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RACE REPORT: Laps for Laguna 2024

Filed under: 240z,510,Automotive History,Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on June 27, 2024

 

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.


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RACING: Laps for Laguna May 31

Filed under: 240z,510,Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on April 27, 2024

 

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.

***Admission is FREE! Download your pass HERE.***

Z Car Garage Racers

We will be racing and providing trackside support to our client’s B-Sedan Datsun 510s (Kelvin, Kenny, Gabe, Kelly, Rob and Noah):

#7 Kelvin Tse

 

#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

 

#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

Photo by Jim Rose

  
 

The Joel Anderson #49 IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z

Rob will also drive the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at the Laps for Laguna event.

 
 

Z You At Laguna 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:




RACE REPORT: Laps for Laguna 2023

Filed under: 510,Featured Cars and Projects,Racing
by Alvin G @ 5:10 pm on November 17, 2023

 

WE LOVE RACING! On October 13-15, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the second annual Laps for Laguna event at Laguna Seca Raceway. Z Car Garage had a blast racing and supporting 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 Racers

We raced and provided trackside support for our client’s B-Sedan Datsun 510s (Rob, Todd, Jeff and Gabe):

#88 Todd Rueppel

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

#25 Jeff Rothman

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

 

#8 Gabe Rothman

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

 

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:

“Friday afternoon we had practice sessions with father-son duo Jeff and Gabe Rothman, Todd R, and myself all running our B-Sedan Datsun 510s. Todd and Jeff were running similar pace so they were cutting it up. Gabe continues to pick up his pace and smooth out his driving…and he is a front runner. Super excited and proud of him.”

 

“It was just myself and Parker’s Alfa in front. Fortunately, he has picked up some speed this year and become the one to beat! Really stoked for him and Fred from Autostrada prepping this fast Alfa. On Sunday we had a really good battle when Alan Terpins in 911 T/R. he motored us pretty well on the start and Parker and I just chased him for 8-10 laps. Other two races Parker and I matched each other’s pace and exchanged places a few times, but my 510 didn’t have the pace of that Alfa. Congrats to those guys. Perfect weather, great run groups and one fantastic weekend!”

 

Watch this exciting in-Car video from Rob’s 510, mixing it up with a 1968 Porsche 911 T/R driven by Alan Terpins and Alfa Romeo driven by Parker McKean:

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. Rob enjoyed wheeling the New Z around the track:

“The track had a “friends of Laguna Seca Raceway” gathering where corporate partners would bring their staff to enjoy some charity rides in cars like GT40s, Nascar, Ferrari’s and one new Nissan Z car. I was able to give rides on Friday morning for about 2 hrs straight. It was really fun to put the new Z through its paces.”

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:

 

Paddock Highlights

Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock. Here is a highlight reel of race and paddock action at the track:

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

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 next year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. We are thinking about returning to Walter Mitty at Road Atlanta in spring since they are celebrating Japanese cars. We may get a transporter full of vintage cars so if you are a vintage racer and want to join us please please inquire with Rob at the shop. CSRG race event schedule below. Stay tuned for more race reports!

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EVENTS: Laps For Laguna October 13-15

Filed under: 240z,510,Events,Racing
by Alvin G @ 2:40 pm on September 21, 2023

 

The second annual Laps for Laguna vintage racing event will be on October 13-15. 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.

***Admission is FREE! Download your pass HERE.***

Z Car Garage Racers

We will be racing and providing trackside support to our client’s B-Sedan Datsun 510s (Rob, Kenny, Todd and Gabe):

#88 Todd Rueppel

Todd enjoyed his Z Car Garage trackside support experience with us at the first 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

Photo by Jim Rose

  
 

Z You At Laguna Seca!

 

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  3rd to the 5th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27th to 30th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4th   to 7th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

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

September

Sept 8th  to 10th              CSRG   Sonoma

Sept 28- Oct. 1st.            Rennsport Reunion Laguna Seca

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

November

Nov  3rd to 5th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10th to 12th              Velocity Invitational