Your Club

Mike Regennitter, Executive Director

Wrapping up the year

The summer has come and gone; fall is here and winter is quickly approaching. Sadly, the end of Mercedes-Benz Club of America’s 60th anniversary year is drawing near as well. As the year wraps up, there are still plenty of activities on the calendar; you can visit www.mbca.org/upcoming-events to find something close in your area.

Reviewing the year’s events

This year rolled in style, from high-performance track events with amazing modern Mercedes-Benz cars to the appreciation of vintage classics. In addition to the section activities throughout the year that drew hundreds to thousands of members, the club celebrated friendships and enjoyed the camaraderie. This list is far from complete, but MBCA was at numerous concours d’elegance shows (Arizona, Amelia, Pinehurst, Concours of America, Pebble Beach) while its own national concours events (60th Anniversary Gala, June Jamboree, StarFest® 2016, Legends of the Autobahn®) encouraged continued appreciation of vintage M-B cars. And the club’s regional driving events gathered friends at track and defensive-driving venues.

I’ve had the sincere pleasure of continuing to meet many people. At StarFest, I connected with Susan Grunewald, daughter of a long-time member, who drove the very same 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300D that her parents drove when returning home from the hospital after her birth. It was fun to see her experience the thrill of driving her car on the track for the first time.

I also met long-time members Geoff and Nancy Scimone, who participated in the track and concours with their 2012 STS AMG at StarFest. They shared many memories that were created at events and activities throughout the years. Geoff and Nancy, thank you for the time and stories and reinforcing what this club represents. And special congratulations to Geoff for receiving the MBUSA award for overall performance at StarFest.

Thanking our volunteers

We need to continue to thank our volunteers who lead and help in organizing a legendary experience. Just like events, there are too many volunteers to thank for one article. However, this is a perfect opportunity to recognize a few.

Thank you, Allen Stephens, for leading a successful Legends of the Autobahn. This event was previously overseen, developed and led by Laura Simonds, past national vice president, who also did a great job leading this event. Also, I would like to give a shout out to Charlie and Leslee Marlow for the many years of helping with the field setup, putting together the membership tent and handling many other logistics. Last, but not least, a thank you to Richard Simonds, past national president, for being the chief judge who leads the judging activities at the event. Job well done.

Jim O’Sullivan, past national president, is instrumental in putting together an exceptional members-only German opportunity to visit Stuttgart: The tours continue to receive rave reviews. Each year, these trips fill up quickly with many new and returning members and provide a legendary experience for participants that is next to none. You can learn more about past trips in articles in The Star or at www.mbca.org.

Peter Lesler, past national president and national concours committee chair, continues to provide leadership and direction for concours-judging activities for members around the country. His passion, depth of knowledge and dedication provide members with a service that is unparalleled to other venues. Thank you, Peter, and job well done.

Frank Cozza, director at large, Mary Alice Cozza and Dr. James Roberts, eastern regional director, offer an amazing experience with defensive driving, track setup and instruction. If you haven’t been a part of a defensive-driving or track event, I encourage you to consider attending: The experience these volunteers bring in providing a safe experience that can potentially save lives is invaluable. Thank you, Frank, Mary Alice and James for putting on a legendary and valuable experience.

I encourage everyone to take a moment in thanking all of our volunteers, including our leadership. This club has so much to offer that wouldn’t be possible without these people.

Recognizing our partners

This year marked the club’s 60th anniversary, which we celebrated with our key partners who are instrumental in helping continue MBCA’s success.

We appreciate Marcel Schuh from Mercedes-Benz Classic in Stuttgart and Constantin von Kageneck and Michael Kunz from Mercedes-Benz Classic USA for offering opportunities and supporting club activities that provide an amazing experience for members. Thank you, Marcel and Constantin, for celebrating our anniversary with us at the 53rd June Jamboree in New Jersey. Members truly appreciate the partnership with Mercedes-Benz Classic and MBUSA, and we look forward to nurturing this relationship for many years to come.

Thank you to Tim Garner, general manager of Airstream, for continuing to attend and provide Airstreams for display at events throughout the country. Our members appreciate Airstream’s continued support at club events.

Finally, special thanks to Cris Vanderburg at Hagerty Insurance. MBCA partnered with Hagerty this year to provide members with insurance discounts. You can see Cris at multiple MBCA events, supporting our club and its members.

From our families to yours

As you read this column, the holidays are upon us. After the very busy summer, we all have the opportunity again to meet new friends and see old friends. As we do, our family grows, and membership becomes something much greater.

From all of us at the National Business Office, we wish you a safe and wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.