Mercedes-Benz Stars join in on ‘Star Drive’

The Mercedes-Benz Club of Sri Lanka together with Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) organised a fun rally for the Mercedes-Benz Club members on 5 May. The rally started off at 8 a.m. from the Canowin Arcade at the Southern Expressway with the participation of many passionate Mercedes-Benz Club members and headed towards the south.

Mercedes-Benz Stars that took part included classics such as W108, W110, Young Classics E-Class W123, W124, W124 Cabriolet, SL Cabriolet R129; newer versions such as SL Roadster R230, E-Class W211, CLK W209; and the latest generation of masterpieces, which included the C-Class (W204), E-Class (W212), E-Class Cabriolet, CLS, S-Class (W221) and Sri Lanka’s Automotive Icon ‘SLS 55AMG’.   

Whilst on the way, the participants had to go through a series of fun activities at selected locations which included hopper making at a road side restaurant, noting vehicle prices from DIMO Ambalangoda showroom, coconut scraping competition at Star Class ‘Aditya’ Hotel, king coconut drinking competition at a roadside vendor, identifying and naming traditional Sri Lankan sweets, etc. The rally was further complemented with a tour of the Galle Fort guided by leading historian Juliet Coombe and ended at Mirissa Hills with a delicious late lunch followed by awards for winners.

The winner of the ‘Star Drive’ was the Father and Son duo Mahesh Mallawarachchi and Milindu Mallawarachchi. They were the only ones to name all traditional Sri Lankan sweets correctly whilst the second place went to Dharshana Ratnayaka and his nephew Amrith Ratnayaka. The third place was won by two brothers, Primal and Prashan Wijenayake.

President of the Mercedes-Benz Club of Sri Lanka Sunil de Costa said: “The main objective of organising such fun rallies for the membership was to build strong bonds between members, discuss and share common ideas and to showcase the proud heritage of Mercedes-Benz automobiles in Sri Lanka.”

The Mercedes-Benz Club of Sri Lanka was established 23 years ago with the main objective of increasing the motoring interest among Mercedes-Benz owners and to strengthen the brand promise. Many events including the ‘Mercedes-Benz Pageant,’ which brings over 500 ‘Stars’ to one location are organised by the Mercedes-Benz Club of Sri Lanka. Cars from pre-war era to the most modern models take part in this glamorous event, which is held annually. It is an event eagerly awaited by all Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts.

DIMO, the Authorised Distributor for Mercedes-Benz in Sri Lanka, has been the patron of the club from inception and is now heading towards 75 years of partnership with Mercedes-Benz manufacturer – Daimler AG.  This partnership is considered to be one of the oldest distributor agreements with Daimler AG in the world that has benefited all owners with unmatched service standards in the country.