Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the Sears Point Challenge at Sonoma 10/3 and Finale event at Thunderhill 11/1.  Z Car Garage participated  in both events, supporting several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group. Great weekends filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our race reports with photos and video!

 

Sears Point Challenge 10/3-5

 

ROB: Beautiful weekend at historic Sonoma Raceway (which will always be Sears Point to me). We had a a few bitchin’ 510s including Tom Dockery and Kenny. Super excited to test out the suspension fresh and adjustments on Noah’s Bluebird coupe.

 

Everything seem to be working well with Tom, Kenny everyone up to a really good pace, it was fun.

 

Lots of cool hardware in the paddock:

VIDEO

Turn the volume up and enjoy the sounds and sights from the paddock at Sonoma Raceway!

Vintage Spec Miata

 

ROB: The Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) is excited to welcome Vintage Spec Miata (1990-1997) to all of their events! This is a fun, affordable way to get into vintage racing. Each event we see more really clean VSPs coming out to race. Season high for us in Sonoma, with I believe 10+ cars out there:

 

Speaking of glorious…we would like to introduce you to “Little Butters”, our 1991 Vintage Spec Miata that will be available for rental throughout the vintage race season. Contact Rob at ZCG for details. Since this is a new build for I drove it for the weekend to make sure it was sorted and ready to rock for any client that wants to enjoy it. It has a competitive race engine, Penske shocks which are the current suspension for SCCA Spec-Miatas. Just to pay tribute to how wonderful Mrs. Butters Z (our Series 1 shop 240z) is,  we painted it Safari Gold. It’s nickname is Little Butters,  Josh likes to call it “I can’t believe it’s not Butters” and then we picked the number 23 because we are Nissan dorks.

 

Anyway it was fantastic to have the car out and then honorable mentions are Lora B, she keeps kicking ass in her Spec Miata and Allison as well. Also on Saturday and Sunday we had Ross Lindell in the Randy Pobst National Championship-winning Miata (1992)…pretty cool that Miatas are old enough to have their own vintage class and then also have one of the their own ambassadors:

  

Super excited for the season to play out at Thunderhill. Huge thanks to Josh and Cooper for keeping us safe all weekend , Meghan and Oliver for taking care of the snacks and the tire recycling. I love that event. CSRG is magical. If you haven’t been to one those events you ar emissing out, so come on out! WE’ll be posting out race scehule soon after the holidays.

 

CSRG Finale 11/1

ROB: Every year CSRG ends their season with the Finale at Thunderhill. This event is lightly attended and results in tons of track time. There’s an Enduro on Sunday with with a faux LeMans start… and it is just rad. The Saturday night dinner is a special event and we are seeing more and more people showing up. It’s been two years since I have had my Datsun 510 out and it was a great way to end the season racing it. 

 

Troy Ermish brought his 510 and we had a really nice B-Sedan field with a ton of Dimes out there. Most important 510s to us obviously include Tom Dockery and the return of fire captain Todd R,  Noah, Tom, Alison and Rob was out stable for the weekend:

 

It was just awesome having so much track time. Everybody was kicking ass and taking names, and by Sunday afternoon I think we’d all kind of figured that we’ve had enough track time which is unbelievable for us to say. Once again Josh and Cooper kept us all safe all weekend long and we rocked it. Oliver was on tire recycling duty and Meghan on snacks while enjoyed the small town feel of Willows.

  

We enjoyed Saturday night dinner with CSRG and it was so much fun to see everyone. I hadn’t seen Josh Moriarty in a long time and he was out there kicking ass in his 510. There was a really great group of these ex-GT3 cars (tube frame/ fiberglass bodies).  Jim Froula was in one (240SX) and a kid I run Spec Miata with (Joseph Carl) was out there with his Dad in a super cool vintage 1st-gen GTU RX-7.

 

VIDEO

Turn the volume up and enjoy the sounds and sights from the paddock at Thunderhill!

 

ROB: We had perfect weather and another race reason in the books.  Can’t wait for 2026 we are super excited and will be traveling this year. There will be a big Japanese big-bore/bash with Sovren in the PNW and I’ll be going to the Rose Cup at PIR in my Miata. Get out there and race! If you have any questions/thoughts about racing with us please contact Rob at rob@zcargarge.com

Tom Dockery

 

Tom Dockery continues to enjoy racing in his Ex-Norm Balzer B-Sedan 510. Here is his report from both CSRG events along with some great in-car footage

TOM: The Sears Point Challenge was a fantastic weekend filled with learning and improvement. With Kenny, Noah, and me as students, Rob skillfully coached, challenged, and encouraged each of us to push our limits. As a result, I managed to improve my lap times with each session, achieving a new personal best at Sonoma.

 

The CSRG Finale at Thunderhill was fun, although it had its frustrating moments. We shared track time with the higher horsepower group 8 machines during all 10 sessions. The frustration stemmed from some group 8 drivers opting to start from the back of the field despite their qualification times. As they worked their way through the field, they didn’t always take the easiest path, requiring slower drivers like me to let them pass, which affected my race pace with competitors I hoped to stay with.

VIDEO

Volume up and enjoy. in-car video action from Tom Dockery’s Datsun 510!

 

TOM: There were positive aspects too. I learned the freight train signaling method to coordinate with teammates at the start. Noah and I used this technique to block a NASCAR Cup car that tried to prevent the faster B-Sedans from overtaking in the corners. Josh and Cooper provided excellent support on both weekends. At Thunderhill, Josh performed a fuel pump swap while Cooper replaced a lower radiator hose, ensuring we didn’t miss any sessions.

 

See more photos in the gallery below (Thanks Meghan!) and stay tuned for our 2026 race schedule!
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On Saturday, November 8, Breakfast Club Rally hosted the Mechanical Mystery Tour. Known for their wonderful Northern California events, the MMT is especially exciting because it is held in our backyard near the Santa Cruz Mountains. We love attending BCR events. They are always well-organized and the variety of cars is tremendous.

 

Our client Jim H attended the MMT rally with his 1971 Datsun 240z. It is now sporting a Rebello 3.2L with Jenvey ITB EFI, Recaro Specialist seats, CD009a 6-speed transmission, our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and Z Car Garage CV Axles!

 

Jim had a great time driving on the event and kindly shared these photos. Also attending were our clients Miles and Kurt W. in  their R32 Skyline GT-Rs:

 

More photos in the gallery below!

 

Thanks Breakfast Club Rally! More MMT event photos from BCR’s professional photographers can be seen HERE.

 

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Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Z Car Garage! We hope you can find time to Enjoy The Ride over the holidays. Please note our hours of operation below:

Week of Thanksgiving:  We are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11/24 to 11/26 and Closed Thursday and Friday 11/27 and 11/28

Week of Christmas: We are open Monday, Tuesday 12/22 and 12/23 and Closed Wednesday ,Thursday, and Friday 12/24, 12/25, 12/26

Week of New Years: We are open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 12/29 , 12/30, 12/31 and Closed Thursday and Friday 1/1 and the 2nd

*A gentle reminder on visiting the shop: No “Drop-in” please, must have an appointment. Not accepting phone calls during business hours-please leave a brief voicemail or e-mail rob@zcargarage.com

Thanks!

  

 

Happy 89th Birthday to our hero Peter Brock! You have been and continue to be inspirational to us Datsun fans worldwide. Here are a few pictures we enjoyed taking with you over the years:

 

We love to see owners enjoying our Z Car Garage CV Axles in their vintage Nissans and Datsuns. This 1971 Datsun 510 is owned by Jay W and he replaced his old CV Axle kit with our ZCG CV Axles just over 3 years ago. Jay has been racking up the miles running numerous road rallyes in 2024 and 2025 including the Snowball Rally in April, DWA Classic in May, Motherlode 400 in June, Faultline 500, Tokyo Calling 4 in September, Socal TT in October. Here is his report from the Overcrest Rally.

Featured in Nostalgic Hero

 

Before we hear about Jay’s rally adventure let us congratulate him on being featured in the popular Japanese magazine Nostalgic Hero! See both of his 510s in the June 2025 Vol 229 issue:

 

2024 Overcrest Rally Redux

 

September 16, 2024, by Jay Whalen

Hi Rob, just checking in as my ZCG CV Axles #403 just clocked 20000 miles in 2+ years. I didn’t capture too many driving videos on Overcrest, but my wife and I have a few from Mother Lode and Faultline this summer. Also, we now have ~22,500 miles on the ZCG axles. Don’t worry I’m cleaning them up, but here are some recent pictures:

 

The opportunity to enjoy a car you love with like-minded enthusiasts against stunning natural backdrops is what I appreciate most about rallies. The adventure, camaraderie and community stands out to me about Overcrest and was evident when we drove in the Oregon 23’ rally. At their film festival in Oregon they announced the spring Redux 24’ rally was in Utah and I knew I needed to share the adventure with my father and son in my 1971 Datsun 510. I had followed online the 21’ Overcrest Rally in Utah I was blown away by the stunning backdrop and the cinematic journey the rally created. Plus seeing and driving with rally friends, I didn’t know were attending and meeting new ones from all over the country is a large reason I’m drawn to Overcrest.

 

The 510 is not just a mode of transportation for the rally; it’s a character in my family’s adventure story. There is a shared excitement of revving its underpowered engine, hearing the twin Mikuni carbs, and dancing the car on winding paved and dirt roads. There is also the collaborative effort required to navigate the rally route, endure hundreds of miles a day of hard driving and the collective pride in showcasing our classic amidst a field of diverse vehicles.

 

Speaking of diverse vehicles, our client Tony K also attended in his 1972 Datsun 240Z:

 Driving alongside my father and son adds a generational resonance to the rally. It’s a multi-layered narrative where the car becomes a conduit for shared stories, passed down from my father to me and now shared with the next generation. It is something my family holds close and we’ll remember for a lifetime. The rally becomes a living testament to the enduring legacy of our family’s love for cars and the
joy of driving.

 

Our rally journey took us 8 days and 2900 miles across the California Centra Valley, Sierra Nevada, Movaje Desert, Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. We drove a large loop which allowed us to explore several National Parks and retrace my fathers HWY 50 drive when he moved to California in 1971. The 510 did extremely well, with no major issues. We had a flakey starter motor, wore out a pair of tires and went through a quart of oil.

 

In essence, the Overcrest Rally in Utah with my father and son was a celebration of heritage, a journey through time, and an opportunity to weave new memories into the fabric of our family’s motoring legacy.

 

Enjoy this video of Jay’s 510 in action on a few of the rallies he attended in 2024, volume up!:

 

We love Jay’s attention to detail and it shows in his rally prep! Check out the skid plate he CAD designed:

 

See more build details with photos of the 510 HERE. Follow his Datsun adventures on his Instagram.