On June 5-6, the Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the Vintage Races at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 9. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with photos from photographers Raj Narayan, Nick Dockery and Jim Rose plus exclusive in-car footage!

Z Car Garage Supports Two 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) on the dyno prior to the Speedfest weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

 

 

510s Galore!

 

Plenty of Datsun 510s in Group 9, it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not officially allow spectators, we’ve got you covered! Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported, beginning with our clients. Both cars ran flawlessly:

#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

“Overall, the weekend was great.  Smaller field but the top half of the field was equally fast. I had some good exchanges with Jon Normal, whom I never expected to be able to keep up with, so that was fun. Some dicey moments with Daniel Cagginao, thought his lines were a bit off (Sun race 2). I managed to set a new personal best lap time of 1:46:09 which was great.

My other comment would this ….Every time I watch these in car vids ….and I watch them all the time just to hear the noise/sound, I see places I gave time away and I just want to go back out again. It’s intoxicating. My car was perfect, no issues and ran in top form all weekend long thanks to Josh and Rob.”

 Enjoy this in-car video from Tom’s 510:

 

#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 1:41.837, here is his experience:

“CSRG is one of the oldest race groups that we run with. It’s been 20 years since they had a Laguna Seca event so we were excited to participate. They had 9 different run groups and I have been pushing to make Spec Miata part of vintage racing. We tried to get a big group out, but only two Miatas raced with Group 8 (Tim Wright and myself). Despite this, it was fun to start at the back and move through the cars”

   

“The big excitement of course was B-Sedan group. Tom Dockery was quicker than ever, and I was getting closer to Troy Ermish. We really had fun, dramatic racing. First race out (qualifying) I was close to Troy. He and I were a good 3-4 seconds ahead of the field with a nice battle. Race 2 I had a good start and took off, then about lap 4 my car’s transmission got stuck in 3rd gear. We  were so far in front that even with 5-6 laps left in race I was able to adjust my driving style and finished in 2nd place. Pretty proud of that.”

 

 

Race 3 on Sunday was dramatic. Troy and Rob were just .033s apart at the finish!

“In the 3rd and final race (afternoon feature) Troy and I battled again. He started to gap me but car issues slowed his pace. I started to reel him in. The last lap was the closest I’ve ever been to Troy (see video below), and it’s no secret that he’s a phenomenal driver. I definitely want to catch cup to him and race with him when our cars are both 100%.”

 

You can see in-car footage of Rob below:

 

 

Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel. Race Results from the Group 9:

 

Datsun Car Corral!

 

CSRG is awesome. Since the general public was not allowed to spectate, they hosted a vintage Datsun Car Corral! Participants were spoiled with FREE parking in the paddock area and full access to the race for the weekend.

 

 

Willie Gutierrez brought his Datsun 510 along with a few friends. My roadster friend Raj Narayan (photo contributor) also attended in his 2000.  They got to enjoy the beautiful weather and day of racing without crowds…amazing!

 

Cool Cars

The paddock was filled with wicked metal. This special Datsun Roadster is a factory “lightweight” model, piloted by Michael Sweeney. More pictures in the gallery!

 

 

 

Thank you!

 

We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2021 CSRG Vintage Race event! CSRG did an amazing job with the event. Rob’s parting words:

“It was fun to catch up with friends like the crew from Racecraft.  Ex-driver of Tom Dockery’s 510 John Koobation was there. I enjoyed racing Miatas and hangin out with Tim Wright, a famous musician from 3rd Eye-Blind and Primus. We hope October’s event with CSRG will be open to spectators!  Our client Kelvin missed this event but assures us he’ll be racing at Sonoma. None of this would be possible without the help of our ZCG crew Josh and Keith Corwin. If you haven’t experienced a Historic racing event I encourage you to come out, it’s a blast!”

 

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

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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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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

 

We met Bruce L at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. He has owned these (two) Series 1 240z cars for decades and wanted us to revive them. Bruce has performed all work himself and never let anyone else touch his Z cars so we were honored to oblige. In addition to getting the cars road-worthy each one sports our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles. Let’s take a look at how Bruce got into S30’s.

Beginnings

Bruce was introduced to Datsuns with his parent’s Bluebird 4-door 1300 (he took his driving license in this in 1969). He even purchased a brand new 1971 Datsun pickup in 1970 for $1800 and got a glimpse of the Z car:

“In the dealership showroom floor while purchasing this Pickup was a brand new early production Dark Green 1969 240Z with a Tan interior. The price tag was 3,400.00 ish. There was no way I could afford that kind of money for another car, let alone a sports car, and I needed a truck to haul my Dirt Bike to and from the Hollister Hills off-road park. Still, I wanted a 240Z instead of any of the muscle cars of the era. They just didn’t speak to me. Too big and bulky and the Cobra had no top to speak of in those days and it didn’t say buy-me.”

  

In 1973 Bruce walked into that same dealership to see and purchase a used ’72 Lime Yellow 240z.  Leap forward to 1982 and he purchased “Christine” from the same Datsun mechanic that used to work on his yellow ’72. Later in 1989 is when he purchased “Valerie” from a lady named Valerie who wanted to sell right after the ’89 Loma Prieta Earthquake.

 

“I love both of my Z’s even if I had to store them both for ten years. Rob brought them both back to life for me and added all of the improvements to make them come alive. And a thrill to drive once again. I still do all the small general maintenance for the most part on both Z’s, but have given the chore of anything else that I don’t wish to tackle at 67 years old to Rob.”

Bruce and his wife are fantastic people that have been active in the Z car community for a long time. After seeing us at the Rolex event, our operations and many happy customers Bruce wanted us to go through all of his personal cars. Both Series 1 S30’s came to Z Car Garage, starting with Valerie and later the Hot Rod, Christine.

 

Valerie

 

Valerie had been sitting for about 10 years and we performed the basics to get it back on the road again. The fuel tank was removed, boiled out and all fuel/vapor-associated lines were replaced:

 

Chassis

 

The chassis was treated to a light refresh with new parts and bushings from Techno Toy Tuning. T3 finishes the suspension in our signature color and we really appreciate Gabriel and his staff.  T3 adjustable front T/C rods and lower rear control arms:

 

Bruce had already done springs and struts on Valerie long ago…but nothing had serious miles on it so we just had to correct a couple of things, trimmed front springs for a nicer stance and trimmed bump stops. We also replaced the rack and moustache bar bushings.

 

The diff was removed and re-sealed:

 

ZCG Big-Brakes and CV Axles

 

Our readers are likely familiar with “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car with full suspension and our ZCG Big-Brakes. Following a test drive in Butters, clients are sold on our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles! Read below for a brief description of these parts:

     

As fellow S30 owner/racer Glenn C mentioned in his review, on top of braking performance, pedal feel is extremely important and our Big-Brakes deliver. This is a direct result of working with Stoptech to create a totally bolt-in solution requiring no M/C change or additional proportioning valve/adjustments. All fitting behind a 15″ Watanabe or Panasport wheel and retaining factory emergency brake lever! A few details below:

Calipers: Stoptech ST42 4-piston front & rear race calipers (Alum 6061 mil-spec Type III anodized)

Rotors: 280mm x 20.6 with Alum 7075 hats

Pads: Stoptech 309 sport street pads

Blog posts documenting all of our customers running the ZCG Big-Brakes can be found HERE.

A few closer detail shots of the calipers, rotors and hardware:

 

We removed Bruce’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit on both Valerie and Christine. Up front:

 

The rear drums were replace with the ZCG setup and factory hand brake functionality remains!

 

The ZCG Big-Brake Kit fits nicely behind 15″ (Valerie) and 16″ (Christine) Panasports and Bruce is really happy with the disc brake upgrades.

 

 

Our Z Car Garage CV Axles help transmit power to the ground and ensure smoother operation compared to your standard half shafts. We have over 100 CV axle kits on customer cars and we are stoked with all of the positive feedback.

  

We installed CV Axle kit #258 on Valerie and #266 on Christine. Stock half shafts (L) and ZCG units:

 

More pictures of the ZCG axles installed, also visible are the T3 control arms:

  

Engine

 

Bruce gives a little background on Valerie’s drivetrain:

“I originally intended to make Valerie a commute car for my wife to travel between Prunedale and Morgan Hill. The job never materialized and I then decided to make Valerie into a show car. Everything about Christine in terms of how she was built is identical with Valerie, except for the engine which she still retains a 2.4 L with E-31 head, Schneider cam and stock twin” SUs.” Valerie has a 5 speed transmission with custom shift lever.”

 

With the engine gone through by Bruce many years ago, we went ahead replaced the oil pan gasket, pulled/sealed transmission, installed a JWT clutch and updated ignition with Pertronix.

   

 

On the dyno we dialed it in for best performance, making 128hp/127tq at the wheels, video below:

 

 

Just You and Me

Bruce and his wife Enjoying Valerie. He recalls an old car show we both attended (but did know each other then):

“I had Valerie stripped down to bare metal also and repainted in 1989 Mercedes Back Pearl. I then had her wet sanded and polished to a near mirror finish. I took her to the Ohlone College Car Show in 2002 where she won 1^st place in the 240Z category out of Fifty Two 240Z’s. Mr. K was present and awarded Valerie “Best of Show”, signing both awards.”

 

Christine

 

As soon as we finished Valerie, Bruce brought us his second 1970 S30 affectionately named “Christine”. This is his Hot Rod Z:

“I replaced the original 2.4 L engine with a rebuilt 2.8 L engine. I then had an E-31 Head Ported and Polished with a Schneider Cam installed. I installed a 280Z 5-speed transmission that required me to make a custom linkage making the gearshift lever appear to be in a stock position on the console. Then around 1985 I had the car stripped of all way down to bare metal, prepped, sanded along with having deletes welded in on the rear bumper to accommodate the Cobra style bumper.”

 

Christine was also sitting for a decade and we performed similar revival tasks as done to Valerie. The fuel tank was pulled, clutch and oil plump replaced and we did all the corrections that were needed, with ZCG touches. An MSD6AL box with Blaster2 coil was installed and triple-Mikuni PHH 40 carbs (now with titanium velocity stacks) were re-jetted. Rob dyno tuned Christine, making 165hp/159tq at the wheels:

 

Bruce was pleased:

“In 2019 I took Christine to Z Car Garage and had Rob Fuller complete a refresh on the engine to include a Dyno Tune on the Carburetors. Rob did a fantastic job of getting Christine back up and running the way she should be as she had been in storage for 10 years. Rob also did a complete tubular control arm upgrade along with installing solid one-piece half shafts and a complete four-wheel disc brake conversion kit to include the emergency brake.”

As Bruce mentioned, Christine also received our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

  

Both of these products are available now from Z Car Garage. Please email/call Rob!

 

The Big-Brakes look great behind a new set of 16×7 Panasport wheels with s007a tires in 225/50/16:

 

Enjoying the Ride

 

With both 1970 Z cars back on the road Bruce was out Enjoying The Ride. Above, Christine enjoys prime parking at the Pacific Grove Car Show during Monterey Car Week in 2019. Below, Bruce attended the ZONC Annual Car Show in Brisbane, CA earning 1st place with Christine:

 

On that car show note, here is a fun fact: Bruce has been the caretaker of “Sunshine”, a special Z32. Sunshine was previously owned by Carolyn Dudley – ZONC President for many years and personal friend of Mr. K.

 

After Carolyn passed away (RIP), her son sold the Z to Bruce. Under his ownership Bruce has given this 300zx a full restoration and keeps it running well at 157k miles.

“Sunshine was given center stage at Blackhawk Car Show in 2004. People were recognizing Sunshine and they approached her and laid their hands on the car and were praying.  That gave me chills. I stopped taking Sunshine to events until I took her 2 years ago to the ZONC picnic in the bay area and still a lot of people recognized her.”

 

Feelin’ Stronger Everyday

 

We understand that it is hard to entrust a shop with your pride and joy. After purchasing Christine in 1982, all of the work performed on her was completed by Bruce and his best friend in a garage.

“I have never left either of my Z’s at any place to be worked on other than the 2 paint shops. (One in 1985 Sean’s Auto Body in Salinas – Black Acrylic Enamel and One in 1991 or 92 at J&J Auto Body in Auburn Calif – 1989 Mercedes Black Pearl). I also wasn’t concerned in 2019 with leaving either of my 240Z’s with Rob Fuller at  ZCG because of his reputation in the Z World that I explored prior to contacting him at the shop. Christine was never purchased as an investment, she was purchased as a car that I cherished and now 38 years later Christine is still not for sale.”

 

We thank Bruce for giving us the opportunity to help get both of his 1970 Z cars back on the road. Enjoy the picture gallery and  LONG LIVE THE Z!

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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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