Havasupai 07, Spring in the Desert. The You Can t Get Lost on this Rallye, Rallye

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1 Havasupai 07, Spring in the Desert It s time again for the annual Havasupai Rallye but this time the rallye will be a spring event due to the numerous other events that took place last fall. The 41 st Havasupai and long standing Southwest Regional event will have Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts cruising the sights around parts of the southern border of Arizona starting in Tucson then heading South around the Santa Rita Mountains towards Nogales. From there, the route wanders through spectacular desert views, some of the best wine country in Arizona and ends near the Huachuca Mountains in Sierra Vista. Plan on spending the weekend of March 9th through 11 th, with fellow Benzers from all over the Southwest, sightseeing and having fun. The fun starts late Friday afternoon just outside the Doubletree Hotel at the Javelina Cantina in Tucson for Happy Hour where participants will receive their welcome packages and socialize. Saturday, it s time for the rallye to begin. Rallyemasters Don and Brynn Burton (perpetual second place finishers of the previous two years Havasupai) will take us on the road to experience the views of the Saguaro National Park and other spectacular sights. There will be stops along the way for lunch and landmarks. If you don t want the added stimulation of the competition, we ll give you a map and Continued, see Havasupai 07 on page 3 The You Can t Get Lost on this Rallye, Rallye Winners of the 2006 StarFest Rallye in Las Vegas and Rallyemeisters of numerous Havasupai Rallyes, Chuck and Ava Stanford, have joined with Rich Leamon and Yvonne Lazear, third place finishers of the 2004 & 2005 Havasupai Rallyes to put together a short and simple funrun instructional rallye. This has been designed to help even the most neophyte rallye rookies prepare for the March 9 Havasupai Rallye. This Rallye, set for Saturday, January 27 th, is for the novice and will be simple to navigate while teaching you some of the tricks of observation rallyes. We will start at the Mystery Castle, 800 E Mineral Road in south Phoenix at 1:30 pm. Preceding the Rallye, there Continued, see You Can t Get, on page 4 Desert Stars Family Picnic & Shine and Show Car Show Circle Saturday, February 17th, 2007 on your calendar. We ll try to make this year s Picnic better than last year. This is an opportunity to show off your beautiful Mercedes- Benz to other Section members and let them appreciate it, and the Mercedes-Benz heritage and passion! When? February 17th, 2007, at Noon Where? Ville de Marie Academy 6535 E Osborn Rd. Suite 404 Scottsdale On the South East corner of the Piute Community Center grounds. Continued, see Family Picnic, on page 5

2 January 2007 The StarDust Page 2 President s Message: Well we start the year off with good news on two fronts. First for those who want a new Mercedes, the MBCA Loyalty Program has been extended through December It is basically identical to last years program with $1500 to $2500 refunds on most new models. Check your STAR magazine or go to the national website at for the details. Two important points; first the refund has nothing to do with the dealer. So negotiate your best deal with your favorite M-B salesman, but don't let him include the Loyalty refund dollars in the bargaining. That s between you, the MBUSA and the MBCA. Second, you must have been a member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America for a full year prior to the purchase, to be eligible. So if you re a new member, with less than a year s membership, you might want to delay that purchase until after you renew your membership. $2500 off a new Mercedes vs. $45 for a membership renewal sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The second bit of good news is for those members who collect older models. The EPA has finally signed off on an Arizona Law that was passed almost two years ago. It exempts collectible/vintage vehicles from emissions inspections. If your vehicle required emissions testing before, it may now be exempt, if it is covered by collectible/vintage insurance and not used as an everyday vehicle. For more information; check with our section Vice President, Bob Yoder, at As always our Holiday Party was a great success. The Paradise Valley Country Club put out a sumptuous buffet, which we all enjoyed; probably too much. Our members out did themselves for a second year with donations for the November Grace Meisner Douglas Nichols Paul Weirather Julian Di Leano Quintus Aucamp Delbert Rounds Ron Maita Milan Cerovic Maurine Tucker Daniel Benhaim Stephen Gabrielsen Neal & Sara Christensen Tom Fleischmann & Kim Wood Conrad & Julie Prusak Dan & Margaret Welch Mark & Myra Siegelman Marine Corps s Toys for Tots program with hundreds of toys and hundreds more in cash donations. Our eight honored guests from the Marine Corp Reserves had to make numerous trips back and forth to get all the toys loaded into their cars. Great Job, Desert Stars Members!!! With all the car auctions in the valley this month, we usually keep the club activities at a low pace, but once they re over and you need a car fix, the Desert Stars are there for you. On January 27 th we have our annual Training Rallye; a warm up for Havasupai. This year we explore the largest municipal park in the U.S. in our You Can t Get Lost on this Rallye, outing. There s more about this event starting on the front page of this issue. We quickly follow up with our second annual Family Picnic. This year we expand the picnic with a Wash and Shine car show. So get your favorite Benz all spit and shined and gather up the kids or grandkids and join us for a fun-filled day. Again you ll find more information on the front page. Spring Time in the Desert is the theme of the 41 st Havasupai Rallye. This time we head south deep into the Sonoran Desert. We start out in Tucson and transverse the southern parts of Arizona ending in Sierra Vista and the Huachuca Mountains. We should be joined by many Southwest Regional MBCA members and hopefully many of the Chaparral members will link up with us for the weekend of March 9 th 11 th, for this adventure. The front page has more details; registration is on page 7. See you at an event soon, Rick Stacio, President Desert Stars Section New Members January 2007 Volume 43 Number MBCA Desert Stars Section The StarDust Newsletter is published by the MBCA Desert Stars Section bi-monthly. All rights reserved, except permission to reprint original articles is expressly granted to all MBCA Sections Newletter Editor: Rick Stacio Contributing Credits for this Issue: Don & Brynn Burton Chuck Landenberger Rich Leamon Steve Ross Rick Stacio Photograph Credits for this issue: Bud Cloninger Advertising Manager: Wayne Burford Send advertising inquiries to: stardust@desertstars.org; the address below the Stardust Masthead on the back page; or call (623) Website: Highlights Inside: Havasupai 07 Rallye...1 Practice Rallye...1 Family Picnic & Car Show...1 President s Message...2 New Members...2 Desert Stars Board...3 Havasupai 07 Rallye (cont d)...3 Practice Rallye (cont d)...4 Practice Rallye Registration...4 Family Picnic (cont d)...5 Family Picnic Registration...5 Desert Stars Holiday Party...6 Havasupai 07 Registration...7 Regional Director s Report...8 Passarelli s Open House...8 Phoenix Hosts National Mtgs...9 Save These Dates...10 December Walter & Marilyn Davis Lee Blatt Mark Eckman Micheal Broadston Jerry & Linda Reier Fred Psaki Karen & Marc Bauman Bill Gillman Charles Henry

3 HTU HTU HTU HTU January 2007 The StarDust Page 3 Desert Stars Board Havasupai 07 (Continued from Page 1) President: Rick Stacio president@desertstars.org Vice President: Bob Yoder vicepresident@desertstars.org Treasurer: Richard Sharp HTUtreasurer@desertstars.org Secretary: Brynn Burton HTUsecretary@desertstars.org Directors: Jim Boyle, HTUjim.boyle@desertstars.org Wayne Burford, wayne.burford@desertstars.org Bud Cloninger, bud.cloninger@desertstars.org Lowenski Garcia, lowenski.garcai@desertstars.org Louis Horwin, HTUlouis.horwin@desertstars.org John Hutchison, HTUjohn.hutchison@desertstars.org Chuck Landenberger, chuck.landenberger@desertstars.org Rich Leamon, HTUrich.leamon@desertstars.org Joan May, joan.may@desertstars.org Bryan O Connor, bryan.oconnor@desertstars.org Chuck Stanford, Jr., chuck.stanford.jr@desertstars.org John Teichgraeber, john.teichgraeber@desertstars.org Chairs: Activities & Events: Rich Leamon Membership: Louis Horwin Publicity: Bud Cloninger Newsletter Adveristing: Wayne Burford Newsletter Editor: Rick Stacio Board meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month. All members are welcome. Check with a board member concerning place and time. timetable for the route and you can enjoy the scenery and landmarks at your own pace. Once in Sierra Vista, we ll gather at the Windemere Hotel for another Happy Hour to wash off the road dust and brag about the adventures found along the way. Around 6:30 we ll adjourn to the Mesquite room for our awards banquet. On Sunday, you will have your choice of touring either the Pima Air and Space Museum or the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Pima Air & Space Museum enjoys an international reputation as one of the best anywhere and features over 200 aircraft on display with five large hangars totaling 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. An original WWII barracks contains an extensive model collection, arranged chronologically, which shows virtually all US military aircraft from pre-world War I to the present. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. Exhibits re-create the natural landscape of the Sonoran Desert Region so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, and more. Within the Museum grounds, you will see more than 300 animal species and 1,200 kinds of plants. There are almost 2 miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert. This exciting weekend package includes all the supplies needed for the rallye, lunch and the banquet dinner on Saturday, and the entry fees to Sunday s tours. You will need to reserve the lodging for Friday and Saturday nights yourself. Friday night s lodging will be at the Doubletree Tucson at Reid Park in Tucson. The special rate for Havasupai is $125 per room for single occupancy and $130 for double occupancy. These rates include a phenomenal breakfast buffet at the hotel, complementary upgrades to parlor suites based on availability and other amenities. Please inquire with the rallyemasters for higher occupancy rates. Reservations should be made by calling the Doubletree s national reservation line at (800) and identify yourself as being part of the Mercedes Car Club group. Saturday night s lodging will be at the Windemere Hotel & Conference Center in Sierra Vista. The special rate of $84 for single or double occupancy includes a full American Breakfast Buffet, three Happy Hour drinks and other amenities. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at (800) identifying yourself as being part of the Desert Stars group. The cost for the event is $240 per couple but, if we receive your registration by January 26th, we ll discount the price by $20. Registration received after January 26th can only be accepted on a space available basis and you should confirm availability at the two hotels prior to submitting the registration. You ll find the registration form on page 7. If you have any questions, please call Don or Brynn Burton at (480) or Brynn Burton at secretary@desertstars.org. Don & Brynn Burton, Rallyemasters

4 January 2007 The StarDust Page 4 You Can t Get Lost on this Rallye (Continued from Page 1) will be a tour, at your option, of the Mystery Castle starting at 12:00 pm and early birds can congregate starting at 10:30 am at the Morning Glory Café at the Farm at South Mountain, 6106 S 32nd Street, Phoenix, for brunch. The Rallye will be a 2½ to 3-hour tour of South Mountain Park and will wind up with a dinner at the Va Bene Restaurant, 4647 Chandler Blvd., Phoenix. Come join us and see how much fun an MB rallye can be. All necessary utensils will be provided, though a clip board may be useful. Fill in he registration form is below and mail it today. The cost is $49 00 per person. The dinner selections will be: Stuffed Pork Roasted pork tenderloin stuffed with prosciutto, sage, cranberry sauce with ovenbaked pancetta Bassa Florentine Lightly floured egg dipped fish filet served in a white wine sauce Pollo Asparagi Chicken breast in a light lemon sauce with fresh asparagus Linguine Puttanesca Linguine pasta with fresh tomatoes, capers, kalamata olives and anchovies in a light tomato sauce Rich Leamon You Can t Get Lost on this Rallye, Rallye Name(s): Number attending: Cost is $49 00 per person Address: City: State/Prov.: Zip: Contact Information: Day Night Phone No.: Addr.: If you have any question, please call Rich Leamon (480) Make your check payable to: MBCA Desert Stars; and mail to: MBCA Desert Stars c/o Dick Sharp E. Cochise Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85259

5 January 2007 The StarDust Page 5 Menu? Cost? Family Picnic & Shine and Show (Continued from Page 1) German Hamburgers, Bratwurst, B-B-Q Chicken, German Potato Salad, Cole Slaw with all the fixin s to go with them. And we re doing the grillin and cookin! And of course, plenty of soft drinks, water and some beer. All kids 15 years old and older (that includes all of us adults) - $16.00 each. No charge for kids 14 and younger. Lots of fun and camaraderie! There will be a Big Bouncy Monster Jumper Truck and Volleyball for kids of all ages. And then maybe some time to toast some marshmallows! Bring all your kids (of any age) along with your own teen aged alter ego. Club Membership not required, so please, invite some friends to join us. Just fill in the registration form below. Additional info will be available on the Desert Stars Section website: Chuck Landenberger Desert Stars Family Picnic and Shine and Show Name(s): Number Adults: Number Children: Address: Phone No.: City: State/Prov.: Zip: Car(s) you will be displaying: (please indicate Year and Model) Car #1: Model Year Car #2: Model Year If you have any question, please call Chuck Landenberger (623) Make your check payable to: MBCA Desert Stars; and mail to: MBCA Desert Stars c/o Dick Sharp E. Cochise Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85259

6 January 2007 The StarDust Page 6 Desert Stars 2006 Holiday Party Features Toys for Tots Drive Just over 60 Desert Stars gathered December 10, 2006 to present over 200 toys and $300 in contributions to the USMC annual Toys for Tots drive. Eight Marines, lead by SSGT Jason Lewis, were our honored guests and were on hand to accept theses contributions Our Guests of Honor This year s event premiered an audio visual presentation of photos of the past years events that was highlighted by an original video, The Amazing Adventures of Dick and Bud. This reality documentary chronicled Dick Sharp s and Bud Cloninger s adventures at StarFest 2006 where Dick won 1st place in the Street Class in the Concours d Elegance with his S Coupe. Special thanks to Bud, who has become our defacto photographer, and Mindy Sharp, Bob Yoder, and Rick Stacio for their photos. President Rick Stacio continued the program with an introduction of new members. Then past Regional Director and Desert Stars President Chuck Stanford awarded service pins as listed below. 40 Year Jim & Ruth Blakeslee 35 Year Frank & Joan Dickey 20 Year Donald & Roseann Bloom Dick & Mindy Sharp Richard & Brenda Warneka 15 Year Don & Brynn Burton 10 Year Richard & Elizabeth Seaman Following the service pin presentations, Rick Stacio, joined by last year recipient, John Hutchison, presented the Member of the Year award to Rich Leamon, Director and Events Chairman. This award, in addition to the personalize plaque, includes a year s stewardship of the Loy Peterson Traveling Award, a custom display model of the Mercedes 540K. Loy was a founding member and the first president of the Deserts Stars section. Member of the Year, Rich Leamon receives his award. Rick presented a summary of recent events, especially the 18 individual awards for Desert Stars members brought home from StarFest This included the 1st place and Judge s Choice awards at the StarFest 2006 Concours d Elegance which went to Phil Lutfy s S Cabriolet and the 1st Place in the Rallye to Chuck & Ava Stanford. Rich Leamon summarized upcoming events which are listed in the Save These Dates: section on the back page. The event concluded with special drawings for those who had contributed to Toys for Tots and our traditional door prize drawings. The Marines collected the toy after the event. Special thanks to all of you who attended this very special event. Your participation not only ensured another successful event for the Desert Stars Section of MBCA but also brightened the Holidays for the Tots who received your generous contribution of Toys. Rich Leamon Editor s Note: As always, you ll find a gallery of high resolution color photographs of this and the other events highlighted in this issue on our website at

7 January 2007 The StarDust Page 7 Contact Information: Name(s): Havasupai 07 Spring in the Desert The Weekend of March 9 th 11 th Registration Form Address: Phone No.: City: State/Prov.: Zip: Phone No.: Address: Rallye Information: Day Night Vehicle Model Year Saturday Lunch Selections: (enter number of selections in each box) Peppered Turkey Breast Sandwich Rubin Sandwich Grilled Chicken and Baby Field Greens Salad Sunday Event Selections: (enter number of selections in each box) Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Pima Air & Space Museum Number Attending: Price: Prior to January 26, 2007 $ per couple, $ per individual After January 26, 2007 $ per couple, $ per individual Separate Reservations are Required for: Doubletree Tucson at Reid Park in Tucson Friday, March 9 (800) Ask for the Mercedes Car Club rate of: $130 double/$125 single Windemere Hotel & Conference Center Saturday, March 10 (800) Ask for the Desert Stars group rate of: $84 double/single If you have any question, please call Don or Brynn Burton at (480) Make your check payable to: MBCA Desert Stars; and mail to: MBCA Desert Stars c/o Dick Sharp E. Cochise Drive Scottsdale, AZ 85259

8 January 2007 The StarDust Page 8 Editor s Note: Steve Ross is our new Regional Director. He has asked all sections in the Southwest to print his report of the Fall National Board Meetings in their newsletters. It is his intention to report to the region s membership after each national board meeting. This is my first report as your Regional Director. I was recently elected to this position from Judy Abrams. I know I have a hard act to follow, but I shall try my best. A brief introduction follows. My wife Michelle and I have been members of the MBCA for fifteen years. We have three Mercedes Benz automobiles, a SL, SDL and a E 2.6. I have served the San Diego Section as a Board member, Newsletter Editor, President, Technical Advisor, and Activities Chair. Michelle is currently the Secretary of our section. The National Board meeting was held in Phoenix AZ, November 9 through November 11, I am pleased to tell you that your National Board is working very hard for you and is sincerely dedicated to the best interests of the MBCA. My report will not include the budget since that will be covered in detail in the National Board minutes and printed in the Star Magazine. The motion to consolidate the Southwest Region with the Western Region has been withdrawn but may be the subject of future action. I am confident that any action taken will be in the best interests of the MBCA and its members. Significant agenda items and actions are as follows: 1. The primary objective of the MBCA board and its members is to maintain and increase our membership by recruiting and retaining members. The MBCA Rebate Incentive Program ends December 31, The board is working diligently with MBUSA to get this program renewed for Mercedes Benz Canada in conjunction with the MBCA has produced a DVD titled What Is in It for Me. A copy of the DVD will be provided to each section with copies for their local dealers. This DVD provides a five minute presentation informing the dealership why it is in their best interests to support the MBCA. The DVD presentation will be followed Regional Director s Report up by the section representative giving the dealership staff answers or amplification as required. 2. The MBCA and its Education Foundation is initiating a defensive driver training program for teens and seniors. A recent issue of Autoweek Magazine featured the urgent need to train our teens how to drive safely. Some studies claim that teen deaths are in the 20,000 range annually. The MBCA believes that this is a critical problem that must be addressed. The BMW Club, as well as other car groups, is also in the process of instituting programs for defensive driving. 3. The Star Magazine editor, publisher and printer gave informative presentations on what we can expect in the new Star. The major change is that the magazine will be full color and will have more pages. There will be more member and sections inputs/articles. Of course for this to happen, the members and sections must provide these articles. The publishing company has been in business since 1866 and is family owned. They print and publish several prestigious magazines including the BMW Roundel. 4. A change to the process for the Section Newsletter award was made. In the future no action is required of the newsletter editor or section. The section newsletters that are received during the year will be submitted to three independent publishers for evaluation and selection of the winners. 5. The Awards Chairperson pointed out that several of the sections are not applying for Section of the year or the Humanitarian Award. In one case a section that did not apply would have easily won over the winning section. I am here to serve the members of the Southwest Region. If any of you have a question please do not hesitate to contact me via internet inews@mchsi.com or Mailing address, Steve Ross, Fruitvale Road, Valley Center, CA Steve Ross Passarelli Restoration s Open House Once again Mark Passarelli is holding an open house and is inviting club members. The open house will be held on Sunday, January 21 st. You do not have to register. Just show up between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Attendees of the last few years have seen various stages of show quality restorations on gullwings, roadsters and other Mercedes. It is well worth the trip up to Cave Creek. We want to thank Mark in advance for his generosity. Mark s address is N. Old Stage Coach Rd., Cave Creek, AZ If you need directions, call either Dick Sharp at , or Rick Stacio at One of Mark Passarelli s Gullwing Restorations at StarFest 06

9 January 2007 The StarDust Page 9 Desert Stars Host National Fall Board Meetings This past November, the Desert Stars hosted the Fall National Board Meetings of the MBCA. The committee meetings started on Thursday, November 9 th, followed with a dinner for the National Board that evening at the Venice Ristorante in Ahwatukee. We also opened our Hospitality Suite on Thursday with Rich Leamon acting as host. On Friday, November 10 th, the committee meetings continued. That evening we held a reception at Mercedes- Benz of Chandler sponsored by MBUSA. Desert Stars member, Phil Lutfy, provided 3 beauty vehicles from his collection, including his 1953, 300S Cabriolet, Judge s Choice at StarFest 06, to showcase among the brand new model at the dealership. It was a stunning contrast, admired by all. We presented M-B of Chandler s General Manager, Paul Forina, with a plaque in recognition for their past support of the section and for their help, putting on the reception. Our Hospitality Suite remained open under the stewardship of John Hutchison that evening. On Saturday, November 11 th, the National Board Meeting was held. It was very interesting to see the national organization at work. The STAR will be covering the meeting in detail and there is a separate article by Steve Ross in this issue, so I won t go into detail. On Saturday evening we had our final banquet with all the national officers and many Desert Stars members in attendance. Joan May welcomed all at the Hospitality Suite on Saturday. Finally, I like to thank the MBCA s newest Director-At- Large, Chuck Landenberger, for all his efforts in planning and bringing this event about. It was top-notch. I received many compliments from board members and visiting members, and they should have been directed to Chuck. The Desert Stars are fortunate to have a member of such caliber. Rick Stacio Chuck Landenberger greets National Officers and Guests at our Lobby Reception Desk. Rick Stacio makes presentation to Paul Fornia, while Jim O Sullivan, National President left, and Chuck Landenberger, right, look on. Wanted Parts for A SE 3.5 Coupe Contact: Dick Hewitt, Enfour Co., 2220 Eastman Ave., Bldg 105, Ventura, CA Phone: Fax: Don t miss an issue of the Star or Stardust. Keep your mailing address current with the MBCA National Business Office. You can change your address online at or mail your address change to: MBCA 1907 Lelaray Street Colorado Springs, CO We can t accept address changes locally.

10 January 2007 The StarDust Page 10 USave These Dates: Passarelli Restoration Open House Sunday, January 21, 2007 Training Rallye Saturday, January 27, 2007 High Performance Driver s Education Saturday, February 3, 2007 Family Picnic and Car Show Saturday, February 17, 2007 Havasupai 07 Rallye Weekend of March 9 11, 2007 Putting Session at Desert Highlands Saturday, April 7, 2007 British & European Auto Tour (B.E.A.T.) April 21 22, 2007 Memorial Day Auto Tour Weekend of May 25 28, 2007 Annual Business Meeting at Firerock CC Sunday, June 3, 2007 Great Job, Desert Stars!!! We collected about 200 toys and $300 at our Holiday Party for the Marine Corps, Toys for Tots program. Visit our section website at HTUhttp:// Keep your address updated with the MBCA National Business Office at (800) , or STARDUST Editor 3344 W. Taro Lane Phoenix, AZ HTUhttp://mbca.org/mbca/addchange.htmUTH