Volume 46 - Vol 4 | August 2024 |
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by Rubin Howard, Peachtree President
Summer is in full swing here in Georgia. MCBA Peachtree has worked hard to bring Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts in the Southeast region a calendar full of a wide variety of events. From MBCA Performance Driving Academy events to Star Summit and even local social gatherings such as our Cars & Coffee and our various mountain drives - there is something in store for every Mercedes-Benz enthusiast. Don't be a stranger, come attend an event. In my opinion, events are a pillar of success within a car club. You never know who you might meet. My favorite thing about being a club member is watching people grow. Regardless of your stage in life, whether you just graduated from college or you have recently retired; there is never a wrong time to start learning and discovering your new passion for Mercedes-Benz automobiles. I want to shed some light on our MBCA Performance Driving Academy. Gary Edwards, immediate past president of MBCA Peachtree and the MBCA National Performance Driving Committee Chair, has been focusing on increasing our Performance Driving within MBCA as a whole. He recently organized an HPDE at Watkins Glen International in upstate New York and pulled an audience of enthusiasts from several states. The event was well executed and attended, leaving people yearning for the next one. For those of you who have not attended an HPDE event, I encourage you to do so. Do not mistake this for a track day. We want you to be able to experience the most possible out of your Mercedes-Benz in a safe manner. Instructors are assigned to each student. Our next MBCA Performance Driving Academy is at Star Summit at Atlanta Motorsports Park. Our board of directors has been working tirelessly on Star Summit to make this event a world-class experience. We have been meeting with other local interest groups and some global brands to redefine the meaning of an MBCA regional event. Atlanta Watch Society is now an official partner of MBCA Peachtree. As well, IWC (International Watch Society) Schaffhausen has confirmed attendance at our Friday evening Cocktail Reception "Stars of Road & Wrist". IWC Schaffhausen has held the longest partnership between an automotive manufacturer and a watchmaker (since 2004), making this event very relevant for Mercedes-Benz / watch enthusiasts. Overlapping interest groups is an excellent way to network, meet new people, and pursue your passions. If you have not signed up for Star Summit - now is the time to do so! Registrations have begun to show at the event, and we expect people from all across the Southeast to attend! If you have any questions relating to this event or our club, do not hesitate to reach out. |
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| Member Spotlight - Edina White |
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by Marisa Hegysi
Originally from the great State of Ohio, Edina was born in Cleveland. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Finance & Quantitative Analysis from the University of Mount Union. Edina put her quantitative analysis skills to work at an early age mucking horse stalls in order to earn riding lessons (smart financial decision). Now in her early 50’s, she is a Consultant at Huron Consulting Group (ERP / EPM Implementations). Edina loves her consulting job, because she can help her clients with complex problems, solving the issues with technology (Oracle). So, it should not surprise you that she likes to read sales and management books to improve her management style for career growth and learning. Married with 1 step-son, and 1.5 grandchildren (the .5 is on the way), she maintains a good work/home balance by working from home, which according to her “helps out a ton.” Edina and her husband, Brian, both enjoy Italian food. Her favorite place to vacation is anywhere, as long as it is with Brian. “Downshifting and stepping away from the everyday stresses of life” is important to Edina. Her “family makes life worth living.” Read More about Edina |
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9/18 | Concours Judging School | watch for details | ZOOM 9/21 | Augusta Cars & Coffee | watch for details |
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10/18 - 10/20 | Return to the Dragon Fall Drive |register| map |
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| November / December Events |
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11/02 | Cars and Coffee | watch for details | map 12/07 | Cars and Coffee | watch for details | map |
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Welcome NEW Members Alejandro Ferrell Joel Morehouse Tim Schroeder Nicholas Zaslavsky
Thanks to our RENEWING Members!
Gary Albin Brad Bailey Brian Deas Rusty Duncan Reijo Haarla Leland Hardy Tor Smitt-Ingebretsen H Wayne Jones Evan Katon Kai Kimmel Thomas Lammert Mike Marsh Roger McKissick Bob McNeill David Murtaugh Eric Nelums William B Norris JR Mark Riesch Olonzo Roberts Chris Sears Carl D Smith Steven Smoak Andy Sumner Jeremy Toothman |
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By Reijo Haarla, Membership Director
Peachtree Chapter is one of the most active chapters within the Mercedes-Benz Club of America organization. We organize a large variety of driving; technical and social events members can participate. Monthly organized Cars & Coffee car show at Halcyon is very popular event. One of the prominent events is going to be the STAR Summit 2024 regional event in October. Please check the event calendar in this Newsletter and register to attend for upcoming events.
At the end of June 2024 Peachtree Chapter of the MBCA has 404 members. We are facing some decrease in the membership numbers. |
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| Do Sweat the Little Things! |
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by Gary Edwards, Technical Advisor
The car was smoking on the grid after my 9th run at the Autocross. Literally. Smoke coming out of the left side of the engine compartment. Oh no! I opened the hood and was relieved to see refrigerant spewing out of the pipe from the condenser to the receiver/dryer. At least I could continue running and more importantly, make the 2.5 hour drive home. On a 95 degree day. Without air conditioning. A very uncomfortable drive. What I found was surprising and disappointing. The refrigerant pipe, which runs vertically up the left side of the engine compartment, was touching the power steering pump pulley, which had cut a slot in the pipe. I went over to my other CLK55 (nice to have multiple similar cars) and noticed on this one, the bracket was holding the pipe away from the pulley. On the failed one, the bracket was in place, but a combination of looseness in the bracket and a bend/poor orientation of the pipe allowed it to ride in contact with the power steering pulley. I had not verified it had enough clearance since I was unaware of this failure mode and had not done significant work in this area. This little thing had caused me to lose all refrigerant on a nearly 100 degree day. |
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| PERFORMANCE DRIVING UPDATE |
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by Gary Edwards, National Performance Driving Chair
There’s still a lot of fun performance driving events left for this year. Though Cheryl and I will have to miss it, the next PCA autocross is on August 4th and there may still be time to registerhttps://clubregistration.net/events/event-details.cfm?event_id=14110 We’re at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway on Saturday August 24th for MBCA Performance Driving Academy HPDE (discussed in a separate article) register at http://msreg.com/aughpdetgpr. We’ll travel to Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC for a Turn One Motorsports track event on Friday September 6th where we’ll have our own Mercedes paddock, the registration site will be up on motorsportreg.com on August 6th. The September PCA autocross is on September 22th(registration not yet open) and Cheryl and I are planning to go to the PCA HPDE at Road Atlanta the weekend of 28 and 29 September – we’d love to have you join us; registration is at https://clubregistration.net/events/event-details.cfm?event_id=14812 . Every great Regional multi-event weekend should have a performance driving component, and as covered else in this newsletter, we’ll have a MBCA Performance Driving Academy HPDE at Atlanta Motorsport Park (AMP) on Monday October 7th as the culmination of Star Summit. AMP is in Dawsonville, not far from Atlanta, and it’s a challenging 2 mile course with plenty of elevation changes and fun turns. Register at: http://msreg.com/StarsummitHPDEAMP |
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Renewing your Membership is EASY! 1. Renew from the email reminder that comes in your email * 2. Log into your MBCA account and Renew from your Membership profile * 3. Mail a check to the National Business Office: Mercedes-Benz Club of America 10 Boulder Crescent St, Suite 200 Colorado Springs CO 80903 4. Call the National Business Office and renew over the phone Tues-Thurs: 9 am - 3 pm MT Phone: 719.633.6427 * 60 days before membership expiration, must log into mbca.org
Logging into your Glue Up Accountwith your MBCA login credentials. If you have not established your MBCA login, you can easily register by clicking on “Register”. ⚠️ If the system warns you that the email is already linked to an existing Glue Up account and you forgot your password, click “forgot password” to recover it before logging in. |
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| Mountain Drive to Paradise |
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| Saturday, August 10, 2024 |
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Rusty Duncan, Event Planner
Please join us on Saturday August 10 for a great day of driving and fellowship. We will rally at My Mercedes Place in Cumming at 9am on August 10th. Owner Adrienne Donahue will host us with coffee and pastries and a tour of the My Mercedes Place facility. MMP is a trusted resource for our members and their cars - classic and current. Adrienne has been a generous sponsor of the club, hosting many events over many years.
At 10:30am we will start our engines and begin the drive to our end point - Paradise Hills Winery. We will make our way up Rt 19 past Dahlonega to Rt 60. Then turn at Rt 180 and enjoy the twisties and the foliage until we get back on Rt 19 to The Paradise Hills Winery Resort in Blairsville. This is the end of our drive, but there will be food and beverages (and beautiful surroundings) to enjoy before we head home. |
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High Performance Driver Education at Talladega Gran Prix Raceway Saturday Aug 24th -we’re going to have to cancel this event if we don’t have enough people signed up by August 10th.
If you’re planning to come, sign up now! Plan to stay at the wonderful Hotel Finial in Anniston, and join us for dinner. This is a joint event between Peachtree and Alabama/NW Florida Sections. All buildings are air conditioned, and cars can run with windows up and AC on.
We will provide both classroom and in-car instruction. You don’t have to drive a Mercedes and you don’t have to be a member. Only $300. Also offering the Performance Driving Experience (PDE) $100 which includes classroom and highway speed on-track instruction.
We also need some volunteers to help put this on, contact Gary Edwards directly at gary@gwedwards.org |
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| Mercedes Showcase at Shelton Vineyards |
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| September 13-14, 2024 Dobson NC |
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Everyone is excited to be gathering again, reuniting with old friends and meeting new ones. And where better than the Mercedes-Benz Showcase at Shelton Winery in Dobson, NC. https://www.sheltonvineyards.com This event draws Mercedes-Benz treasures from Maryland to Alabama, representing seven states and nine Chapters.
There will be a Friday September 13 drive departing the hotel at 10 AM that will take us up into the beautiful Yadkin Valley and return by mid afternoon. Drive will have a stopover for lunch. The main event will be the Saturday September 14 showcase of Mercedes on the Shelton Vineyards grounds from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Awards include the traditional Shelton Top 12, People's Choice Best of Show, and MBCA Silver Star Preservation judging is available for those Mercedes over 25 years old. For information and Application Form on Silver Star Preservation recognition, see Silver Star Preservation | Mercedes Benz Club of America (mbca.org), |
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Atlanta is home to Mercedes-Benz, and now home to Star Summit - MBCA Peachtree's largest event of the decade.
MBCA Peachtree will start the weekend off with a Tech Session at DC Motorwerks on Friday afternoon.
Friday evening Stars of Road and Wrist cocktail reception, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Experience Center in Alpharetta, GA. This by invitation-to-show event will feature a curated display of Mercedes-Benz history whilst inviting watch enthusiasts to display, network, and mingle while enjoying hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Hospitality tickets includes hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Spectator viewing of the cars is complimentary.
Concours Royale will commence on Saturday morning allowing you to compete for best in class trophies while enjoying a live panel discussion followed by the evening gala.
Saturday evening invites guests to a marvelous black tie event with the flair of Monaco at the Casino Royale Gala. Inspired by a true Casino experience, guests will have the opportunity to play Poker, Blackjack, and Craps following the awards ceremony.
Sunday morning, guests are invited to Stars and Coffee. Plan to join the North Georgia Mountain Drive after Stars and Coffee. This mountain drive will wind through the roads of the gorgeous North Georgia mountains.
Make the most of your weekend by extending it to a Monday, at a Mercedes-Benz centric Track Day at Atlanta Motorsports Park hosted by the Mercedes-Benz Club of America Performance Driving Academy. |
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Diana Quinn, Event Planner Our Harold Wilson Memorial Fall Drive will return to the Murphy/Robbinsville North Carolina area to drive the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway. If you are unfamiliar with the “Tail of the Dragon”, this road is famous for its 318 curves in 11 miles.
We will start our adventure on Friday October 18th arriving in Murphy, North Carolina for a optional tour of the John C. Campbell Folk School. After which we will gather for dinner in Murphy, NC.
Saturday, choose your own adventure as to whether you will want to drive the “Dragon” first and then the Cherohala, or drive the Cherohala and finish your drive on the “Dragon”. Regardless of your choice you will ultimately find yourself in Tellico Plains Tennessee for lunch. Return back to Murphy via the alternate route to join the group for dinner.
Click the REGISTER button for hotel booking information and to register for this fun filled weekend! |
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Ernie Smallman and Patricia Duer, Event Planners
Olde Blind Dog Irish Pub Milton, GA December 14 | 11:30 am
This year’s holiday lunch fare will top that of last year by including Shepard’s pie with the return of popular entrees broiled salmon and corn beef and cabbage.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS, and JOIN US for a FESTIVE OL' IRISH LUNCHEON
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| Mercedes-Benz USA Reports Q2 2024 Group Sales of 95,596 Vehicles |
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Jul 10, 2024 – Atlanta
- PHEV group sales are up 524% in Q2 2024 compared to the same quarter last year.
- EV group sales mix 11% of overall passenger car sales in Q2 2024.
- Mercedes-AMG high-performance models increased 28% from last quarter.
- Group sales in the Core segment are up 12% compared to this time last year.
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) today reported Q2 2024 group* sales of 84,662 Passenger Cars. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz Vans reported Q2 2024 sales of 10,934 units, bringing MBUSA to a total of 95,596 vehicles for the quarter.
"The industry and our dealer partners have navigated a challenging second quarter, but I'm very proud of our dealer partners' unwavering focus on serving Mercedes-Benz's valued customers. Stronger availability of models propelled Q2 passenger car group sales up 27% compared to Q1, and this momentum will continue to build as we expand our Plug-In Hybrid portfolio with the highly anticipated U.S. launch of the GLC 350e and the stunning AMG SL 63e S in Q3. We also look forward to welcoming an all-electric variant of our iconic new G-Class in the fall, further bolstering our compelling offerings at the top end of the market and providing customers an unmatched luxury of choice." Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA |
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| Peachtree Chapter Officers |
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Peachtree Chapter, MBCA Officers and Board of Directors and Leadership Support Members
Rubin Howard Rusty Duncan Brett Butler Gary Edwards (Ex-Officio)
Directors Reijo Haarla Sam Kamber Joseph Ruda Jr.
Past presidents Steve Chapman Ernie Smallman JoAnne Taylor
Committees Reijo Haarla - Membership Diana Quinn - Newsletter Rusty Duncan - Sponsors Gary Edwards - Technical Diana Quinn - Webmaster
Director at Large Will Coloma Dietmar Schmidt |
Eastern Regional Director Diana Quinn |
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Events Rusty Duncan Rubin Howard Gary Edwards Jim Fekete
For information or questions about the Peachtree Section, please contact us at 770-376-0669. |
Your MBCA Membership card is now in the My MBCA mobile app (Available for IOS and Andriod).
- Log into the app with your MBCA email and password. To set/reset your password go to www.mbca.org > Login > Forgot Password
- Select the Mercedes-Benz Club of America organization
- Click on Profile
- Click on Memberships
TIP: Take a screen shot of your membership card and save to your photos in your phone |
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