THE REAL THE RAW THE RACE

Vintage Motorcycle Racing – Daytona Beach was and is where it’s at!

1937 was the first year the Daytona 200 Motorcycle Race was run on the packed sand track on Daytona Beach. This race is where it all started…the origin of Bike Week. Racing was the main focus of the event, with the beach course approximately 4.2 miles of sand and was located south of Daytona Beach. The race was postponed for 5 years during World War II, but Bike Week still carried on.

Over the years, there were amateur and pro races, at times having more than 375 racers kicking up the sand. In 1948, the average speed was 84mph. That same year, an Indian motorcycle was the race champion. Today, a monument located at 100 N. Atlantic Avenue, Daytona Beach stands in memory of the beach races of yesteryear. Beach Racers still meet during Bike Week for their “Over the Hill Gang” annual breakfast, and there is also an annual service at the Monument honoring the history of the Daytona 200 Motorcycle Beach Race.

Along with the evolution of Bike Week, The Daytona 200 has since been moved to blacktop of the Daytona International Speedway. And decades later, Billy Lane resurrected the board track racing tradition and brings alive Sons of Speed racing at New Smyrna Speedway, which is one half mile asphalt track with a 20degree bank.

Perfect October weather – great track conditions – and the home town crowd made for

An exciting afternoon of old iron, some newer faces, and an overall great event! This is the 6^th year since Sons of Speed was launched during Bike Week in 2017, rescheduled due to the hurricane that damaged the track in October, 2016.

Trey Clark, Master of Ceremonies did well perched high up in the crows nest (he doesn’t like heights!!!) – with Chris Callen/Cycle Source Magazine as Flagman.