We had a fabulous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 12-15. 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. Enjoy our race report with photos and in-car video!

Serious recognition for Japanese Race Cars

Now in its 52nd running, for the the first time ever the Rolex celebrated “Icons of Japanese Motorsport”. Laguna Seca was filled with run groups and displays highlighting racing histories of Toyota, Honda, Acura, Yamaha and Nissan. Taking center stage in the paddock was a huge 40+ car showcase of significant Japanese race cars like the legendary Le Mans-winning 1991 Mazda 787B. Nissan was well-represented with IMSA prototypes and the BRE Datsuns:

The Nissan Prototypes

 

These were factory-backed prototype race cars that Nissan used to conquer the IMSA GT Championship during the late 1980s and early 1990s. (Above) is the #23 Nissan R91CP Group C / IMSA GTP car, shipped straight from Japan for the Rolex event. (Below) is the 1990 Nissan NPT-90, driven by Geoff Brabham.

 

Z Car Garage was proud to display the 1988 Nissan GTP ZX-Turbo at the Rolex. This iconic race car was driven by Geoff Brabham and John Morton, known for de-throning the Porsche 962 in IMSA racing with 8 straight wins. (Below) Chassis #8801 with Rob in Turn 4 at Laguna Seca staged for the Japanese Icons photoshoot:

 

(Below, left) Electramotive engineer Chris Willes with Rob. You can see behind-the-scenes photos of the ZCG crew getting the GTP car out to turn 4 for the Icons photoshoot in the gallery below. We thank Dean Case and Greg Nelson of Nissan Motorsports for the opportunity to have this legend here at Z Car Garage since 2024. It now resides with our client Randy Jaffe in Atlanta.

 

The Rolex is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, where we displayed the GTP ZX-Turbo in the first ever “Japanese Motorsport” class:

VIDEO: See the GTP cars in action!

Video of the LeMans prototypes in action including the Nissan NPT-90 from Turn 6, volume up!

 

 

Japanese cars also got some love at The Quail, with a first-ever “Legacy of Japanese GTs” class. We even spotted Larry Chen’s SR20DET-powered 1970 Datsun 240Z on the lush greens (photo by Geoff Wise):

 

The BRE Datsuns

 

Nissan also celebrated the Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) race cars alongside the GTP prototypes. Our client and friend Randy Jaffe and Mark Lambert transported the 1971 BRE Datsun 510 and 1970 BRE Datsun 240Z from Atlanta on behalf of Nissan. Both cars were part of the central showcase:

 

BRE Championship driver John Morton gave hot lap rides in the BRE Datsun 510. Legendary automotive designer, racer, and motorsports visionary Peter Brock served as Grand Marshal for the event, a fitting choice given Brock’s influence on Japanese motorsports.

Nearby was the original BRE Datsun 2000 roadster driven by Frank Monise who won the Pacific Coast Championship in 1969:

 

Complementing the three BRE Championship cars above were the BRE Hino transporter and Jamaica 510, the 1973 BRE Baja 240Z, the 1969 BRE Baja 510 and Pete Brock’s personal 1972 Datsun 510 aka “screaming yellow zonker”:

 

Now, let’s get to the racing!

Z Car Garage Trackside Support for Seven Race Cars

 

With 60+ Nissan/Datsuns racing this year the starting grid for Group 2 (Small-bore/roadsters), Group 8 (B-sedan/510s) and Group 9 (IMSA GTU/Z cars) was a fan’s dream come true. Z Car Garage supported seven race cars, see them all on the dyno in preparation for the Rolex…volume up and enjoy that L-Series music!

 

Peter Gregg Trophy (1973–1981 IMSA GT, GTX, AAGT, GTU and FIA)

Rob Fuller piloted the the #49 Joel Anderson IMSA GTU Datsun 240Z in the IMSA group. You might recall the story behind this special, 1972 IMSA GTU 240z as it was owned, built and raced in the 70’s by none other than Joel Anderson.  ZCG restored #49 back to its former glory and it debuted at RMMR 2014. John Morton would drive #49 at RMMR 2015, and Rob Fuller finally drove it at the 2018 RMMR.

ROB: Since the IMSA car has been back together, unfortunately we’ve been having a couple of teething issues with it. It was ok in the first practice of Rolex Reunion, but it just didn’t feel like it was gonna work well. We made the call to to leave it on display in our paddock.

Rob was heartbroken, but that is racing. The #49 car will be back, for now enjoy this extended video with in-car footage of Rob dicing it up with big power Porsche RSRs at the 2024 RMMR… Volume UP and Long Live The Z!

 

Bob Sharp Cup (1966–1979 Historic SCCA B & C Sedans)

Historic B&C Sedan proudly organized a field of 48 historic sedans set to be exhibited and raced in the Bob Sharp Cup. Datsun 510s dominated the field with notables including the Corky Bell U2.5L Trans Am 510, Paul Newman’s 510 and several Bob Sharp Racing cars including the #38 Ex-Jim Fitzgerald 510, 610 (driven by Adam Carolla) and 200sx.

 

Z Car Garage helped arrange the field for a photoshoot on the front straight and it was epic. Each car with historical provenance, ready to be driven hard. Kudos to Glenn Chiou and Dave Stone for making this race group a reality. You can grab a high-res image of the group photo directly from the photographer Rami Garcia.

VIDEO: See the B-Sedan group in action!

Video of the B-Sedans from Turn 6 with starting grid and paddock action, volume up!

 

Z Car Garage Racers in B-Sedan Group

 

ROB: Z Car Garage raced and supported four Datsun 510s running in the Bob Sharp Cup. Myself in the Corky Bell car, Tom Dockery in the Ex-Balzer car, Kenny in the Ex-Ted Gruner car and new client, Patrick Byrne in the Ex- Greg Schmidt 510. Everyone had a good time.

#72 Tom Dockery

 

We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. He is a Datsun enthusiast, friend and we love seeing him improve his craft. Here is Tom’s race report from the Rolex…

TOM: The full impact of running the Pre-Reunion and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion is still sinking in. Racing at the Rolex was only a dream 20 years ago, but it became my primary goal after acquiring the Norm Balzer car in 2016. A very special thanks to Dave Stone for finding the car and facilitating the sale, and to Steve Link for selling it to me.

 

The week had another special element: my sons, Matt and Nick, and my daughter-in-law, Sarah, drove their historic Datsuns and Alfa down from Portland. We spent the entire week together, caravanning to Monterey and enjoying the automotive scene. It was great fun.

 

Both racing events were fantastic. As always, the car was flawless, and the ZCG Team made the experience seamless and carefree. They allowed me to be fully present with my family and friends throughout the event. Thanks to Rob’s coaching and positioning at the front of the practice and qualifying grid, I was able to set a personal record in the very first session.

 

The races at both events went well, and I stayed in the top 15 in all four races. I was especially pleased to remain within sight of Jenson Button and ahead of Jimmie Johnson in both races. To be fair, both had a 500cc handicap, and Jimmie was racing a right-hand-drive car for the first time. One thing I will never forget is the energy of sitting on the grid and feeling the excitement of the people surrounding the area. It was a magical moment for me. A big thank you to everyone who helped me get there.

 

VIDEO: In-car action with Tom’s 510

Take a few laps with Tom Dockery in the Ex-Balzer/Koobation B-Sedan Datsun 510

 

#39 Patrick Byrne

 

ROB: Patrick and Bill Byrne are a father and son team that have lots of cool vintage cars. Patrick runs in the IMSA group with my Z and he is a brilliant driver. Super excited to see the Schmidt car previously owned by Bill Ockerlund, now in the ZCG’s hands. We took this car to a test day before the Rolex, found a few shortcomings and sorted it out. Really cool car, beautiful and very competitive with Patrick behind the wheel.

    

#64 Kenny Tse

 

Kenny has been with us for many years enjoying our Z Car Garage Trackside Services for his Ex-Ted Gruner B-Sedan Datsun 510. Kenny did awesome, finishing top 10 in the Bob Sharp Cup:

  

#40 Rob Fuller

 

Rob drove the Corky Bell U2.5L Trans Am Datsun 510. Famed engineer and race car driver Corky Bell ran this Datsun 510 in the early 70’s Trans Am series. Z Car Garage restored it back to its former glory with Trans Am livery and Corky drove it for the first time in 53 years at the 2024 Velocity event. We will dedicate a separate blog post to the restoration and Corky’s story. Here are a few photos of the car during the revival:

   

Rob had a blast driving the Bell car with fellow B-Sedan racers in the Bob Sharp Cup. Rob won the race, with Richard Stuart Milne in second, Timothy Probert in third and Patrick Byrne in 4th. All Datsuns for the win!

(Left) Photo by Travis Bath

VIDEO: In-car action with Rob’s 510

Take a few laps with Rob Fuller in the Corky Bell B-Sedan Datsun 510

See the both races from Rob on his YouTube Channel and give the man a subscribe!

 

Datsun Roadsters at the RMMR

 

The 2026 Rolex Reunion featured no less than 12 Datsun Roadsters, roughly 9 of them racing in the John Morton Trophy (1950s–1960s SCCA Small Displacement Production Cars). Z Car Garage provided race preparation and trackside support services for our two new clients: Bruce White out of Colorado and Greg Walsh from Monterey.

 

ROB: Bruce White purchased the #33 1967 Datsun 2000 from our friend Ron Carter, so we’ve known about this car for many years and super excited to be a part of its next chapter. The car needed some sorting prior to the Rolex reunion so we did a test day and identified some shortcomings. Jim Tyler from Datsun Restoration Products was a wonderful resource to help us get this thing going. Bruce had never driven the roadster and by the end of the Pre-Reunion he was really competitive, putting down solid 1:54s and third overall among the Datsuns.

 

Greg Walsh had a similar experience in his Dan Parkinson Roadster: he struggled in the past with his roadster and we were able to have both of these cars run flawlessly. Both clients had a great time and that was really cool running at the Pre-Reunion and Rolex. 

 

Such a great sight seeing all these Datsun Roadsters in the paddock. Here are a few notables, with more photos in the gallery below:

 

Craig Carter’s Bob Sharp-prepared Datsun 2000. Note BRE-style exhaust that wraps around frame exiting side:

 

#88 Christopher Van De Meulengraaf 1967 Datsun 2000. This is the first RHD 2000 I’ve ever seen racing here in the States:

 

 

Phil Mendelovitz’ Ex-Bob Studdard 2000. This car won the EP national championship in 1987. Phil took 6th place overall in the John Morton Trophy and fastest Datsun Roadster running 1:49s.

 

VIDEO: See the Datsun Roadsters in action!

Video of the Roadster and Sports cars from the 60’s in the John Morton Trophy  from Turn 6, volume up!

Watch all the Rolex Races via livestream HERE

Paddock Highlights

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. Here’s a few of my favorites, more in the gallery!

 

My favorite race group, the Trans Am group with muscle cars abound:

 

Phil Mendelovitz cars included this HKS Turbo Datsun 240Z (dyno tuned at ZCG) and Nissan GT3 240SX:

 

Z cars were well-represented in several race groups including IMSA:

 

 

The #33 Planters / Newman-Sharp 300ZX with turbocharged VG:

 

 

S130 Z cars, #85 had a turbocharged VG!

   

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou raced his FAR Performance 240Z in the Ken Miles Trophy (1955–1967 SCCA Large Displacement Production Cars). This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.

 

Glenn also raced his Ex-Finn/Harris Trans Am Datsun 510 in the B-Sedan group. He’s got the best looking wheel/tire fitment:

 

Troy Ermish had a stable of cool Datsun 510s, including this freshly built, logbook #001 B-sedan owned by Daniel Wu:

  

Datsun 1200s just across:

 

This Miller Imports Datsun 510 was mint:

  

Autozam AZ-1 just chillin’ in the parking lot. Motorcycle for scale 🙂

 

JDM/Euro gems all around!

 

 

Randy Pobst’s first National Championship-winning Miata (1992), currently owned by Ross Lindell

 

VIDEO: RMMR Paddock Action!

Video of the machinery in the paddock, enjoy!

JDM Legends Car Show

Kaiju Company x Super Drive — JDM Legends Display

The JDM Legends Car Show was held August 14-15 within the lakebed at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca. They had a fun showing of curated vehicles plus great turnout. More photos in the gallery below!

 

Wheels for Fantasy

A wheel lover’s dream, especially if you like meaty fitment…

 

People

Contributing to the fun were family and friends. We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners Jan Trondsen and Dave Sholz:

ROB: Lots of really cool people from all over the country came out and I got to meet a lot of enthusiasts… people that have been inspired by Z Car Garage and it was very cool. Just a wonderful weekend.

 

ZCG Race Crew

 

Huge shoutout to the Z Car Garage race crew including Josh, Meghan, and Cooper. We are grateful for your support, keeping us safe and on the track!

 

Thank you!

 

ROB:  Seeing Tom Dockery with his kids there and everyone supporting him it just really warmed my heart. And then the guys, Josh and Cooper and Megan and Alvin…the vibe in the Z Car Garage paddock was incredible and the amount of cool cars that were there was unbelievable. You know I’ve been going to the Rolex reunion since the 90s and it was just awesome for me to see the paddock filled with so much deliciousness from overseas in Japan. Thank you to Nissan for letting us be a part of the GTP history…we got that car rolling, on display and then to Pebble Beach. A great job to everybody that’s involved to make those weekends work, really appreciate it. Thanks to Nicholas Caraballo  and Travis Bath for the on-track photos.

 

We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the 2026 Rolex Monterey Motorpsorts Reunion! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

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On June 12-14, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the Corkscrew Classic vintage race at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage supported several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. ZCG clients running at the Corkscrew Classic included:

#6 Noah’s Bluebird Coupe

 

#88 Todd R.

Todd and his B-Sedan Datsun 510 have enjoyed our Z Car Garage Trackside Services for several years. He had a great time at the Corkscrew Classic:

 

#52 Kelly McCarty

Kelly recently acquired this 510 from Jim Froula. It features our Z Car Garage CV Axles and race preparation.

Here is Rob with a race report, enjoy the photo gallery below!

ROB: The ZCG team for the weekend covering for Joshua Corwin was Rob, Cooper and Meghan. Cooper is an absolute rockstar. We made it to Laguna Seca hassle-free and got the cars tech inspected. We had Todd in his Datsun 510, Kelly and his new 510 (formally the 52 car of Jim Froula) and we had Noah in the Bluebird and everybody had a good time.

 

The cars worked flawlesly until the end of the weekend when Todd’s 510 had a fuel starvation issue from the FuelSafe. Need to refresh, but will handle that before the Charity Challenge. Great job to Troy Ermish and the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge out there and everybody seem to be behaving and going pretty quick. Lots of cool cars in the paddock, lots of cool friends and perfect weather. The peanut butter pretzels were delicious. The red vines were divine and good times racing.

 

Hoosier Tire 2.5 Challenge

 

CSRG featured the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge TA/BS. This is an action-packed race group with B-Sedans battling for points in the series!

 

Vintage Spec Miata

 

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.

ROB: “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.

 

ROB: Newcomer Steve Albert rented Little Butters for the Corkscrew Classic. He had never been in a Miata before and we had a wonderful weekend with him and his wife hanging out getting to know the Z Car Garage crew. Steve did a great job in Little Butters, picking up nine seconds from start of the weekend to the end. He had some epic battles with the Porsche 912 of Mario M and it was Battle of the Butters 🙂

 

Join us for the 2026 Vintage Racing Season!

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. Do not miss the next event: The Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca August 12-15th.

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On June 12-14, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) will host the Corkscrew Classic vintage race at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage will participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 3. It will be a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Remember to bring your family and friends as admission is FREE for spectators!

Hoosier Tire 2.5 Challenge

 

CSRG will be featuring the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge TA/BS. This is an action-packed race group with B-Sedans battling for points in the series!

 

Watch these Datsuns Race!

Want a glimpse of what it’s like to see Datsuns racing at Laguna Seca? Check out our 2025 race report with video and photos: HERE, and view a sample of cars expected to race June 12 at the Corkscrew Classic:

Race car driver, restorer and Datsun Historian Glenn Chiou in his FAR Performance 240Z. This Z has a very rich racing history, driven in the 70’s by Loren St. Lawrence in VIPS Restaurant livery.

Join us for the 2026 Vintage Racing Season!

 

Z Car Garage is amped for more racing this year. Please check the CSRG website and zcarblog.com for upcoming race events. Do not miss the next event: The Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca August 12-15th.

 

John B has been with us for many years. We featured his 1971 Datsun 240Z back in 2013 when he visited Z Car Garage for a mechanical overhaul, dyno tuning and Panasport wheels:

 

In 2020 he returned for our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes and more sorting. Since then he’s been Enjoying the Ride and recently completed his first track day at the world-famous Laguna Seca. Enjoy his track day report and read on for a summary of work we performed over the years.

John’s Track Day at Laguna Seca

 

JOHN: Here’s a report on my Track Day at Laguna Seca on 29 Nov 2025, with some history of my Z cars.

The event was hosted by Turn8 Racing on Saturday 29 Nov. It was my first time, so was a member of the Beginner run group. I brought both of my Z cars but only drove the 1971 240Z on the track. There were many other types of cars in the run group, some new ones like a 911 G3 and a new Ferrari, but there was one other 240Z.

 

The first couple of runs were “lead-follow”, where we followed an actual race driver around the track to learn the proper race-line through the curves. For the remaining runs we were free to attempt to find the race-line on our own, which happened occasionally for me. It’s pretty obvious when I did not have the race-line since I was either in the dirt or was quickly approached by traffic from behind. I found the slower I went the easier it was to find the race-line. The Beginner run group only allowed passing on a couple of the straights (for this event), it was my track during the turns and my chance to learn to find the race-line so I felt it as ok to go slow.

 

Of course, once in the straights, everybody passed me. By “everybody” I mean EVERY car on the track. They may have been going faster, but I was having a blast with my 240Z on the track. My smiles per mile was high.

 

My favorite turn was turn 9, the sweeping left-hander out of the corkscrew. Probably because it’s challenging to judge the brake/coast/accellerate adjustments since the next turn (10) is slower right turn. It’s nice to “have” the whole track during the turns at the Beginner run group to try different approaches. The whole track is great, it’s Laguna Seca man! What fun.

 

I want to go back with my 1977 Lotus Esprit to see if I can beat my lap time in the 240Z. I expect that the Esprit will have faster laps since it seems to accelerate quicker out of turns and is closer to a race car than the Z. I had ZCG inspect the 240Z the week before the event to ensure that the brakes were up-to-snuff. They performed well, as expected since both of my Zs have the Z Car Garage Big-Brakes.

 

ROB: John asked me about doing his first track day in his 240Z. I think the interest came from attending our Vintage Racing Events with his girls, eating snacks and hanging out at the track. I said why not? You’ve got brakes that can handle it and we know the car is safe. We did a tech-inspection on it, made sure everything was good to go and yes, John Bunker drove his S30 on the world famous WeatherTech Raceway also known as Laguna Seca. Good job John keep on loving the Z we can’t wait to work for your girls someday.

The Z Cars

 

ROB: We met John around 2012 and did a bunch of work to his 240Z. He later acquired a 280Z and 280Z 2+2 so his daughters could ride with him. Both of these S30s have our Z Car Garage Big-Brakes. John and I have the same passion for music and he is just exactly why I love my job: he’s passionate and spends time enjoying and driving his Z cars. He also has a vintage Lotus that we’ve done some work on.

 

JOHN: The 240Z is a 1971 model built in Oct 1970. My mom bought it in 1978 and I’ve been driving it since 1980 (45 years, yowza). My siblings and I used to ride in the hatch. (Why a mother of six bought a two-seat sports car is a point of discussion amongst us). It was her daily driver until about 2000 when she started having trouble getting in and out of it. She put about 250K miles on it and replaced the L24 engine with a rebuilt one from a 260Z. I bought it from her in 2005. In 2013 ZCG went through it and made it run as it should. We installed the Big Brake Kit, Panasport wheels, new tires, new headers, exhaust, and a suspension upgrade including Techno Toy T/C rods. It now has about 275K miles on the road and about 40 on the track.

 

The other Z is a 1978 280Z. It was originallly owned by my mom’s neighbor. He traded it to my brother for some custom furniture in 2000. I bought it from my brother, then sold it to my niece, who sold it to her brother. It sat in the driveway of his mother (my sister)’s house for a few years until I bought it from my nephew in 2019 where it went straight to ZCG for a Big Brake Kit, new Panasport wheels, tires, and a suspension upgrade. It has about 195K miles.

 

Both are daily drivers, mostly. I can’t take my two daughters in them (well, not legally), so it’s usually just me in the car going to work. There is a third Z car, a 1976 2+2, intended to take the whole family, but we will not talk about that here. These are multi-generation family cars. The goal is for my girls to continue the Z-car tradition when they get older.

Z Car Garage Big-Brakes

 

In 2020 we installed our ZCG Big-Brakes on John’s 240Z, giving him the ability to brake on a dime, perform well and daily drive. This is the same brake kit as seen on “Mrs. Butters”, our 1971 Series 1 240z shop demo car (above).

 

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 John’s stock brakes and installed our ZCG Big-Brake kit. The Z also received suspension parts from Techno Toy Tuning including their adjustable T/C rods.We really appreciate Gabriel and his staff. They make some of the best suspension parts out there for Z cars.

   

ZCG Big-brakes up front:

  

T3 T/C rods and new brake master cylinder/booster, clutch hydraulics:

 

At the rear, the factory drum brakes were replaced with our ZCG Big-Brakes. Factory handbrake functionality retained!

  

Enjoying The Ride

Photo by Alex Nibyt

We love seeing John in his Z cars locally, doing kid drop-offs and other daily driver duties:

 

He also joined us on Tokyo Calling 5 event hosted by Breakfast Club Rally. More photos in the gallery below.

 

Thanks for your support John and Long Live The Z!

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On June 20-22, Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the Corkscrew Classic vintage race at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage participated and supported several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 3. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our race report with photos and video!

 

Z Car Garage Supports Four 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.

VIDEO: Dyno tuning Noah’s Nissan Bluebird and Alison’s Spec Miata.Volume up and enjoy!

 

Hoosier Tire 2.5 Challenge

 

CSRG hosted the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge TA/BS. This is an action-packed race group with B-Sedans battling for points in the series!

 

ZCG clients running at the Corkscrew Classic included:

#6 Noah’s Bluebird Coupe

 

#64 Kenny Tse

  

#88 Todd R.

 

#72 Tom Dockery

We have helped Tom build and prepare his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510 for several years. You can view his race report below:

 

TOM: Returning to Laguna Seca was a real treat—it feels like it’s been far too long. The track has a natural rhythm that just flows with you through every corner. While Sonoma may be more technically demanding and keeps you on the edge of your racing seat, Seca will always have my heart.
This CSRG event gathered all the B-Sedans under the Hoosier 2.5 Challenge banner, which meant a field full of fast drivers, many of whom were laser-focused on points and the podium. I was content to stay out of that mix, hanging toward the back and enjoying the experience. That was easy enough during the two races, but a bit more challenging during qualifying.

 

The event also brought back former owner and champion Jon Koobation, which was a highlight. A special thanks to Rial Barnett from B-Sedan Racing for taking the time to interview both Jon and me for the B-Sedan community—truly a special moment. As always, big thanks to Rob and the ZCG Team for their outstanding coaching and race support. And of course, huge appreciation for the extended racing family—Meghan, Laura, Chris, Kenny, Noah, Kelvin, and Kelly—you’re simply the best. Looking forward to Sonoma in October! 

You can view the B-Sedan interview with Tom Dockery and John Koobation here on Facebook.

VIDEO: Enjoy this in-car video of Tom qualifying at Laguna Seca with a chase camera view as well:

Paddock Action

VIDEO: Catch a glimpse of the Z Car Garage paddock and watch the Group 3 and Group 9 vintage racers rollout in the video below!

Rob recaps the event…

ROB:  Troy Ermish’s Hooiser Challenge Series was one of the special run groups and it was really cool to see all the 510s, Alphas and BMWs mix it up. We supported 510 drivers  Kenny Tse, Noah, Todd, and Tom Dockery. Todd took a year off racing and he did a fantastic job for hist first time back with a personal best lap time. Laura B and myself in our Spec Miatas and we had a new addition: Ara’s (who races 510s) wife Alison came to join us with her Spec Miata. We had a great time as the run groups were fantastic with 5-6 Miatas. Can’t wait to see 20 VSP in the field.

 

Kenny and Noah both got their PBs at Laguna. Tom Dockery had his B-sedan interview with John Koobation which was super cool. Unfortunately Meghan and I were busy on Sunday, so huge shout out to Josh and David Carroll for handling the Z Car Garage Sunday program.  Our staff is a well-oiled machine, and I had FOMO really bad on Sunday. Everybody did a great job. Can’t wait for the Sears Point event coming in October so thanks again for tuning into our races. Remember, all CSRG events are free for spectators. Contact Rob if you are interested in racing with us. We will guide and help you get faster as well.

 

Vintage Spec Miata

 

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. If you have any questions regarding prep and presentation, reach out to Rob Fuller: rob@zcargarage.com.

A weekend of great racing and good times

 

We enjoyed sharing this experience with our friends and CSRG family. Special shoutout to ZCG crew including Cooper and Josh, running all of the cars above would not be possible without them. Big thanks to Meghan for taking photos and video around the paddock.  View all in the gallery below

 

 
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