| Daytona Beach Bike Week | |
|---|---|
Activity on Main Street, Bike Week 2008 |
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| Location(s) | Daytona Beach, Florida, USA |
| Inaugurated | 1937 |
| Attendance | 500,000 |
| Patron | Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce |
| Website | http://www.officialbikeweek.com/ |
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.[1][2][3][4][5]
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The Daytona Beach Bike Week rally started as the Daytona 200 race on January 24, 1937. This first race was a 3.2 miles (5.1 km) beach and pavement course. It was won by Ed Kretz from 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.
There have been a number of deaths at the festival due to rider accidents.
| Year | Deaths | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15 [6] | Record at the time (only surpassed in 2006). |
| 2001 | 6 [7] | |
| 2002 | 13 [8] | |
| 2003 | 1 [8] | |
| 2006 | 20 [9] | Highest recorded annual death toll. |
| 2007 | 8 [9] | |
| 2008 | 7 | [9] |
| 2009 | 7 | |
| 2010 | 5 | |
| 2011 | 6 |
Law enforcement for Bike Week is provided by the Daytona Beach Police Department and the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
In April 2009, a New York-based holding company named Mettemp filed a claim in the State of New York as being the owner of the phrase "Daytona Beach Bike Week." Daytona Beach area businesses that have marketed t-shirts and other products with this slogan have been contacted by the NY company, claiming infringement of trademark. The Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, which actually sponsors the Bike Week event, has challenged the NY Trademark and has hired the law firm of Cobb Cole to contest Mettemp's claim and block the New York company's bid to obtain a federal trademark.[10][11]
In 1991, the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau created a second motorcycle festival event in October, named Biketoberfest. Biketoberfest is usually scheduled for the weekend immediately following Columbus Day, although some participants arrive on Columbus Day weekend and visit for the entire week. Part of the fun is a twelve-mile ride along a scenic route, known as the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail. Daytona International Speedway also sponsors some motorcycle races to coincide with the dates of Biketoberfest.[12] [13]
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