With Daytona Bike Week just around the corner, we thought it appropriate to devote one of our blog posts to its history. Needless to say, Bike Week is one of the most important events to motorcycle enthusiasts around the country. More than 500,000 people attend the annual 10-day festival held along Florida's central east coast. By the way, today's Bike Week extends far beyond the city of Daytona Beach.
Daytona Bike Week started in 1937 as a rally to celebrate the inaugural running of the Daytona 200 motorcycle race. That first race, won by California biker Ed Kretz, took place on a 3.2-mile track that was a mixture of sand and pavement. Being that the sand portion of the race ran along the beach, it had to be scheduled according to local tide. The Daytona 200 continued uninterrupted through 1941.
In 1942, the race was called off due to World War II. However, that didn't stop bikers from visiting Daytona for an informal Bike Week celebration. The festivities continued growing over the next five years until the race was reinstated in 1947. It has run continuously ever since. You might also be interested to know that the course has changed multiple times in order to accommodate beach development, before being permanently moved to Daytona International Speedway in 1961.
The Dark Days
Daytona Bike Week has not always been the very public and well-received festival it is today. During the years immediately following the war, the annual rally endured some very dark days thanks to issues with outlaw motorcycle clubs and a propensity among individual bikers to engage in less than acceptable behavior.
The biggest problem in those early years was the lack of organization among the events not related to the race itself. Moreover, because there was no organization, problems ensued. There are plenty of stories of outlaw motorcycle clubs coming to Bike Week and forcing vendors to pay a 'tax' just to sell. Vendors unwilling to pay up would have to deal with the outlaws who approached them. The practice eventually came to an end when the government stepped in and began taxing just about everything connected with the rally.
As for those individual bikers who had trouble obeying the law, things progressively got worse over the years. Problems included everything from drunk driving to vandalism to violent crime. The festival eventually became an event dreaded by local residents, police, and political officials alike. All of that changed when a joint task force was set up following the 1986 edition.
The task force was made up of police officials, business representatives, citizen groups, and local leaders. They set about to repair the broken relationships between bikers and residents. Before long, Daytona Bike Week was again an event the city of Daytona Beach began looking forward to.
Bike Week Today
Through the efforts of many dedicated individuals and groups, the Bike Week of today is an outstanding event drawing bikers from across the U.S. and multiple countries. It normally takes place during the first full week of March, though the date has been known to change based on other events happening at Daytona International Speedway.
Daytona Bike Week runs from a Friday through the next full week, eventually concluding on the Sunday 10 days out. This year's rally runs from March 6-15; the perfect time to be in Florida, especially for Northern bikers who have been waiting all winter to get their machines out of storage. March in Florida offers plenty of beautiful sunshine, comfortably warm temperatures, and lots to see and do.
If you've never been to Daytona Bike Week, you owe it to yourself to come down to Florida one of these years. It is an event like no other. You will make plenty of new friends, see some incredible machines, and just have a heck of a good time. And if you're like most bikers, one visit will not be enough. You will come back year after year.
As for those of us who consider ourselves Daytona Bike Week veterans, we are eternally grateful to Ed Kretz, Bill France, and everyone else who contributed in those early years to make the rally what it is today. Their forward thinking and willingness to do something completely different is that which enables all of us to enjoy the modern incarnation of one of the best rallies on the annual calendar. We look forward to many more years of Daytona Beach and motorcycles in March.
Comments