WE LOVE RACING! Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the 20th Charity Challenge at Sonoma Raceway on September 8-10. Z Car Garage raced and supported several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in the B-Sedan Group (John Morton Cup). Everyone had a blast, enjoy our race report with in-car video and photos below.

   

Z Car Garage Supports Five Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services 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:

 

#88 Todd Rueppel

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

#7 Kelvin Tse

Kelvin and his brother Kenny are regular ZCG trackside support clients…

  

Gabe and his Dad Jeff’s B-Sedans:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

     

Rob will also ran the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at Sonoma Raceway.

 

Group 3 B-Sedan Races

Rob recaps the Charity Challenge races from Group 3: B-Sedan and John Morton Cup…

“Over the last 20 years, CSRG has raised money for children’s charities and every Fall Z Car Garage tries to attend the Charity Challenge. We had a strange summer with Laguna Seca canceling our summer event, so it had been many months since CSRG was on the race track. In the B-Sedan group we were happy to support Kenny, Todd, and Gabe’s Datsun 510s. We also had newcomer Jeff Rothman, who is father of Gabe. Jeff’s no stranger to vintage racing with serious Alfas and a Formula Ford. One of Gabe’s fondest early memories is when his Dad took him to the historic races at Laguna Seca. And now they are racing together at Sonoma.”

 

“First session out Kenny had a transmission issue, so Nick and Cooper went to work making sure everyone could stay on the track. We got Kenny’s car back together and I lost 4th gear in my 510 so I decided to start from the back. I was proud to still click off a fast time despite losing 4th gear. Gabe and Kenny shared the front row and both got their personal lap records! It was Todd’s first time with an Elite box, he kicked ass with no issues while improving his times. We had just done a bunch of prep to Jeff’s car and he had a great time. Not as many cars in our run group but it was super fun.”

 

Enjoy these in-car videos from the Group 3 Race from Rob’s Datsun 510:

“No 4th gear but still trying to get to the front. At the start of the race a Mini hits me in the right rear but I am able to recover and keep racing till the end . Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun! Note: My steering wheel is off since my car is toed in the rear and you can hear the right rear tire howling.. Good times!”

Race 2: Rob was missing 4th gear all weekend so he tried starting in the back to see if he could work his way to the front:

The 2023 Nissan Z as Pace Car!

 

Z Car Garage was happy to have our 2023 Nissan Z as Official Pace Car at the Charity Challenge. Rob was happy to wheel the New Z around the track:

“One of the coolest things about the Charity Challenge was driving the new Z as pace car and give charity rides. In its 20th year the Charity Challenge has raised millions for children’s charities and they allowed me to be a driver on Sat/Sun to give 4-5 rides which included a warm-up lap, race lap and cool-down lap. Yes, that’s actor/director Seth Rogen!

 

Paddock Action

Experience the sights and sounds from our paddock and the race track in this video below!

 

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

Rob also raced the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at Sonoma Raceway:

“My IMSA car has pretty good history at Sears Point (now Sonoma Raceway); it came from the Bondurant School and actually held a record there. I really enjoyed driving it, and had a good pace. Super fun race with Jim Froula of RacecraftNW in his GT3 240SX-bodied car. Stoked on the ZCG crew and thanks to Roger Kraus for the tires: first time running Goodyears and I love them. The Joel Anderson IMSA Z was on display all weekend and people remembered it from back in the day. A couple came over and showed me a photo of the Z from 1980. I let a young person sit in it. Made me happy to see folks appreciating Joel’s creation.”

 

Enjoy these in-car videos from Group 8 in The Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

Sunday’s race:

“Thank you CSRG for another great event. It was so awesome to get the Joel Anderson GTU 240Z out on track. Great driving by Jim @racecraftnw in his GT3 car. Thank you Z Car Garage for keeping us safe and on track all weekend. Long live the Z.”

Saturday’s race:

“Starting from the back in Anderson 49 car… @ the 13 min mark Dr. Phil waves me by and I come up on a waving yellow caused by a spun out car in Turn 4. I clear it and give Phil back his position and we race to the checkered flag. So cool to be on track with some Nissan History. Thanks for CSRG for another great weekend. Z Car Garage kept me safe and on track all weekend long. Do it in a Datsun!”

 

Thank You!

The Charity Challenge was fun with the usual group of folks, Oliver, Meghan, lots of snacks and good times. The ZCG crew kept all of us safe and on the track to enjoy the weekend. We got to have dinner in the turn 11 clubhouse for the first time and the vibe was incredible. Excited for next year’s event! Huge shoutout and thank you to our star photographer Meghan Fuller for capturing all of the paddock and track photos in the gallery below.

  

The racing continues! We are racing at Laguna Seca this weekend for the GRIDLIFE event. Race reports from the Laps For Laguna event and SVRA Double-header are coming soon. You can see our report from the 2022 Charity Challenge HERE

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  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

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

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

October 20-22.                GRIDLIFE Laguna

November

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

…[read more]

 

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

   

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  3^rd to the 5^th    SVRA  Thunderhill

March 24 to 26^th          CRSG   Sonoma

April

April 27^th to 30^th           SVRA   Sonoma

May

May 4^th   to 7^th               SVRA   Laguna Seca

June

June  23rd to 25^th           CSRG   Laguna Seca

August

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

September

Sept 8^th  to 10^th              CSRG   Sonoma

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

October

October 13-15                  CSRG Laps For Laguna

November

Nov  3^rd to 5^th                 CSRG   Thunder hill

Nov 10^th to 12^th              Velocity Invitational

 

Z Car Garage is proud to be a sponsor for the 36th Annual Z Car Convention (ZCON) hosted by ZCCA  and Group Z Sports Car Club in Ontario, Ca July 31 to August 5. This is the largest Z-car event in the US and we are stoked to participate.

 

ZCON Here We Come!

 

Z Car Garage will be traveling to Southern California to attend the People’s Choice Car Show on Saturday 8/5 held in the Ontario Convention Center. We will have a vendor booth onsite featuring parts we sell including our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Z Car Garage Heat Shield and Panasport wheels:

 

We will also have a Nissan CD009a 6-speed swap for you to see, touch and feel. Don’t forget to pick up some ZCG swag/merchandise!

 

Highlighting the Z Car Garage booth will be our client Gary’s S30 with the Datsunworks KN20 twincam cylinder head. Our #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z will also be on display in the convention center lobby entrance all week:

The Datsunworks KN20-powered 240Z

 

Gary’s 1971 Datsun 240Z with the Datsunworks KN20 twincam cylinder head. Supporting the 3.1L engine are our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes, Z Car Garage CV Axles, Jenvey ITB EFI with Haltech Elite management, Nissan 6-speed CD009s transmission and OS Giken 4.11 LSD.

 

Enjoy this video showing the KN20 Datsun 240Z in action:

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU 240Z

 

The #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z has a rich racing history and actively runs in vintage race groups with Rob Fuller behind the wheel. It is a fitting car to be displayed in the lobby as it has ties to the Ontario Motor Speedway Pace cars that Nissan/Datsun campaigned in the 70’s.

 

Enjoy this video showing the Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z in action:

 

Z You There!

We are excited to share the passion and check out everyone’s Z cars at the show. Hope to Z you there and LONG LIVE THE Z!

 

Dear Zcarblog readers, it’s been a busy year and we are catching up on blog posts, so please enjoy our belated race report from May.

WE LOVE RACING! On May 21-22, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted Laps for Laguna at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage had a blast racing our IMSA GTU 240Z 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.

 

This is a new 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 becomes an annual affair.

 

Z Car Garage Supports Two Datsun 510s

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services 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.

#88 Todd R

 

Todd R has been racing his 510 privateer-style for the last few years. Prior to Laps for Laguna he had us work on his 510 and hired us for the first time doing trackside support. Todd was able to focus on his driving, achieving his highest placing (p6) and personal best lap (1:48.3) time. We will highlight his experience in separate blogpost on zcarblog.com, go Todd!

 

#7 Rob Fuller

 

Rob Fuller piloted the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute 510. With the back-to-back SVRA events just before Laps for Laguna unfortunately Ed an Kelvin could not make this event so it was just Rob and Todd. Here is Rob’s report from the race weekend with in-car video:

“In Saturday’s first race my 510 had a mechanical and had to pull off to the side. I was not able to finish race according to CSRG rules and we had to start in the back for the remainder of weekend. Thanks to ZCG crew we got the car up and running. It was a different experience starting p23 but we finised 3rd (1:41.7). I received the “Hard Charger Award” and we were right behind Troy Ermish and Parker McKean (fast Alfa)). It was great fun mixing it up with them.”

In-Car video from Rob’s 510

 

The Joel Anderson #49 IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z

 

Rob also be raced the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z at the Laps for Laguna event. The Z got a fresh set of Hoosier slicks to replace the AVONs.

“After Joel’s passing last year we decided to get the GTU car out a little more and Laps for Laguna was great prep for the upcoming Velocity Invitational. Group 8 was filled with Porsche/c-Sedans, IMSA Corvettes, Jim Froula’s GT3  Nissan 240sx. Out of 20 fast cars we did pretty well in both races placing 3rd overall. The two leaders Mike W and Froula (full blown GT3 tube-frame car) were running 1:37s while we did 1:39s. I got a personal best lap time of 1:38.3.”

 

In-car video of Rob racing the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z, volume up!

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

The best part of weekend was hanging out with people we haven’t seen in a long time. Cool to see Todd have a great racing weekend and know he’s getting better. Really hope Laps for Laguna becomes a regular event on the CSRG program. Cant wait for the Charity Challenge 9/30 as we’ll be in the John Morton Cup and GTU car in Group 8. Special shoutout to ZCG crew including the Corwin’s and Josh C for keeping all of the cars running so we can race!

 

 

Paddock Highlights

Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock. Here is a highlight reel of what it’s like at a vintage race…you should join us next time!

 

Thank you CSRG for hosting great event, see you 9/30-10/2 at Sonoma Raceway for the Charity Challenge!

 

Racing into 2022!

Z Car Garage is amped for this year’s race season. Here is list of events we will be attending. Please join us!

April

4/1-3  Sonoma with CSRG (Finished, report soon!)

4/21-24 Laguna with SVRA

4/28-5/2 Sonoma with SVRA

May

5/21-22  Laps for Laguna with CSRG

August

8/13-14  Laguna with HSR Pre Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

8/17-20 Laguna  with HSR  Reunion ( NOT CONFIRMED)

October

9/30-10/2 Sonoma with CSRG Charity Challenge

10/13-16 Laguna   Velocity Invitational

November

11/4-6   Thunderhill with CSRG

…[read more]

 

Today we received a surprise package from Sung Kang at Z Car Garage. Inside was the limited-edition FUGUZ Steering Wheel along with some very cool gear:

 

The steering wheel is 1 of 73 pieces, comes with its own briefcase and engraved quick-release adapters. How amaZing is it that Sung gave us steering wheel #49!!! Naturally we had to take a photo with a very happy Rob Fuller next to the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z:

 

 

Thank you Sung for this incredible gesture. We admire your Z car passion and efforts to help the car community thrive. Long Live The Z!

You can see more pictures below!

…[read more]