Please see yourself to the door … thank you

 

Next up is the SCCA National Championships at Road America. The Runoffs will be held 9/27-10/5/25 on the classic 4.0-mile circuit that runs through the Kettle Moraine Forest in upper Wisconsin. This 14-turn circuit is one of the fastest in the US and remains a favorite of mine. Besides prepping the T3 Z, I'm also working on getting the '08 Titan ready for a long trip from Colorado with the ATC enclosed trailer in tow. A new awning and repaired checkerboard floor should help make this trip a memorable one.

The Runoffs usually attract the top SCCA racers from across the country. For 2025, you had to be in the top half of the class you were competing in for the season to earn an invite. I finished in the top three for the Mid-America Majors Conference for 2025. For the Touring 3 class, there were competitors across the country racing Ford Mustangs, BMW 330i and Z4 M Coupes, Porsche Boxsters, Mazda MX5 Cup cars and Toyota GR86 or Pontiac Solstice turbos. Since we're racing at Road America, with several long straightaways and fast chutes, power and top speed are the priorities rather than outright handling and maneuverability. Thus, the Runoffs entry consists of 22 cars and nine of them are Mustangs with either V8s or EcoBoost turbo fours. Four of us will be running Nissan Zs, with two Z33 and two Z34 models making the entry.

Today, I'm trying something different to prep the nut behind the wheel. Paying for a driving simulator to get some extra practice at Road America. Will a $100K computer controlled simulator configured to have an old-school six-speed manual and similar sportscar provide some useful practice time? We'll find out this afternoon.

 

 

Love it!

Keep us posted!

Cant wait to hear how it turns out

 

Before I leave my Colorado home for the Runoffs tomorrow, I wanted to invite any Z owners in the Wisconsin who might want to attend the Road America race to post in this thread. I'll add you to the crew list and hope you'll understand when I ask you to grab that 12 mm wrench from my toolbox and hand it over.

 

Just returning from Road America and the 2025 SCCA Runoffs. Touring 3 was a class that found Nissan earning another National Championship in (most decorated marque in SCCA history). Nic Hannaman won it in a 370Z after a race long duel with Marshal Mast in a Mustang GT. Nic is a graduate of the GT Academy and had a great drive. I had my own battles and finished 13th after qualifying 18th. A good week racing and I'll post more in the next few days.

 

This Runoffs had as much to do off-track as on. One of my friends brought his HP Sprite to compete, but ended up having a bike accident that had us using the Titan to perform ambulance duty to get him to the ER before qualifying. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a concussion, which ended any chance of his Runoffs bid. At least he got most of his entry fee back, but that's little consolation. We kept an eye on him as we camped at the track using my trailer as a base and escorted him home after the race. After the first qualifying session, I found the LR axle had the inner CV let go and we had grease being slung everywhere, Replacing it on the grass was some dirty, greasy fun as I took the opportunity to also rehook up the rear swaybar between the qualifying sessions.

Personally, this was the first time I'd competed in the shortened version of the Runoffs with only two sessions before the race. This version meant we had only four days of qualifying and racing at the track, which saved rental costs, but didn't help refining your race setup. I also used older race tires this Runoffs and this was obviously a handicap, but found it possible to still compete effectively. Despite a lack of track time and grip, my past experience at the track was what I banked on to partially overcome it. Qualifyed18th at a circuit where the Z can exceed 130 MPH in three different sections meant top end wasn't the biggest problem at this Runoffs.

SCCA has a 115% qualifying rule for the Runoffs and while able to meet that, but starting near the back of the grid still remains no joy. I applauded the top qualifiers as they took their spots on the pre-grid, and had a good start as the green flag flew. During the race, I made passes as they presented themselves. Good weather and a Mustang GT and E46 BMW M3 chasing me made for excellent racing, and corner exit was usually where the Z was at its best accelerating off most turns, with the notable exception of the long radius Carousel, where the Mustang was more stable and closed up. Going into the infamous kink on the back straight, there were several laps where I thought a pass attempt might be coming, but with only a confidence lift going into the high-speed right hander before the back straight, you've got to have a lot of ***** to try! Both the Ford and BMW drivers remained in my slipstream, but the Zs Brembo brakes (with Cobalt Friction XR2 pads) were up to the task going into Canada Corner lap-after-lap. Towards the end of the race, I fumbled a shift at 90 MPH going into turn 1, but managed to claw back to fourth gear before I spun it! After a mistake like that, I gulped a bit and raced the Mustang into T3 and managed to get into the powerband to prevent anybody from getting by. Amazing to think of an American V8, German I6 and VQ35HR battling to redline lap every lap.

With three laps remaining, the course went full course yellow when a Toyota got stuck on the outside of the entrance to the Carousel and a new electronic system came into play. SCCA mandated the use of the Flagtronics monitoring system with in-car warning system and race control system. When the yellow came out on lap 11, all cars got the signal to slow down and hold position, something the race director warned us of before the Runoffs started that any deviation would be severely punished. Still, as we went full course yellow, I noticed the cars ahead of us used the opportunity to close up on the leaders. We ended up being checkered under yellow, so it was a bit anti-climatic after saving some brakes and tires for the run to the finish. There's more to do than ever as a racing driver, but this "new" version of the Runoffs gave me hope this old dog can learn some new tricks.

 

Watched the Youtube replays of a few of the races.

You looked good! I was proud to see you move up!

What tires do you run? Are you allowed to run Hoosiers?

Any thoughts on the dust issue? They gotta get a sprinker out there!

Nic looked really good! Looked like he had full confidence through out the race.

 

Thanks again for the comments! I still ran Hoosiers at the Runoffs this year, but they were from 2023 or older, with several heat cycles on them. That's no excuse, and they still got pretty grippy once they got warm. Not sure what you mean by "dust issue"? Watching Nic in the SCCA rebroadcast showed how deftly he held off the Mustang at several points around the track. If the race had gone the distance, it would've been a helluva battle.

 

As 2025 comes to a close, there's still plenty to do racing-wise. My race harness was SFI-rated through this race season, but needs to be replaced for next year. After researching my options, I elected to go with a FIA-rated six-point harness from Zamp Racing for a change. I earned some contingency awards from Summit and used it to partially pay for a set. But after inspecting it, FIA standards require bolt-in ends, while my current setup uses mostly wrap arounds, so the seat mount will need to be rebuilt or modified. Speaking of FIA standards, my SA15 helmet was getting a bit worn, and helmets are one thing I refuse to skimp on.

Also, just submitted a CRB (competition racing board) request to lower the 350Z minimum weight by 15 pounds to 3260 for next year. Both the 370Z and the HR- equipped 350Z currently weight 3275 and I think a slight weight reduction is in order for 2026. Hopefully, I'll hear something by next year...