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

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.

The 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo is back at Z Car Garage after being 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

The book contains:

The beginning of Electramotive’s racing history in 1975 with the Datsun B210 and 280ZX race cars.

• The design and development of one of the first Electronic Engine Control Processors.

• The full description of the 1/7th-scale moving ground plane wind tunnel.

• The design and build of the Nissan 300ZX V-6 race engine.

• All the IMSA race storylines from 1985 to 1989.

• Professional photos and never seen before in-shop photos compliment this 12-chapter, 400+ page, 9″ x 12″ coffee-table style book

 

More book info from Chris below:

Chris Willes  ·   · 

“Earlier this year, it was announced that Geoff Brabham and the 1988 Nissan GTP-ZX Turbo Chassis #8801 will be inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame, Class of 2024. I was so proud to have been part of Electramotive Engineering and the development of this car, that I authored a book about it.

In my book, Developing a Champion: The Electramotive Nissan GTP Story, I describe how the GTP car was conceived, the build of the first car at Lola Cars in 1984, and the development performed at Electramotive during the following years. Included is the conversion of the stock 3.0-liter Nissan 300ZX V-6 engine into an aluminum block turbocharged race engine, and details of the Electronic Engine Control Processor (EECP) designed by Don Devendorf to control the spark, fuel, and boost of the engine. Also included are details of the Electramotive aluminum honeycomb monocoque designed by Trevor Harris which included new front suspension and increased stiffness, and the aerodynamics designed by Yoshi Suzuka using the Electramotive-built 1/7th scale moving ground plane wind tunnel. All of these developments led to two driver’s championships for Geoff Brabham in 1988 and 1989, and one manufacturer’s championship for Nissan in 1989, and more in later years.

The 9” x 12”, 444-page, coffee table-style book chronicles the design and development of the Nissan GTP car that dominated the IMSA GT series during the late 1980’s. Over 600 images, including professional photography, never-before seen in-shop photos, technical diagrams, and drawings compliment the text as it describes how the team converted an aerodynamically unstable, crash-ridden design into a multi-time championship winning machine. It is a great historical reference of the ultra-competitive IMSA GTP era during the 1980s and a great gift for a motorsports fan!”

For more info go to: www.chriswillesautoracingbooks.com

 

In a fitting tribute to its storied legacy, the Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo will make a special appearance at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion during Monterey Car Week from August 14 to 17, 2024. See the official news from Nissan HERE and read below for a brief introduction.

The Championship-winning 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo is at Z Car Garage. This iconic race car was driven by Geoff Brabham and John Morton, known for de-throning the Porsche 962 in IMSA racing with 8 straight wins. Thanks to Dean Case and Greg Nelson of Nissan Motorsports for the opportunity to have this legend here at Z Car Garage. Enjoy the photos of chassis #8801 with a full feature coming soon to zcarblog.com

 

It’s surreal to see the car that has been a poster on our wall actually inside the shop. Rob had to get out his R/C car and another poster from the front office:

 

Enjoy this video highlighting the epic 1988 IMSA season with Morton and Brabahm in the GTP ZX-T:

In recognition of its impact, IMSA announced earlier this year that Brabham and the GTP ZX-Turbo will be inducted into the 2024 IMSA Hall of Fame in October.

Z Car Garage is excited to participate in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-17 at Laguna Seca. We will be racing and supporting the following 5 cars below. Mark those calendars!

BRE Datsun 2000 Roadster (Group 3)

We are stoked to prepare and provide trackside support 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 will join 3 others in the highly-competitive John Morton Cup, Group 3. Full story with dyno tuning and sorting coming to zcarblog.com soon!

Hakosuka Skyline (Group 8)

Alex McDowell returns 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

 

Enjoy some video of the the Hako in action with Alex behind the wheel!

#49 IMSA Joel Anderson GTU Z (Group 8)

Rob Fuller will pilot the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z. 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.

 

 

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 will race it in the Legends of Endurance group. Listen to this car on the Z Car Garage dyno below!

#960 Mini (Group 13)

Rob Fuller will also race this Mini Cooper in the Dan Gurney Saloon Enduro group

View the race schedule HERE.

View the list of entries and race groups HERE.

View previous RMMR race reports HERE.

Z YOU AT SECA!

Join us for the 2024 Vintage Racing Season!

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:

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:

#7 Kelvin Tse

#64 Kenny Tse

Kenny’s Ex-Ted Gruner B-Sedan Datsun 510 featuring our Z Car Garage CV Axles :

 

#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

#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.