Ron and Rhonda Borino, members extraordinary of the Desert Stars, plan and coordinate monthly dinner dates to encourage member interaction. These dinners are primarily to introduce new members to the club and to encourage all members and guests to get out and drive a little more. The events have been a great success.
They are always scheduled on the third Thursday of every month, and locations are rotated for maximum convenience and varied menus.
So if anyone is visiting the Phoenix area on the third Thursday of the month feel free to contact Ron at 480-585-6969 or view the schedule at www.desertstars.org.
submitted by Jim Boyle

The Wisconsin Section held its defensive-driving and autocross event in the paddock area of the Milwaukee Mile at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin. The day began with a classroom session in the Media center led by Frank and Mary Alice Cozza. Then it was out on the track as 37 drivers put their cars through the defensive-driving course set up by Frank and Mary Alice. Each driver had several opportunities to drive through an emergency-avoidance maneuver, a slalom course, and a quick-stop procedure. Instructors accompanied all the drivers, allowing them to test their cars and driving skills and to strengthen their abilities as drivers.
After a box lunch in the media center, our members had a chance to practice and to hone their newly acquired skills on a timed autocross course designed by Frank and Mary Alice. We began with a walk-through of the course and then started the practice runs. Each driver received three practice runs and four timed runs, and those drivers with the best times in their class received an award. First places, in their respective classes, were earned by Terry Bruss, Gary Bargholz, Eric Pearson, Steve Lindquist, Bill Denton, Nathan Port, Cathy Lubinski, Julie Jacobs, Nancy Pearson, JoAnn Peterson, and Rebecca Port. In second place, in their respective classes, were James Luetzow, Dean Pearson, Mark Lindquist, and Eleanor Graver. Third place honors were earned by Oliver Kottke and Andrew Lindquist. Bill Denton, Midwest Regional Director driving his C32, had the best time overall.
We wish to express our thanks to the participants and to the event’s volunteers. These events are an enjoyable way to spend a day with our cars, but they require the dedicated efforts of our many volunteers: A special thanks to Keith Powers of Black Forest LLC for performing the safety check of all the cars and to Bob Clark for instructing during the defensive driving and autocross. Bob is an experienced driver and instructor, who has competed nationally in autocross events for 30 years. In addition, we would like to thank Cathy Loseke for putting together the goodie bags; JoAnne Petersen for help with registration; Jerry Zajicek for bringing the snacks, water, and juice; Jim Herro for his donation to the event; Gary Bargholz for his marvelous starting flag and his tireless efforts at the starting gate; and our timing staff of Frank Lubinski III, Jennifer Lubinski, Kent Zierten, Bill Sirny, Dean and Eric Pearson; and, lastly, our sincere thanks to Scott and Colleen Lowry for hosting the Cozza’s for the weekend.
We also wish to extend our gratitude to Frank and Mary Alice Cozza for all the help that they gave us as we planned this event and for their instruction during the defensive driving and the autocross. It would have been impossible to have had an event nearly as enjoyable without them.
Submitted by Nancy Pearson

New Mexico Section members met in Albuquerque on a sunny Sunday, May 16, for a scenic drive to Santa Fe on the Turquoise Trail, North Highway 14. We stopped in Madrid, a former mining town and now a tourist attraction used as a backdrop for the movie industry. If you have seen “Wild Hogs” you have had a brief tour of Madrid! Two new members, DK and Jim Romero, and Jo Chase, were welcomed into the club and hosted to lunch at Tortilla Flats, a well-known Santa Fe café.
Submitted by Jo Chase

It all started as a holiday wish. At the Mile-High Section’s 2009 Holiday Party, members were asked for ideas on what special events to plan for 2010. One member responded: “The Santa Fe Opera!” Since one of the Board members had long desired to attend the opera, the idea for the trip was born.
And, so on July 8-10, 2010, 32 members of the Mile-High Section and 10 New Mexico Section members enjoyed some fabulous times in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico. After check-in at the beautiful Lodge hotel on Thursday, members were treated to a tech session presented by MBCA’s Technical Committee Chair, George Murphy on “The Future with Your Electronic Mercedes-Benz.” Friday started with a tour of the Unser Racing Museum, discovering the legacy of the family’s history in Indy and Pikes Peak Hill Climb racing. Then it was off to an enjoyable tour of the Case Rondena Winery, along with the obligatory tasting of their fine wares. Saturday morning our driving event took us along the route of New Mexico’s Turquoise Trail, with a shopping stop in the quaint town of Madrid, and a quick route up to the 10,378-feet summit of Sandia Peak. The crown jewel of the weekend was attending the Santa Fe Opera’s presentation of Madame Butterfly, complete with a backstage tour, and pre-opera buffet.
Members were kept informed of the tour events thanks to Tourmeister Harvey LeCato's outstanding itinerary booklets, packed in the awesome special-event goodie bags handmade by Diane LeCato. The rave reviews from all attendees proved that all enjoyed the Sliding, Sipping, Signs, Sopranos and Santa Fe (S5) and will never forget this memorable event.
Submitted by Jay Hokanson

The NYC-Long Island Section, for the fifth year, hosted its "Day at the Races," at Belmont Park, home of the third leg of the coveted Triple Crown of racing. Sixty members and guest enjoyed a wonderfully prepared brunch/lunch in the Clubhouse Garden Terrace, where they enjoyed the socializing, the betting windows and prizes donated by members of the Board.
It was a great Sunday afternoon enjoying the "Sport of Kings."
The five race track touts in the picture look as if they're lined up to sing "Fugue for Tinhorns" ("I got the horse right here...") from Guys and Dolls. No names provided as they are all in various witness protection programs.
Submitted by Vinny Milo

Each Summer American Service Center, the Mercedes-Benz dealer in Arlington Virginia hosts MBCA members for a full Do-It-Yourself Tech session in their shop. It is great to work on your Mercedes-Benz with a lift, techs on hand to assist you and access to a full Mercedes-Benz Parts dept steps away. ASC also feeds everyone both breakfast and lunch, all you have to do is bring your own tools and a Mercedes-Benz to work on. Having your fellow MBCA members working alongside you is also a help and a lot of fun. MBCA|GWS holds several tech sessions each year, but this is the one that members from all over the east coast look forward to attending each year.
Submitted by William Hopper

The day of the 47th annual June Jamboree hosted by Northern New Jersey Section couldn’t have been any better – the weather, the people, the cars, and the food!!! This year’s June Jamboree was absolutely outstanding.
The “Crew” showed up at 7 a.m. and began to set up for what promised to be a wonderful day. Lucille and Valerie set up the Registration table, Nick and Rich readied the camera, Andreas checked out the parking lot, while Joe started to set up the ‘Silent Auction’ table – then more help arrived. Nora and Brenda did a great job of running the “silent auction” and kudos to all those who bid so generously on the items and to those who donated items.
As the cars rolled in, registered, had their picture taken, and parked in their assigned spot – the Jamboree was well on its way to a record breaker. We had 100 cars registered (the largest number that I can remember), 39 for Concours judging and 61 in Popular choice. After settling the cars in their spots the members moseyed on down for some coffee and bagels in the cafeteria.
At 10:30 all last minute detailing of the cars was stopped and concours judging began. While the judges were hard at work, many of the members had time to look over the cars and then cast their ballots for the Popular Choice cars. Others took advantage of the well-placed lawn chairs, while still others chose the air-conditioned cafeteria to socialize and watch as pictures of past June Jamborees moved across the screen.
As the judges finished up their task, it was time for the members and their guests to enter the cafeteria once again, this time for the delicious barbecue luncheon. After lunch, Loni announced the winners of the 50-50, and boy were they please with the results. Door prizes were called and membership pins were distributed while everyone anxiously awaited the results. We tried something new this year and were able to display the pictures of the winning cars in the Popular Vote category. Next year, we plan on being able to show both the Concours and Popular Vote winning cars.
It was a fun-filled and exciting day. There was something for everyone to do: admire the magnificent automobiles; drive a simulated race car; have your picture taken; or sit in the SLS AMG and dream.
We certainly had many distinguished members form MBCA at the Jamboree this year and they include the following: Roger Van Ness - President MBCA; Doug Truitt - MBCA Executive Director; Laura Simonds – MBCA Treasurer; Richard Simonds – Acting Publisher & Past President MBCA; Gary Anderson – Editor-in-Chief of The STAR magazine; Cliff Reyle – Central Regional Director, Tennessee Section; and Werner Fehlauer – Mid-Atlantic Regional Director.
A special thanks to Adam Paige – Manager, National Brand Public Relations and Christine Chase – National Brand & Public Relation Specialist for all of your hard work – we certainly appreciated all of your efforts in order to make sure that things went smoothly. The lawn furniture so beautifully placed, the water for the judges, clearing out the parking lot, the display of cars in the front lawn, and of course – the food) and Anne-Doris Korralus – European Delivery Program. We also enjoyed meeting other members of the MBUSA public relations staff, including Rob Moran, manager for Product & Technology and Dan Barile, Product & Technology coordinator, who were able to answer our questions about the new models on display. Itt was a special honor that Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, stopped by to say hello during the day.
We would also like to acknowledge and thank all of those who supported us with door prizes. We appreciate your generosity and continued support for our activities. A great big “Thank You” to the following: Globe Motor Cars, Fairfield; Mercedes Benz of Princeton; Open Road Mercedes, Bridgewater; Mercedes Benz of Freehold; Benzel Busch, Englewood; Contemporary Motor Cars, Little Silver; Intercar, Newton; Ray Catena Mercedes Benz of Union; Mercedes Benz of Flemington; Prestige, Paramus; and MBUSA.
Submitted by Joe Grattan

June 19th was a great day for Charlie Bennett’s inaugural President’s Rally: clear blue skies, flipflop temperatures, less-traveled county roads, and most of all, great cars. MLs and SLKs lined up to travel the Colorado byways in pursuit of elusive clues. The theme may not have been intuitively obvious, but he followed it faithfully - the letter “G” (in honor of his new Geländewagen) showed up in every answer.
We traveled through the northern reaches of our fair city to Castle Rock and then on to Parker and Highlands Ranch before heading back home again. Jeff and Lori York chose a doozy for their first rally attempt and did themselves proud. Winners of this year’s event were our illustrious MBCA VP Steve Dierks and his wife Barb, who picked up the grand prize of two-bottles of Gnarly Head wine. Diana & Alec Poolwith of Sun Park took second and received a gift certificate to Guiseppe’s Depot Restaurant. Third place went to Tom and Ellen Croak, who took home a MBCA car flag for their effort.
At a leisurely lunch at Pegasus on the Square in Castle Rock, we broke out the score sheets and swapped tall tales as well as commiserations. Stay tuned for next year’s rally - you’ll see this theme again.

The weather cooperated on June 6 for the Kansas City Section's monthly "First Sunday Drive." We met at our usual starting point and gathered around as drivemaster Bob Del Popolo passed out the itinerary and maps.
Our first stop was Weston, Missouri, a historic river town brimming with small town charm, antique shops and fun things to do and see. Our cars are pictured at Riverfront Park. After a couple hours in Weston, a parade line of Mercedes-Benz vehicles ventured onward towards Atchison, Kansas, to visit the Birthplace Museum of Amelia Earhart.
After a tour of the historic site, we gathered at the Riverhouse Restaurant for lunch before our journey home. Bob did a great job putting this First Sunday Drive together and everyone enjoyed a great time driving through the rolling hills with "Benz Friends."
Submitted by Jeffrey Klepac

The Central Oklahoma Section again joined the Jaguar Club on May 15 for the 2010 Concours and Car Show. Though rain again threatened the Saturday event, we experienced nothing more than a early morning mist, followed by a cool and cloudy day.
Representatives from each Club judge their own cars. Mercedes-Benz Trophies were awarded in six of nine body style categories from the 1980s and earlier, through to the 2010s. The Mercedes-Benz People's Choice Award went by a huge margin to new Member Jim Taheri, for his beautiful 1952 220.
The Awards Dinner on the showroom floor at Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma City was attended by a record 85 people. Members from both Clubs donated items for the Silent Auction and local businesses made high value donations for the Live Auction. All proceeds from the day's events, when added to some help from the two Clubs, resulted in a substantial $10,000 donation to the Positive Tomorrows School in Oklahoma City. The picture shows the club presidents presenting the $10,000 donation to Positive Tomorrows
Since 2005 the Concours has been held jointly with the Central Oklahoma Jaguar Association. The event receives substantial support from our dealers, Mercedes-Benz of Oklahoma City and Jaguar of Oklahoma City. In addition to raising money for a different designated charity each year, our two Clubs benefit from the opportunity to sell new Memberships to many Show attendees from throughout the Metro Oklahoma City area.
submitted by Ed Hoag, Central Oklahoma Section

On Saturday, June 5, 2010, about 10 Mercedes-Benzes gathered at Cracker Barrel in North Houston to assemble for the caravan to the Fifth Annual Texas Mercedes-Benz Get Together in Centerville, some 100 miles north. The Houston contingent consisted of SLs, SLKs, a 6.9, a 300D, a SEC,and some E-classes. At 10:15, the Houston crew set forth and made the trek north on I-45 to Centerville. Upon arriving in the reserved parking lot at Woody’s Smokehouse in Centerville, we found some of our friends from Waco and Houston had already beaten us there. In the next 15 minutes, our other partners from Dallas and Austin arrived and we all went inside for a BBQ lunch. The excellent staff at Woody’s treated us to free baseball caps, drink cozys, and free samples of turkey jerky, beef jerky, and buffalo jerky. After eating, we made our way to Fort Boggy State Park for the Show and Shine. After voting, the award winners were announced. In the category for best pre-1980 automobile, the winner was Mike Haney of Houston and his 1966 230SL. For the rest of the winners, a rather peculiar thing happened. For the first time in the history of the Show and Shine Awards, there were ties in at least 3 out of the 4 categories. For the 1980s category, the winners were Kevin Locke of Austin and his 1984 300D, and Matthias Funke of Dallas and his 1985 500SL Euro. For the 1990s category, the winners were Larry Jameson of Austin and his 1994 SL600, and Cory Gomes of Austin and his modified 1999 CLK430, complete with lambo doors and two tone paint. For the 2000s category, the winners were W.L. “Bill” Brutscher of Houston and his 2006 SL600, and Will Daca of Dallas and his 2009 CLS550. In all, there were about 28 cars at the get together and about 40 people were there. Many of the attendees let me know they were looking forward to next year’s meet. I’m looking forward to next year, too. There’s nothing like good food, good cars, and good folks. Here’s to next year! Special thanks to the staff at Woody’s Smokehouse, the park rangers at Fort Boggy State Park, and Margaret Moneyhon of The Centerville News.
To see photos from this event, please visit the following links:
http://tinyurl.com/27btb26
http://tinyurl.com/259vkr6
Submitted by Joseph Middleton

Bluegrass Stars Section members Art Rupe and Larry Gettleman judged the Automotive Science awards at the Louisville Regional Science Fairs and the duPont Manual High School Regional Science Fairs on March 13, 2010. And the winners were:
Caroline Harrison, 7th grader at South Oldham Middle School (pictured), won for her project "Dynamics", in which Caroline made models of a racing car, a truck and a bus, using the same-wheeled platform, and propelled each with a miniature rocket down a measured course on a wire. She found that the final speed traveled for the race car model was greater than the truck or bus models (larger cross-sections). She brought her display to our tech session at Don McCoy's Autobahn Motors on March 27, and demonstrated the project in Autobahn's parking lot. Considering that rockets were involved, it was very exciting with lots of smoke and noise. It’s about time that something blew up “real good” at one of our tech sessions!
Austin Gupta and Jubin Shah, 10th graders from duPont Manual High School, won with their project, "Effect of Different 3-Way Intersections on the Safety and Efficiency of Drivers." Austin and Jubin modeled "T," "Y," and “rotary” 3-way intersections and found that the rotary was the most efficient in terms of time lost, fuel consumed, and safety. A graphic computer program demonstrated the three models in real time.
Other MBCA sections can make automotive science awards at their local science fairs. We started in 1994. Contact Larry Gettleman at gettleman@louisville.edu for details.
Submitted by Larry Gettleman

The Kansas City Section continues to have a great turnout at our First Saturday Breakfast Meetings. June 5th was no exception, when over 45 section members and guests met to enjoy a delicious breakfast and listen to our guest speaker. Today's speaker was one of our own section members, Dr. Doug Whitley, an area dermatologist.
Dr. Doug spoke about the need for proper attire and sun screen when working outside in the sun or driving in your Mercedes-Benz vehicle with the top down. Wow, the sun's rays can be devastating!
Submitted by Jeff Klepac

Saturday, June 5, 2010, marked the annual Classic Car Show at the historic Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Organized by the Antique Automobile Club of America, all of the local car clubs are invited to display on the distillery’s grounds. As a result, the early summer show is a eclectic mix of full classics, Europeans and American muscle cars. After viewing the cars, Jack Daniels hosts a picnic lunch of barbecue, catfish and fixins’ to the accompaniment of live bluegrass music at the distillery’s Barbecue Hill picnic grounds.
This year 33 members and guests of the Nashville Section participated in the show. As usual, the SLs were out in force, including Joel Morris’ 300SL gullwing in the “Oldtimer” category and six R107s in the “Future Classics” division. A black SL600 R129 driven by Dave and Linda Miles and a new red SL550 brought by James Buttram and Charles Noble completed the display. Another oldtimer was the 1959 220S driven by Tom and Jan Diehl, while Betty Bibb captured the “truck” category with her pristine six-year-old ML350 which rolled over 36,000 miles on the trip.
Submitted by John Bibb, Jr.

For the fourth consecutive year, Coppus Motors of Tiffin, Ohio, has sponsored the Mercedes-Benz Defensive Driving and Autocross at Sandusky High School. This regional event was hosted by the Western Reserve Section. Not only did our registration nearly triple over last year, but also five sections were represented at this year’s gathering. Though the wind was strong and cold at times, we were thankful that this year was sunny and not as cold as previous years. As a new facet of the event, Chairman Fred Gesell worked with the Northwest Ohio Section to add a fun concours to the day. Judges for the event came from that section with the supervision of Ted Gottfried. A special judging sheet was prepared that was not as detailed as the national judging sheet. This was not only a learning experience for the new judges, but a more practical way of judging at a “funday” event. Approximately 25 cars were entered for the judging, and Coppus Motors brought 4 current model cars to add to the display.
Following coffee, donuts, bagels and visiting, President Gary Goodman called the group together for an introduction of the day and a defensive driving school instructed by Mary Alice and Frank Cozza. Their presentation included hints for proper setting of the mirrors to avoid blind spots, correct positioning of the hands, numerous safety tips, and an overview of the exercises that the participants would do on the course. The cars lined up to take a turn on the defensive driving course. Among the teens involved, sixteen year old David Bartizal was nothing but smiles. (As a side note, teens are encouraged to come for free and bring their own car for instructions to make them better every day drivers.)
After lunch the cones were rearranged and readied for the autocross. Timing was done to measure improvement and add some more excitement to the exercises. Other than the relocation of a few cones throughout the afternoon, there were no mishaps and lots of fun and smiles. Four representatives of Coppus Motors (including owner John Coppus and Mercedes-Benz Sales Representative Dan Lehmann) spent time watching the defensive driving and some of the autocross as well as sharing cars to drool over. It was good to have them see how their support is improving driving skills for those participating.
When the tires were sufficiently warm, smiles exceedingly large, and all had the opportunity to try their timed runs, the group adjourned to a neighborhood pizza parlor for dinner and presentation of awards. Trophies were presented to first and second place for each class in the concours and in the autocross. Certificates were presented to each participant in both events as well as those completing defensive driving. Best in Show was awarded to Mike Salemi and his 1969 280SL. Judge’s choice went to Pete Callaghan with his 2008 CLK63 AMG Black Series. Fastest Mercedes-Benz went to Joe Alexander, and fastest non Mercedes-Benz went to Norm Crowe with his 2007 Saturn Sky. (Norm is a loyal Mercedes-Benz Club member and works as an instructor at most events.) Appreciation is again expressed to Coppus Motors for underwriting this worthwhile event.
Submitted by John Morrison

After a torrent of near-biblical proportions the previous day, the skies gave way to a perfect day for a Forth Worth Section autocross on May 15 -- cloudy skies but no rain. Ten drivers competed, and others attended to help run the event, to watch, and to enjoy the company of their colleagues.
The autocross layout was modified at the last minute to accommodate cars “illegally” parked on our reserved space. However, the capacious Pennington Field parking lot provided the space necessary for a relatively long and challenging course, which included a slalom, stair-steps, a complete loop, switchbacks, an “S” curve, and a stop box. The objective of the event was for members to learn how to handle their vehicles in various situations during everyday driving, and to quickly and safely avoid potentially dangerous situations by becoming more familiar with their vehicles’ capabilities. 
The event began with an instructional and safety briefing by Mike McGuire, who puts together driving classes for his fellow police officers. Drivers then took to their cars and ran parade laps to get familiar with the course. Each participant did 4 runs, with the best time taken as the official run.  Runs were scored based on the time it takes for a driver to complete the course while avoiding traffic cones, navigating through all the gates, and by having the vehicle come to a complete stop within a stop box at the end of the course.  Timed entries were divided into 2 classes of cars to accommodate vehicle types and weight. Class winners and runners-up each received a beautiful glass paperweight etched with the MBCA logo. The winners were:
Class A (lighter cars)
Winner - Mike McGuire, SLK230, 52.19 sec. (Best Overall Time)
Runner-up - David Cummings, SLK280, 53.00 sec.
Class B (heavier cars)
Winner - Larry Vaughn, SL65 AMG, 52.86 sec.
Runner-up - Greg French, SL500, 53.39 sec.
Congratulations to the winners, and special thanks to the member-volunteers who arranged for our venue, organized and helped run this event, and kept everyone safe.
To see an online pictorial of this event, visit www.mbca.org/fortworth, then select Prior Events.
Submitted by DJ de Jesus