| Sturgis Motorcycle Rally | |
|---|---|
Motorcycles lined up on Main Street during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. |
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| Date(s) | First week in August |
| Location(s) | Sturgis, South Dakota, United States |
| Inaugurated | 1938 |
| Attendance | 600,000 (2000)[1] 400,000 (2008)[2] |
| Genre | Motorcycle rally |
| Website | www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com |
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is an American motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, usually the first full week of August.
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The first rally was held on August 14, 1938, by the "Jackpine Gypsies" motorcycle club,[3] who still own and operate the tracks, hillclimb, and field areas where the rally is centered. The first event was called the "Black Hills Classic" and consisted of a single race with nine participants and a small audience. The founder is generally considered to be Clarence "Pappy" Hoel. He purchased an Indian Motorcycle franchise in Sturgis in 1936 and formed the "Jackpine Gypsies" that same year.[3]
The focus of a motorcycle rally was originally racing and stunts. In 1961, the rally was expanded to include the Hillclimb and Motocross races.[3] This could include half-mile track racing (the first year in Sturgis, there were 19 participants), intentional board wall crashes, ramp jumps and head-on collisions with automobiles.
The Sturgis Rally has been held every year, with exceptions during World War II. For instance, in 1942, the event was not held due to gasoline rationing.[3]
In recent years, the revitalization of motorcycling and new fans of the old rallies have led to increased attendance of classic rallies such as Sturgis. Attendance has been estimated at 514,951 in 2004, 525,250 in 2005, and 754,844 in 2000. Many of the new attendees of the Sturgis Rally are families, bringing their children and driving trailers and campers to the rally, riding their motorcycles the last few miles.[4] This has prompted several of the attendees to start wearing patches and shirts saying "I Rode Mine to Sturgis" with the date instead of the traditional patch stating that the wearer attended the event in that year.
In 1997, the crew from the COPS television series attended the rally, as well as Dennis Rodman. From 1996 to 1999, World Championship Wrestling held a pay-per-view event called Hog Wild (re-named Road Wild after the 1996 event).[5]
Annual television coverage of the festival by the VH1 Classic network includes interviews and performances as well as rock music videos. The rally was featured in 2005 as part of the ESPN SportsCenter promotion 50 States in 50 Days.[6]
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