What an EPIC track day at Laguna Seca! Everyone had a great time driving and the weather was beautiful. NCRC put on yet another seamless event that was quite affordable too. We left ZCG at 6am Monday with a caravan of 6 Nissans/Datsuns: Herbert in his 240z, Matt in his 510, my 350z, Allen B’s Vortech’d 350z, Scott Smith in the Green Machine, and Rob in the ZCG 370z.

Matt and Allen were first-timers at ‘Seca, and judging from the ear-ear grins on their faces after each session I can tell they had a blast! If you are not familiar with track days or High Performance Driving Events(HPDE), there are usually 3 run groups based on prior track experience/skill level. In the Solo group, instructors ride with drivers for most of the day. Rob and Scott instructed Matt and Allen and they did extremely well! Allen’s supercharged 350z had some fresh Kuhmo rubber on 18″ Enkei wheels framing big Stopechs:

Matt’s 510 sported “#46” and it was a joy to watch him accelerate from corner to corner in his boosted dime…here he is going through the famous corkscrew:

I drove my Z in both solo and point-by groups so I got 10 sessions with almost 3hrs of driving time! ZCG recently upgraded my front brakes to a Stoptech setup and they were incredible! No brake fade and plenty of confidence especially with the stickier tires that Scott lent me(thanks!). I benefited from some in-car instruction as Rob rode with me in the last session. With his help I was able to apply full-throttle in turns/sections and make the most of the track. Pretty soon I’ll be able to catch Scott…
Speaking of Scott, have you seen the latest effort in making the Green Machine meet the  92db sound requirement?

I love hearing this Z on the street, and at the track it’s spine-tingling. The Motordyne Shockwave single exhaust is still loud with the new rear section. Listen to it on the front straight:

and for comparsion’s sake here is my Z with a Nismo exhaust 🙂

Armed with four 285-width Hoosiers(and a bit of talent) Scott ran 1:45s while giving a crowd of folks ride-alongs. Here is a brief commentary from the driver that a certain red 370z so fervently tries to catch:)
“I had logged 52 laps during the day and finally broken into the 1:45s on lap 16 during the second run group when I met Izzy, a guy who races a Z31T and has posted lap times in the 1:30s with an old Nissan. We finished the day out in the “open passing” group, which contains a mix of trailered-and-dedicated track cars and race-bred Porsche 911s. After a few practice laps for Izzy to see my line, we found time in T2, T5, T6, T8, and especially in T11, mostly by adjusting when and how much throttle application. Each lap was a little faster as we pushed a little harder. The tires were a little greasy, but we were still faster. I had just posted my fastest lap ever – a 1:45.28, on tires that had less traction than they did during the morning runs. We were at the limit in a few spots, like T2, T3, T4, T9-11, which are areas I’m comfortable pushing it in. T5 is a high-speed, uphill, left-hander that I had never given much attention to since the sound check is right there and I always have to lift off the throttle to stay under the sound limit anyway. Well, as we exited T5 and started making our way up the hill past the sound check and towards T6, the Z stepped out and spun counter clockwise. At ~80mph, there was little chance of saving it, and before I knew it we were facing backwards. Now you have to worry about your drive train unless you follow the oldest rule in the book, “if you spin, two feet in!” I saw there was no way to save it, so left foot to push the clutch in, right foot on the brake, and hold on. We hit the kitty litter (which is there to slow you down) hard, and the Z dug in, but it wasn’t enough to stop us as we back-sided the tire wall at maybe 30mph. Minus two flat tires and a busted wheel, the damage appears to only be cosmetic around the trunk and bumper area, and we drove the Z home without issue.”

The day was filled with lots of lead-and-follows, ride-alongs to friends and passerbys, and some “spirited” driving. There is something really special about Laguna Seca, and the appreciation grows 10-fold when you experience it from the driver’s(or passenger’s*) seat.  So come out and enjoy a track day with us! Don’t forget to check the gallery for more pictures. The paddock area was full of cool machines.

*special thanks to my friend Chris who took some fantastic videos and pictures. I think we may have turned him into a track nut.
There are many more pictures to enjoy just click below:
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Looks like everyone had a good time last Wednesday night at the fun drags and here is a report from Scott Smith:

 

We were four Zs strong and also had a bada$$ 510 of Matt’s. Rob Fuller set the bar in Chuck Gross’s TT 350Z with a get-you-kicked-out best-run of 11.452 @ 119.51mph. A roll bar, side bars, and fireproof jacket are required for runs under 11.5s. John Tacchi ran a fast 12.883 @ 116.57mph in his upgraded Z32TT, and made it through two rounds of eliminations, and lost with an uncharacteristic 14.4 run with on a 13.0 dial in. He must have spun the tires off the line and lost time, as the temps were getting cooler. Walt Leonard broke out on his first-and-best timed run with a 12.914 @ 104.62mph compared to his dial of 13.07(black s/c’d Z above). Scott Smith ran his wife’s 2007 350Z Roadster, and was also eliminated in the first round. He dialed 14.60 and ran 14.61, but was beat at the tree. His best of the night was 14.477@98.51mph. Matt Gardella ran his turbo 510 hard, but also lost in the first round. He dialed in 13.00 and ran 13.538 @ 95.89mph, but his best of the night was 13.126 @ 103.62mph.

Stay tuned for an announcement of the final ZCG drag racing series date in November!

Matt’s 510(note faster dial-in than the STi or M3 :)) and John’s Z32TT

 

Here are a few short video clips of Matt’s 510 and Rob piloting Chuck’s TT 350z:

Come join us for the next event of fun and Z-ing “in a straight line” TOMORROW October 20, 2010 at Infineon Raceway.
If you would like to caravan up from the South Bay meet at ZCarGarage at 1:30pm, 2pm departure!

Full details click here

This R35 GT-R runs the 1/4 mile in 9.33 seconds at 153mph AND promises total streetability!!!

The video is pretty impressive, I love watching the tach/speedo sweep as the car simply timewarps through the gears:

This “street” action video the same, 9-second GT-R is fun to watch as well. I like the reaction seen on the driver’s face under acceleration 🙂

The Z Car Garage Drag Racing Series continues for 2010. Z Car Garage is hosting a drag competition for all-years Nissans and Datsuns at Sears Point Raceway. Come join us for the next event of fun and Z-ing “in a straight line” October 20, 2010. Walt (Fowlman) won the last series in his supercharged 350Z with his consistent 12.9s runs. We’ll be continuing through November 11th with 5 events in total . We had a good showing of Zs and Gs at the drags our last drags event on July 7th. For anyone that missed it, Chuck’s TT 350Z ran an amazing 11.75s 1/4 mile on low boost! We look forward to seeing the wick turned up on this beast at the next event, and a sub 11.5s run! Rob made the overall Top 25 as well as the Top 25 for twin turbo cars lists for all models of the 350Z in the drag racing portion of my350z in Chuck’s TT 350.

He currently sits at 23rd overall for all 350Zs, and 18th for all twin turbo 350Zs. Congrats to Rob for his great run and to Chuck for the fantastic car! They need to go another 1/2s faster to crack the top 10 for the TT list.
my350z Top25-1/4mile times Stay tuned for a better run at the next event when we turn the boost up and see if Rob can move up the list! It could be a good showdown, as Scott Smith has talked about bringing his high-HP 300ZX TT for the next event to tangle with Rob in Chuck’s TT 350Z.

The August and September dates were canceled due to excessive heat in the Sonoma area, and we’re hopeful things will be cooled down for our 4th event of the year on 10/20.

General information: The Wednesday Night Drags events are held at Sears Point Raceway on most Wednesday nights during the year. The gates open at 3:30 and racing is from 5-10pm. One typically gets a few practice (non-competitive) runs in before the racing starts assuming you get there early. All the information you need about the track and racing itself is located here: http://www.infineonraceway.com/racew…y_night_drags/

Prizes!
1st Place: One Pair of New BF Goodrich Drag Radials courtesy of Z Car Garage
2nd Place: $100.00 Gift Certificate at Z Car Garage

Points:
Sears Point Wednesday events are bracket racing. If you show up early, each driver gets 4 or 5 practice runs before the sessions begin.

1 point: Once the sessions begin, each time you advance
(Sears Point staff puts a smiley face on your slip), you get one point. The goal is to NOT run against each other until absolutely necessary (i.e. everyone stages in the same lane until the final brackets)

3 points: Runner-up (loss in the finals) – trophy awarded

5 points: Winner of class – trophy awarded

Points are only valid on the dates ZCG goes to Infineon (4/7, 6/2, 7/7, 10/20, November date TBD ).

All competitors must sign waiver @ Z Car Garage before entering competition (or sign at track and give to Rob).

So put your excuses to rest and join us on October 20th for the 4th event of the year.