Car Garage CV Axles in his 510:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

Rob Fuller will be in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car with a fresh Rebello L18 and dyno tuning:

 

Enjoy the sweet dual-Mikuni music on the dyno:

 

 

Z Car Garage is really excited to be racing this season and share the experience not only with clients but our audience as well. This weekend’s HMSA event is closed to spectators but you can count on ZCG to bring you sights and sounds through our social media outlets. We look forward to seeing you in the paddock when the restrictions are lifted. #DoItInADatsun

 

On August 7-9, the Historic Motorsports Association (HMSA) hosted Driver Appreciation Weekend at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 8. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with exclusive in-car footage and photos from the ever-impressive paddock!

 

The Race Must Go On!

 

In the midst of this pandemic, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) event was cancelled. 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, which was also cancelled. So how were we able to race at Laguna Seca? Rob Fuller explains…

 

….”When HMSA announced a “Driver Appreciation Weekend” in August I immediately spoke with Barry at Laguna Seca to request a race group for B-Sedans. We made a case for the ask: our cars have raced with SVRA, CSRG and it’s a fun group to watch. Barry agreed. Glenn Chiou (racer and ambassador of vintage racing) put in hard work and rallied everyone he knew with a B-Sedan car, from both the John Morton Cup and the Historic B&C Sedan class. We had seventeen Datsun 510s plus a bunch of Alfas and BMWs.”

 

 

So despite the RMMR cancellation, on what would have been the “Pre-Historics” weekend we had an amazing time racing at Laguna Seca with HMSA. Troy Ermish transported our two customer cars and we towed our own car down Friday 8/7. Check-in and registration at the track was a breeze. Volunteers and workers from SCCA, HMSA, and ‘Seca did an incredible job making sure the event was safe. If you can imagine it, the Driver Appreciation weekend was very close to the past RMMR events, only with folks wearing masks and distancing. Make no mistake, there were clearly smiles behind those masks and joy visible in everyone’s eyes…this is the racing we all live for!

 

Z Car Garage Supports Four 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. Below is a video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Kelvin and Randy’s) on the dyno prior to the Driver Appreciation weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

 

510s Galore!

With seventeen Datsun 510s in Group 8 it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not allow spectators, we’ve got you covered! Here is a video showing all the 510s running, with action from our paddock, starting grid and Turn 6. Turn those speakers up and enjoy!

 

Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported:

#7 Kelvin

 

Beginning with our customers, Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track.  Stay tuned for a full report and enjoy these closer shots of Kelvin’s beautiful 510:

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

Tom had a blast here are his thoughts on the race weekend:

“I would have NEVER imagined I would be so comfortable putting on my racing gear a long side John Morton let alone line up beside him on grid.  The man is a true steward of the game. The event bought me new comfort for Laguna Seca. The was part Rob coaching, part the caliber of the B-Sedan drivers and the bond between B-Sedan drivers. This was my first weekend on Fresh Hoosier R7 tires, what a difference! I am still not completely comfortable in the car. We have made changes at every race to get me there.  Every change and improvement. But I now need to make some big changes to get the seat in the right spot. The ZCar Garage Team was on top of everything. Thanks to Keith, Nick and Josh!”

 

“I was on my second outing with fresh R7’s …. what a difference. But the magic was the grid. The 5 five guys for the morning session which included Troy, Rob, Taz, Steve and the other BMW with Jim, got the organizers to grid them at the back. The resulting first two laps was nuts. So even though I was getting my butt kicked there was lots of action.”

 

 

#21 John Morton

Our hero John Morton drove Randy Jaffe’s Newport Datsun 510. This car was owned by Glenn Chiou (Ermish-built).

 

After Glenn sold the car we helped Randy ship it to his hometown in Georgia. Randy is a huge motorsports fan and really admires John Morton so he had the 510 shipped back to ZCG in July to run the Driver Appreciation event. At the shop we dyno’d and prepped the car for John Morton to race:

 

It was great to see Randy’s touches added to the 510. On race weekend John Morton, even at age 78, remained competitive in the Group 8 field.

      Here is in-car video of John Morton driving the #21 Newport Datsun 510:

#7 Rob Fuller

With the assistance of ZCG crew Josh, Nick and Keith we also supported ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car:

 

Rob performed admirably with a fastest time of 1:44.6

    

You can see in-car footage of Rob below, and note the reverse-style starting grid where the front runners were placed in the back to begin!

Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel and here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in Group 8, all sharing the competitive spirit. On Saturday I had to arrange all the cars for a group photoshoot. Thanks to all that helped make this possible!

 

#33 Glenn Chiou

Directly across from us was our buddy Glenn Chiou, running his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca.

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. Glenn is currently performing a full restoration of this 510 and we know it will be #periodcorrect on top of being ultra-clean!

#91 Troy Ermish

Troy Ermish is a phenomenal driver and always fun to watch. We were fortunate to share our tent with him and his freshly restored “Penny” 510 that handily won the B-sedan race! Not only did he help transport our cars to RMMR, his rig also provided us room to park the ZCG race cars. Thanks Troy!

    

Troy at work. Penny’s chassis is just as beautiful as the body:

   

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510:

   

Jim pitted next to us, hosting Steve Walker and Adam Carolla with some really cool cars. Jim is also a fierce competitor:

 

#90 Adam Carolla

 

Adam Carolla raced his newly built Ex-Greg Sorrentino 510. The restoration by RacecraftNW was meticulous, right down to the Sterling wheels.

  

We are proud to see our Z Car Garage CV Axles on this expertly-prepared 510. As always, the media follows Adam and his racing adventures:)

 

Datsun Roadsters

The largest recent gathering of Datsun Roadsters at Laguna Seca was at the 2018 RMMR. At the Driver Appreciation event there was a lone roadster on the track; Michael Anderson and his Franklin/McDowell ’68 2000.

 

Mike was in Group 3 with high-power cars yet he still managed to advance with a great battle against Alan Terpin’s Porsche 911. Here is in-car video from Mike, enjoy!

Living my roadster dream

Thanks to ZCG, I was able to park my roadster in the paddock and roam around the track. With no spectators, many of the vantage points often crowded were vacant and peaceful:

 

Here is a video with Mike’s roadster in the paddock, and when I arrived at ‘Seca:

 

Paddock Finds

 

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. This year, the Driver Appreciation was just as great. I found this (AH3) R32 Skyline GT-R!

 

Wicked 2nd-gen Trans Am Camaro, 190E 2.3 EVO DTM (RacecraftNW), Testarossa, wild Monza and more in the gallery below!

 

This video will make you feel like you are in the paddock. Enjoy the sights and sounds including  favorite group, the Trans Am cars!

Camaraderie

A common love for racing and Datsuns, this was an event filled with helping teammates and enjoying company.

   

Living Legends

Special thanks to John Morton and Sylvia Wilkinson for joining us! It is an honor share the track with you.

 

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2020 Driver Appreciation Weekend! 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 Glenn Chiou, Troy and Ashley Ermish, Meghan Fuller, Keith Corwin, Larry Oka, Randy Jaffe, and ZCG Crew: Josh and Nick. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

*See you in October for the CSRG Charity Challenge in Sonoma!*

 

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On July 10-12, the Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the David Love Vintage Races. Our favorite feature race was the Group 8 class with 20 sedans battling at Sonoma Raceway. 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 from contributors Kurt Boden, Trent Barr, Nick Dockery and ZCG Crew Nick F and Josh C.

Z Car Garage Supports Three Datsun 510s!

 

2020 has been a strange year and we were fortunate to be racing again at Sears Point in the David Love event. Z Car Garage both participated and provided support for several Datsun 510 race cars.

Here is a video with sights and sounds from the paddock, samples of in-car footage of Rob Fuller, Tom Dockery, Glenn Chiou and Mike Anderson:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

    

Rob Fuller has not been in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510 since last year’s John Morton Cup. This car was purchased from Larry Oka as an IT car, slowly transforming into a B-Sedan. We sorted out the front suspension and this time the rear was attacked. From Rob:

“We installed the weight jacker set to adjust springs for ride height and a DP Racing sway bar that has the same design as the BRE car. Since the shop was slammed and customers come first, we enlisted our friend and fellow racer Troy Ermish to dial in the rear setup. Josh did final prep on the car and we were ready to go. The car did awesome with the back end of he car making all the difference in the world: instead of hopping around uncontrollably I was able to feed it throttle and negotiate the car in/out of corners. We went from middle to front of pack with Troy and the fast friends from RacecraftNW. Good times.”

 

You can see footage of Rob in the second race here:

Here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

#7 Kelvin

 

Let’s talk about our clients. Three weeks before the CSRG event we got a call from Kelvin and he was testing his 510 that he just got from a local shop. It was sputtering and running poorly and by chance Larry Oka was also testing and referred Kelvin to us. We got him on the dyno and the engine failed. With a quick call to Rebello the engine was sorted, installed back in the the 510 and we handled all the prep work to be ready for the race weekend.

 

Kelvin had a successful race experience, finally:

“Kelvin has dealt with some issues on the car and this was the first time he had a good time with it. We were really happy for him. That’s why do this: we want more people at the race track driving, not fixing. It doesn’t allow to you to build confidence as a driver. You need to have a car that is reliable and works well so you can focus on you as a driver. Kelvin was super pumped. On test day I drove both Kelvin and Tom’s cars and they are fantastic examples of what a B-sedan can be. All they need to do is knock those numbers down”

 

Stay tuned for a full report on Kelvin’s 510. His friend Ed M was so impressed with our work that he wants ZCG to prep his sedan as well. Look for full report soon!

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car made its debut in May 2019  and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

   Tom’s 510 has an FIA engine so it revs really high making it peaky and hard to drive. Per Tom’s suggestion, a shorter gearset would put him in the powerband and sure enough…always listen to your driver! Tom really got faster and it was great seeing him out there. Car has been flawless.

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in the group, all sharing the competitive spirit.

#33 Glenn Chiou

Glenn drove the Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca. Glenn did an admirable job (as always) getting this historically significant 510 back on the racetrack!

ç    

Glenn was fast. He charged all the way to the front of the pack, only seconds within Jim Froula and Rob. In-car from Glenn:

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. We want to congratulate Glenn on the birth of his son! Kudos for racing and being a father!

#38 Troy Ermish

Troy is a phenomenal driver. He helped set up our 510 rear suspension too:) Watching Troy wheel his blue 510 his a thing of madness, finesse, skill and beauty. He took 1st place!

 

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510. Jim was kind to let us pit with his gang. He’s also a fierce competitor.

  

David Love race results can be seen below:

 

A Memorable Racing Event

 

It was so wonderful to share this experience with our friends and CSRG family. We look forward to another B-sedan event and special shoutout to Troy Ermish, ZCG crew including Nick F, the Corwins Josh and Keith. Running all of the cars above would not be possible without them. Rob is excited for future events:

“Of all the vintage racing I’ve done and been around, the B-Sedan group is where it’s at. It’s competitive, fun and you always have someone to race with. We will attempt to do this again August 8-9 at Laguna Seca. Glenn and I are gathering ~25 cars!. Look for B-sedan to become one of the featured groups with CSRG, SVRA and even HMSA/RMMR!”

 

More pictures in the gallery below!
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