Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

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Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Main Street Sturgis South Dakota Bike Week.jpg
Motorcycles lined up on Main Street during the Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Dates 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.

Contents

[edit] History

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] Jackpine Gypsies was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1997.[4]

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]

[edit] Rally impact on community

The City of Sturgis has calculated that the Rally brings over 800 million dollars to South Dakota annually.[5] The City of Sturgis earned almost $270,000 in 2011 from selling event guides and sponsorships. In an unusual licensing arrangement criticized by Jack Hoel, son of rally creator Pappy Hoel, the city had to buy rights to its own name from the corporation that owns the trademark rights for terms such as "Sturgis Motorcycle Rally".[6]

There were 405 individuals jailed at the 2004 rally, and approximately $250,000 worth of motorcycles stolen annually.[7] Rally-goers are a mix of white-collar and blue-collar workers and are generally welcomed as an important source of income for Sturgis and surrounding areas.[8] The rally turns local roads into "parking lots",[8] and draws local law enforcement away from routine patrols.[9]

The Lakota Indian tribe has complained of noise from the event disturbing the sacred Bear Butte, but also acknowledged that income from the event was important to keep tribal members from being forced to seek employment elsewhere.[10]

[edit] Transportation to Sturgis

Many attendees of the Sturgis Rally have families, bring their children and drive trailers and campers to the rally, and ride their motorcycles just the last few miles. The director of the rally estimated in 2005 that less than half the attendees actually rode there.[11] Shipping companies transport thousands of motorcycles to Sturgis for attendees who arrive via airline.[11]

[edit] Media coverage

[edit] Print and online

The Rapid City Journal features daily coverage of the Sturgis Rally.[12]

[edit] Television

In 1997, the crew from the COPS television series attended the rally, as well as Dennis Rodman.[13] From 1996 to 1999, World Championship Wrestling held a pay-per-view event called Hog Wild (renamed Road Wild after the 1996 event).[14]

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.[15]

[edit] Documentaries

The Travel Channel repeatedly shows two one-hour (43 minutes runtime) documentaries about Sturgis:

[edit] Gallery

  • 2005 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Granny in sidecar.jpg
  • 2008 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, street at night.jpg
  • 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Biker Portrait. Rider Portrait 2.jpg
  • 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, bar.jpg
  • 2007 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Burnout.jpg

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, South Dakota Office of Tourism, http://www.travelsd.com/about/events/sturgis/, retrieved 2010-01-07
  2. ^ Rally statistics, Sturgis City Rally Department, http://www.sturgis.com/2kstats.html, retrieved 2010-01-07
  3. ^ a b c d Official Site: Rally History
  4. ^ "Jackpine Gypsies", Motorcycle Hall of Fame (American Motorcyclist Association), http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=344, retrieved 2012-02-02
  5. ^ 70th Sturgis motorcycle rally statistics compiled by the city of Sturgis and the rally department, Black Hills State University, February 8, 2011, http://www.bhsu.edu/StudentLife/Living/ResidenceLife/SturgisRally/RallyNews/tabid/11232/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/3453/70th-Sturgis-motorcycle-rally-statistics-compiled-by-the-city-of-Sturgis-and-the-rally-department.aspx, retrieved 2013-01-25
  6. ^ Deb Holland (January 9, 2013), "City will continue to pay to use Sturgis name", Rapid City Journal, http://rapidcityjournal.com/sturgisrallydaily/news/city-will-continue-to-pay-to-use-sturgis-name/article_1df0b2df-598d-51d6-9131-62b663e39e56.html, retrieved 2013-01-25
  7. ^ Dalton, Aaron (August 1, 2005), "Biggest thing on two wheels.(TECHWATCH: This Month)", Popular Mechanics (Hearst Magazines via HighBeam Research.), http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-134210834.html, retrieved 2013-01-25
  8. ^ a b "Profile: Thousands of Harley riders converge on small South Dakota town every year for a rally", Morning Edition (National Public Radio via HighBeam Research.), August 9, 2000, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-31350798.html, retrieved 2013-01-25
  9. ^ Vellani, Karim (May 1, 2000), "Security + Service = Satisfaction.", Journal of Property Management (via HighBeam Research), http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-63795876.html, retrieved 2013-01-25
  10. ^ "In Sturgis, a Clash Over Motorcycle Rally", All Things Considered (National Public Radio via HighBeam Research.), August 2, 2006, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-127005495.html, retrieved 2013-01-25
  11. ^ a b Higgins, Michelle (2005-08-05). "The Really Easy Rider". The New York Times. http://travel.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/automobiles/05sturgis.html. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  12. ^ "Sturgis Rally Daily", Rapid City Journal, http://rapidcityjournal.com/sturgisrallydaily/, retrieved 2013-01-25
  13. ^ Cops Episode 147: Sturgis Bike Rally in South Dakota, imdb.com, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0545885/, retrieved 2012-01-28
  14. ^ "2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts". Wrestling’s Historical Cards (Kappa Publishing): pp. 144. 2007.
  15. ^ "50 States in 50 Days". ESPN>com. 10 August 2005. Archived from the original on 10 August 2005. http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/fiftyfifty/index. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
  16. ^ Sturgis: The Wild Ride at the Internet Movie Database
  17. ^ Sturgis Cops at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally


Large American motorcycle rallies

Coordinates: 44°24′52″N 103°30′32″W / 44.41444°N 103.50889°W / 44.41444; -103.50889

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