cn tower

    STARLite
You received this email because you are a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America - Toronto Section
Fall 2013       MBCA  TORONTO-SECTION
Insert season
In this Issue
Welcome
  

...to the fall edition of your MBCA Toronto-Section e-newsletter.

We have quite a few club activities that happened in the last little while or that are happening soon. Please read on to see what our Section has been up to lately.
If you have any news or have an idea for a Club event please do not hesitate to drop us a note. 
We hope you can find time to attend and participate in any or all of our Winter events. See you soon.
New Members

Please welcome the newest members into the Toronto Section.

We hope you have an opportunity to join us at a club event in the future.

Branko Amizic, Stoney Creek

Gunter Barkowski, Tiny

Steve Bates, Oakville

Rick Benz, Tiny

Mike Fraculj, Oakville

Richard Fricke, Kitchener

Duane Grady, Toronto

Christopher Kowalczyk, Mississauga

Glen Martin, Markham

Ron Nothmann, Newmarket

Gary Shapiro, Toronto

Inaugural Legends of the Autobahn - Canada

Concours and Driving Event Report 

LOTA - Canada 2013 Facts at a Glance:

  • 100+ cars from the 3 marques at the Sat Concours and Corral
  • 3 MBCA members participated in the Rally Tour Sat. morning
  • 3 Porsches did "Hot" laps on the Grand Prix track Sat. noon
  • 18 LOTA participants attended the Gala Banquet Sat. evening
  • 3 Mercedes did the "Hot" laps Sunday morning
  • 10 cars were in the Grand Prix Track Parade Sunday noon
  • Saturday weather was great, Sunday not so much
When the gates opened on Saturday, June 15th 2013 at 8:00 AM, for the first Legends of the Autobahn - Canada, Concours and Driving Event, only those with first-hand experience in organizing car shows knew just how much preparation went into the launch of this event. 

In fact, planning of this joint event between the MBCA - Toronto Section, BMW Club of Canada, Trillium Chapter and the Porsche Club Upper Canada Region began months earlier. As this was the first combined event ever for our three clubs, preparations were quite different compared to a single club affair.  However, regular planning meetings of the representatives from each club had paved the way for an outstanding weekend. 

Just to make sure things would go as planned, some members of the organizing team arrived at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park the day before the event, on Friday, to scout out the fields and allocate space for the three clubs as well as the sponsors.  

MBCA Toronto Section Gold sponsors included SONAX, Mercedes-Benz Durham,  A2Z Automobiles.

The sun was shining brightly on Saturday morning at the newly renovated and paved Canadian Tire Mosport track, to welcome MBCA members from as far away as Montreal, Brockville and Barrie, Ontario.

The Legends of the Autobahn - Canada was held during the Canadian Historic Grand Prix that takes place over the course of Father's Day weekend. The Concours or Corral of Legends of the Autobahn was only one of many activities taking place. Spectators could watch, smell and hear authentic vintage racing action where drivers were battling it out just like in the heydays of Mosport of yore. 
 
A stroll through the paddock allowed close encounter with men and their lovingly maintained racing machines from the 50s, 60s and 70s, which were just a step away.

On the Concours turf it was delightful to have a large number of 190 and 230, and 280 SLs in attendance from as far away as Montreal. Glen Moon and Roland Wilhelm's 190 SL were outstanding examples of the brand, especially since both had driven a considerable distance to the Concours. Roland had an extensive collection of period accessories for his 190 SL some of which we had not seen before.

Rolf Dieter's blue 280 SL took top prize in the Pagoda category, Marcus van Bers 230 SL in second place followed by John Geist's 230 SL.In the
Contemporary Cabriolet & Roadster category, Harm Rosenboom took first place with Richard Kunst and Paul Kneale in second and third place, respectively. In the Classic Coupe & Sedan class, Doug Dees took first prize with his 280SE coupe followed by Harald von Langsdorff with his 300SEL 6.3 and Norbert Egli's 250 Coupe.Roger Ferguson and his 450 SL took first place in Modern Cabriolets & Roadsters followed by Glen Knox and Christopher Loates.

Jim Kenzie, noted automotive journalist, accomplished racer and a classic car collector himself was the Master of Ceremonies and professionally entertained the crowd during the awards ceremony. Together with Doug Dees, the Chief Judge for MBCA, Jim handed out the trophies. Afterwards, in the Concours field, he was interviewing Toronto Section members about their impressions of the day.

The Legends of the Autobahn Concours and Corral ran all Saturday under the wonderful blue Canadian sky. Every club donated not only their expertise in event organization but also trophies, equipment and prizes. Nevertheless things were not without minor challenges and we did learn a bit more about running an event of this scope. We learned that attendants at the entrance gates need to know what the exact admission fee for show participants is. That sometimes when you expect five helpers, three show up - or nine! Also, one of our sponsors learned that a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van does not exactly fit through the
Legends of the Autobahn inflatable arch! For pictures of all winners go to www.LegendsoftheAutobahn.ca
When the Concours and Corral activities were slowing down in the evening, registered guests for the Banquet gathered and joined racers, organizers and special guests in the huge Canadian Historic Grand Prix hospitality tent for a filling buffet with chicken, BBQ ribs and dessert. After dinner, while most people had a relatively short trip home, some stayed in nearby hotels to rest for the Sunday driving activities such as the Parade and "Hot" Touring laps. Meanwhile, Harald von Langsdorff, Section President, his family as well as MBCA member John Geist and his family choose to camp overnight in their RV and had a watchful eye over the remaining cars.

However, having been so co-operative the day before, the weather had changed dramatically overnight and put a damper on the attendance for Sunday.

Around 9:00 AM, the official start of the Corral Parking, the rain and fog had gotten so bad, that the historic races had to be stopped as the marshals could not see one another on the track. We expected the day to be a total washout.


Surprisingly, as the morning rain continued, a dozen Mercedes show up. Just before the start of the Parade Lap a handful of BMWs and Porsches also dropped in to inquire about the procedure for the "Hot" Touring Laps.

By noon the rain diminished somewhat and off we went to the track entrance. None of the passengers in our car or the occupants of the other parade cars have ever been on a real race track. The excitement was tangible, the adrenalin was rushing.  Our pace car lead us around the Mosport Grand Prix track in a moderately fast pace and motivated Gill, my wife to frequently ask me to "slow down" while my 10 year old son encouraged me to "go faster"!

Being on a race track, especially one with this much history is truly exciting. Despite the bad weather many spectators were waiting for the races to continue and gave us their thumbs-up when we passed by. In the end the parade managed to attract a total of 50 cars with a dozen or so from Legends of the Autobahn. But like everything fun, it was over much too quickly.After leaving the track and gathering back at the corral parking area it was time to start packing up. With the help of the remaining participants we gathered the club paraphernalia into our trailer. Filled with of a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction we all agreed: we'll be back!

Thanks again to all the helpers and participants.
Please go to www.mbca-toronto.org  for many more pictures and videos of this event.
Or watch our LOTA video right away by clicking here.
  Advanced Driving School

October 5-6 we held our first joint Advanced Driver Training in cooperation with the BMW Club of Canada Trillium Chapter.  The event was held at the Canadian Tire Mosport track and is a choice location for a performance oriented driving experience.  BMW Trillium has been holding driving schools for several years and provided us with a well-organized and structured event; in fact it is well recognized and was sold out by early September.

 

 

On Saturday morning after registration the safety briefing starts at 

8:00 sharp.  Everybody's safety and enjoyment depends on a thorough understanding of the rules, respective flag signaling and behavior on the track.  The briefing ends with a tradition "promising our cars that we will bring the home in the same shape in which they arrived" ...okay with exception of tire and brake wear :-) 

 

 

The attendance are grouped by experience into 4 categories namely novice (C), intermediate (B), advanced (A) and individual (I).  All students with exception of the "I" group gets a driving teacher assigned that will team up for the whole weekend and will be in the passenger seat during all "on track" activities.  This allows for a one-to-one training program and for continuous improvement with every practice run.   The schedule provided everybody with a start of in-class lessons including rules, driving strategies, track specifics and the practical application of car dynamics.  These would be followed by track sessions and exercises. 

 

 

 

Harald and Joyce started in the C group but quickly Harald with all his experience was moved to the B group joining Gerald and Peter.  With 3 Benzes and 1 Audi we joined a diverse group of cars from Toyotas and Subarus through a wide range of BMWs and Porsches up to including a set of Vipers and Ferraris.  

  

Saturday was a nice October day mild enough to not fret the upcoming season and perfect performance driving.  With every session control, confidence and feel for the car improve and respective performance increases.   

 

Mosport is a challenging and fast track; challenging enough that finesse and experience can far outperform raw power. It is considered a 10 corner track with a couple of longer straights allowing for some power plays.  Gaining sensation to the various aspects such as the proper line and using brakes and power to balance the car is the key asset when going through corners while the long straight up the hill was exhilarating to allow the engine to pump out all it can. Not to worry though, the teacher is there not just to guide but also pull you back in case the adrenaline got the better of you.  

 

 

On Saturday at the end of the day there was a track walk to understand some of the more intricacies of the asphalts we were driving often with some anecdotes of the past.  We paid respects in the ash spreading ceremony for very active motor sport member Frank Gray as these were his wishes.  All followed by a pleasant dinner served at the new Mosport Event centre.

 

 

  

 

  

Sunday the weather turned to rain and fog which slowed the driving and added some new skills.  On the wet track we not only had less traction but much less consistency.  A new line and exploring the difference sto new lines became part of the learning.  Feeling and looking for consistent track patterns was as important as sensing the overall mechanical traction.  

 

When the fog settled for a while delays in the schedule were inevitable. While some packed and went home it all cleared in the mid afternoon and allowed us to finish the day with enough track time to complete a fulfilling experience.  We all drove home tired but with big smiles on our faces.

 

 

The motto often repeated reflects that the best performance investment is not ECU tune, better flowing exhaust or even a whole car upgrade but in your own skills.
 

We hope to see more of you coming out in our next event in the spring next year.  There are 4 co-op Advanced Driving Schools planned for next year in addition to our Safe Driving event that is already pinned down for May 2014.
 
Anybody interested in performance and driving events please feel free to contact me with comments and options for discussions. 

Your Sports Director, Peter Spitzer 
Niagara Fall Wine Tour
October 26-27, 2013
We just returned from our 3. Annual Fall Tour. As this newsletter is going to "press" we are still collecting pictures and stories.
Please visit our www.mbca-toronto.org for more information.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM will take place Saturday, November 30, at 4:00 PM at the Royal Ambassador Banquet and Events Hall, 15430 Innis Lake Road, Caledon. The meeting will take place just prior to the Christmas Dinner (see below).  We encourage all members to attend. The AGM will be focusing on club business, the election of officers and next year's activities. We also welcome members to assist in organizing and participating in events throughout the upcoming year.. Please see our www.mbca-toronto.org for more information and registration.
Christmas Dinner
The Christmas dinner will also take place Saturday, November 30, following the AGM at the Royal Ambassador Banquet and Events Hall.

The Royal Ambassador proved to be a great venue for our Annual Meeting and Christmas Dinner. As the Club is growing, we encourage more members to enjoy the benefits of attending this Club function and of course in keeping with the vision most Mercedes-Benz owners have of their vehicle it is: Elegant, upscale and refined.
The Chefs from the Royal Ambassador are putting together a delicious 4 course dinner with great consideration. A selection of red and white wine is included. 

  • Annual General Meeting 4:00 PM
  • Reception 5:30 PM
  • Dinner 6:30 PM

The cost for the outstanding Dinner will be a very modest $65 for MBCA members and family and $75 for non-members. A cash bar is available.

During the evening we will entertain you with great videos and pictures from our 2012 club events incl. the Legends of the Autobahn, Niagara Fall Tour and other informative and enjoyable clips from our Mercedes-Benz video archives. There will again be an imprerssive selection of unique door prizes and lottery items from our Sponsors.

 

Click here and a link will take you directly to the registration page for the AGM and/or Dinner.  

 

We are looking forward to seeing you all at the Annual General Meeting and Christmas Dinner.    

MBCA - Toronto Section
14145 Kennedy Rd.
Caledon, Ontario L7C 2H4
905-838-1980
[email protected]
We hope to see you all  at the Christmas Dinner!

Harald von Langsdorff
President
Toronto Section | Mercedes-Benz Club of America