Whether national, regional, or local, events are part of the benefits of membership in the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, Inc. From national events like StarFest or StarTech to local section activites like a Tech Event, a Do It Yourself (DIY), or a social event such as a Drive and Dine, you're bound to find something to help you enjoy ownership of your Mercedes-Benz.

Take a little time to read through the descriptions below. We think you'll find one or more activities you'd enjoy.

Event titles in red are required to be included in a national event. Participants in national events must drive either a Mercedes-Benz or smart car – other marques are not allowed.

Driving Events

The emphasis in driving events is always on safety.

Driver and Car Prerequisites

All cars must be in safe operating condition. For Performance Driving School, Time Trials, and Acceleration events, cars must have passed a pre-event inspection by a professional mechanic. The signed or stamped Pre-Event Technical Inspection form must be presented during the grid-tech inspection held prior to a Performance Driving School.

All cars must have at least $100,000 of liability insurance. All drivers must be at least 18 years of age and posess a valid drivers license.

Sharing a car is discouraged. Participants who want to share a car must coordinate with the event chair prior to the event.

To provide the greatest benefit, beginning and novice drivers participating in autocross or a track event should run on street tires.

With the exception of Defensive Driving, an approved helmet is required for driving events. MBCA recommends that drivers participating in Defensive Driving wear an approved helmet. Helmets must be Snell M2000 or SA2000 or Snell M2005 or SA2005 certified.

Defensive Driving

Defensive Driving is offered at all national events. Anyone planning to participate in Autocross, Performance Driving School, Acceleration, or Time Trials must complete this course or show proof of having completed the course within the previous twelve month period.

This event consists of four to seven exercises designed to help students learn more about vehicle dynamics and improve their driving skills. Most of the exercises are done at low speeds and are recommended for all drivers – even those who do not intend to enter the autocross or track events. Each exercise is conducted on a course laid out using traffic cones that serve as pylons. During the exercises, students get a feel for how their car will react during emergency situations such as rapid evasive maneuvers. The emphasis is on turning and threshold braking. When possible, one of the exercises will be a skid pad to give students a chance to learn how to maintain control of their vehicles on slippery surfaces. The skid pad exercise will include practice in dealing with skids and slides.

An approved helmet is recommended but not required.

Autocross

This is a low-to-moderate-speed driving event. It consists of a course laid out on a parking lot or similar area. The course consists of a start garage, a stop garage, gates, turns, and straightaways marked by traffic cones serving as pylons. The object is to traverse the course as quickly as possible without knocking down or displacing any pylons or going off course. Drivers are permitted to walk the course beforehand to become familiar ith the layout, track surface, turns, and any unusual local conditions.

An approved helmet is required. Loaner helmets may be available – check with the event chair if you do not have a helmet.

Cars must be safe and in good operating condition, but no special preparation is required. Beginners should run their normal street tires. To pass the pre-event tech inspection drivers must remove all loose items from the passenger compartment and trunk of the car, to include front floor mats. Drivers running street tires should also add about 10 pounds of air pressure to their tires.

Participants are divided into classes based on criteria in the current National/Regional Event Rule Book. Standings are determined by best time within class. At National Events such as StarFest and Tri-O-Rama, trophies are awarded in each class as long as there is more than one particpant.

Participants are expected to help operate the event when not driving. In most cases this involves taking a turn as a corner worker, resetting displaced pylons, and similar easy tasks.

A section may allow non-Mercedes-Benz vehicles in local events. When GWS allows other marques to participate, the other marques are scored separately from Mercedes-Benz and smart cars. We use the current year SCCA rules to assign cars of other marques to classes. Standings for other marques are determined by an index time that is derived by multiplying the driver's best raw time by the class-appropriate index value listed in the current SCCA approved PAX index.

Use this link to view a sample GWS Autocross Course.

For the annual GWS autocross series, we award 10 points for a first place finish, 9 for second, and so on. We keep a running total of event points scored by individual drivers. Awards are presented based on the final standings, which are based on the sum of a driver's best five of eight event scores. Drivers who compete in fewer than five of the eight events in the GWS autocross series are not eligible for an award.

Performance Driving School

Conducted on a road course, this event consists of a mandatory classroom session followed by on-track driving sessions. Instructors ride with students during the driving sessions to teach track procedures and awareness; car control, braking, and handling techniques; and visual techniques for effective driving. All drivers must attend the classroom session. Those who do not attend will not be allowed to drive on the track.

Students are assigned to one of four run groups based on previous track experience. All drivers in a group will be on the track at the same time. The fact that there are multiple cars with different performance characteristics on the track at the same time means that some passing is likely. Students will be given detailed instructions on safe passing zones and passing procedures during the classroom session. Passing is permitted only in the specifically designated (safe) areas on the course and students must comply with the established rules and procedures for passing.

During track sessions, all students who have not been approved to drive solo must have an instructor in the car. Instructors will normally check with the chief instructor before clearing a student to drive solo. Students must receive an explicit notification from an instructor before driving solo.

An approved helmet is required. Loaner helmets may be available – check with the event chair if you do not have a helmet.

If the school is part of a national event, participants must have completed Defensive Driving.

Time Trials

This event is normally run only as part of a national event, and particpants must have completed Defensive Driving and the Performance Driving School.

This is a timed event run on a road course – typically the same road course used in the Performance Driving School. Each participant gets a warm-up lap, three consecutive timed laps, and a cool-down lap. Two or three cars may share the track, with cars started at intervals to make sure all drivers have a clear track. The fastest lap recorded is used to determine each participant's standing within class. Trophies are awarded for each class following procedures outlined in the National/Regional Event Rule Book. If an instructor is available, participants may ask to have one ride with them during their timed laps.

An approved helmet is required. Loaner helmets may be available – check with the event chair if you do not have a helmet.

Acceleration

This event is normally run only as part of a national event, and particpants must have completed Defensive Driving.

This event consists of a timed run from a standing-start over a one-eighth to one-quarter mile distance. Only only one car at a time runs the course. Participants get a minimum of three runs, with the shortest elapsed time used to determine standings within the class. Trophies are awarded for each class following procedures outlined in the National/Regional Event Rule Book.

An approved helmet is required. Loaner helmets may be available – check with the event chair if you do not have a helmet.

Concours and Rally

Concours d'Elegance

This event is a showing of cars prepared and cleaned to appear as close to showroom condition as possible. Cars are classed in accordance with rules established by the National Events Committee. Cars entered in the Show and Street class categories are judged. Trophies are awarded for the highest scoring cars in eash class as well as for Best of Show and Judges' Choice. In Show Class, the entire car is judged. In Street Class, everything except the undercarriage is judged. Cars entered in the (new) Custom Class – cars that have been modified for appearance or performance so that it is no longer authentic are also judged.

There are two classes of cars that are not judged. The (new) Silver Star Preservation Class – cars more than 25 years old in original, unrestored condition. Silver Star class cars will receive a certificate. Cars entered in the (optional) Display Class are eligible for the Peoples' Choice trophy which is awarded based on votes cast by the viewing public.

GWS works with the local chapters of the BMW Car Club of America, Audi Club of North America, and the Porsche Club of America to put on the Deutche Marque Concours. The DM Concours typically draws more than a hundred cars and is held in early May in a local park where there is plenty of room to display the cars brought by members of the four clubs. Judging typically starts in the late morning, with scores tallied and award winners selected in time for the 3 PM awards ceremony (with free snacks, sodas, beer, and wine). In past years the GWS part fo the show has included outstanding examples of the marque, including winners at national events such as the Ameila Island Concours.

Rally

This event is normally run only as part of a national event.

Sometimes called a gimmick rally, this event is run on public roads and participants are expected to obey all traffic laws while running the course.

Teams consisting of a driver and a navigator are given a set of instructions that include the route to be followed. Some route information may be presented as riddles or puzzles, and teams typically have to fill in blanks on their instruction sheet based on information found along the route. Total miles traveled, time used, and answers to questions found in the instructions all count toward the final score. Trophies are awarded for the best scores and are presented to both driver and navigator.

Typical Local Events

All of these events provide opportunities for owners to engage in activities designed to bring them in contact with other members in venues designed to enhance the pleasure of owning a Mercedes-Benz.

Do It Yourself (DIY)

Typically held at a local dealership or independent service facility, a DIY event gives owners a chance to work on their cars in a shop environment. Participants must provide their own tools and parts. In many cases, professional mechanics are on hand to provide advice and hints on the best way to tackle a given task. Participants normally have the use of the host facility's lifts.

GWS typically schedules DIY events before driving events that require drivers to have a completed Pre-Event Tech Inspection sheet to participate. Pre-event inspections at these DIY sessions are typically done at little or no cost.

Social Events

These range from simple unstructured get togethers like the GWS New Members Reception, the annual GWS Autocross social, or to more organized activities such as an Annual Holiday Party. This category also includes tours to local (and sometimes not so local) attractions such as a local car museum. Tours can conver multiple days and more than one venue – an example is the GWS two-day trip to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob; other examples include the Central VA special evening tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and simple Drive & Dine events – typically day trips over a scenic route to a selected restaurant for a sit-down dinner.

Other Special Events

During the year, GWS hosts other special events such as the Deutsche Marque Concours (May), and the Annual Picnic and Eastern Region Concours d'Elegance (July/August).

Add in the eight autocrosses and the track events, and GWS offers something for every MBCA member. And, if you don't see an activity you'd like in the schedule, contact a GWS Officer and we'll discuss adding it.