We enjoyed racing with Joel and his #49 IMSA Datsun 240z at the Rolex Motorsports Reunion in August. If you missed our coverage of the event please check it out HERE. When Mike Joy from FOX Sports visited us in the paddock and expressed interest in the Z and its history, we were flattered. Mike and camera crew did a very brief segment with the Z Car Garage team and it will be featured in their coverage of the race weekend!
Tune in to FOX Sports 1 this Saturday 10/11 at 10am (EST) to see their coverage and our brief moment in the spotlight 🙂
Our friends at SpeedSF are running another great track day at Thunderhill West October 12. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the newly opened “West” section of the track. We love running our cars with these folks and they go above and beyond to make sure you get tons of track time! They are also offering a discount if you sign up for both Thunderhill 10/12 AND Laguna Seca 11/1. For more details please visit SpeedSF.com.
Need some motivation to sign up? Watch Patrick in his Vortech supercharged Z33 from last weekend’s Speed SF event at Sonoma Racway:
Comments Off on Track Day 10/12: Thunderhill Raceway with Speed SF
We had a tremendous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-17. More commonly known as the “historics” at Mazda 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. Our friends over at JNC were lucky to experience the Pebble Beach scene in all its opulence and excitement. From the multi-million dollar auctions and surprising Japanese classic entrants check out their coverage HERE.
If it’s the smell of 110 octane, straight-piped exhausts and wheel-to-wheel action you desire than look no further than the historics. Typically I would cover this event from a spectator’s point of view. This year, I was fortunate to be part of the Z Car Garage race crew and bring you, dear readers, a perspective from the pits as a first time participant.
Joel Anderson and Restoration of the #49 IMSA Z
Z Car Garage was thrilled to team up with original owner, builder and driver Joel Anderson to bring the IMSA Z back to life after being stored for 25 years. Restored to late-70’s spec as it was raced, this IMSA GTU-prepped Z does not have new “trick” parts. Parts from Joel’s collection were re-used and common wear items were refreshed. Below: Original race seat and MOMO Prototipo steering wheel. Original suspension parts were plated.
More detailed restoration photos and our full interview with Joel can be found HERE. We were very pleased with the engine bay…plenty of Joel’s engineering remains intact:
We applied the vinyl livery, took a step back and pinched ourselves…are we still dreaming?
With all of the vitals checked, #49 rests before heading to Laguna Seca on the original trailer Joel used decades ago at Road Atlanta:
Racing at Laguna Seca
For the Friday practice session we drove the ZCG Datsun 2000 to Laguna Seca and parked alongside some fellow roadsters owners in the paddock. Arriving at ‘Seca early morning with the track enshrouded in fog is surreal. Despite the moisture and most high-dollar machinery still under car covers, a few brave souls were on course for their practice sessions. …[read more]
Filed under: Events
by Alvin G @ 11:29 pm on August 4, 2014
Our friends at SpeedSF are running another great track day at Sonoma Raceway September 6-7. We love running our cars with these folks and they go above and beyond to make sure you get tons of track time!
Register now at SpeedSF.com!
Comments Off on Track Day Sept. 6-7: Sonoma Raceway with Speed SF
