Daytona Beach Bike Week
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Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Approximately 500,000 people make their way to the rally area for the 10-day event. The festivities include motorcycle racing, concerts, parties, and street festivals. The event is usually held on the first full week of March and contends with the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as the most popular motorcycle rally in the United States. A new international Bike Week is being organized in Jaco Costa Rica, Jaco Bike Week Jaco Bike Week website.
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[edit] History
The rally started as the Daytona 200 on January 24, 1937. This first race in Daytona was a 3.2 miles (5.1 km) beach and pavement course, and won by Ed "Ironman" Kretz from Monterey Park, California, riding an Indian motorcycle with an average speed of 73.34 mph (118.03 km/h).
This yearly race took a break from 1942 to 1947 due to World War II. During the years off, an unofficial event was still taking place commonly called Bike Week.
In 1947 the official race resumed and gained in popularity. The event was then promoted by the late William France Sr., co-founder of NASCAR.
[edit] Deaths and injuries
| Year | Deaths | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15 [1] | Record at the time (only surpassed in 2006). |
| 2001 | ? | |
| 2002 | ? | |
| 2003 | ? | |
| 2004 | ? | |
| 2005 | ? | |
| 2006 | 20 [2] | Highest recorded annual death toll. |
| 2007 | 8 [2] | |
| 2008 | current event | 7 [2] |
[edit] See also
- Bikes Blues and BBQ
- Black Hills Run
- Laconia Motorcycle Week
- Laughlin River Run
- Oyster Run
- Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official site of the Daytona Beach Bike Week
- Bike Week Pictures
- Events similar to Daytona bike week across the USA
- International bike week in Costa Rica
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