Hundreds of thousands of bikers are making their way to Daytona Beach this month to soak up the warm Florida sunshine and celebrate Daytona Bike Week.
This huge motorcycle rally is held every year on the first week of March in Daytona Beach, Florida and the festivities include motorcycle races, parties, live music and street festivals. It is one of the most popular motorcycle events in the United States.
The 2012 Bike Week will be held on March 9-18th.
A Long Tradition
Daytona Beach Bike Week began back in 1937 as the Daytona 200 motorcycle race, which took place around the 3.2 mile pavement and beach course.
The winner of this first race was Ed Kretz from Monteray Park, California who rode an Indian Motorcycle and averaged 73 miles per hour.
Although the event was not held from 1942-1947 due to World War II, it resumed in 1947 and quickly skyrocketed in popularity.
A Wide Variety of Events
There are many great events that motorcycle-lovers will enjoy during the festival. For example, there is the “Alligator Road Tour” which is a guided bike ride that takes participants to a mystery destination.
The Daytona Supercross is also held, where the world champion riders battle a very demanding and challenging course at the Daytona International Speedway.
Some of the best bikes in the USA are on display at the Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show, which is held at the Water Park on Daytona Beach.
There is also live music playing all week long at the Bank & Blues Club, such as Mike Dugan & Dirty Harry, The Razorbacks and Selwyln Birchwood.
This year marks the grand opening of the Museum at the Original Harley-Davidson store on Beach Street. This fascinating museum has a variety of rare motorcycles on display as well as many interesting artifacts from the life of the Bruce RossMeyer who was an important player in the motorcycle industry.
At the end of the week, the grand finale of the festival will be the race that started it all, the Daytona 200. Enjoying America’s most historic motorcycle race on a beautiful Florida beach is truly a dream experience for any motorcycling enthusiast.
