Bike Week in Daytona Beach

By Teri Champigny

The first ‘Bike Week’ in Daytona Beach was held in 1937 and it has happened every year since. Maybe it is the hard white sand beaches or maybe is just the mild winter days that keeps leather clad bikers (and biker babes) returning to Daytona Beach year after year after year. Whatever the reason, they come and they come in greater numbers every year.  

The Daytona 200 is the premier event. The race was first won by Ed Kretz. Mr. Kretz was from California and he won with an eye-popping speed of 73.34 miles per hour on the 3.2 mile course. These races continued from 1937 through 1941. The race was often referred to as ‘The Handlebar Derby’ by the locals.

The race was discontinued between 1941 and 1947 because of the war in Europe and the rationing of tires and fuel. The American Motorcycling Association (AMA) said that it was “in the interests of national defense” that the event was canceled.

The famous motorcycle race resumed in 1947. It was promoted by the legendary Bill France. Newspaper stories of the period tell us that the city fathers asked townspeople to open their homes to the visiting motorcyclists because all hotel rooms and camping areas were filled to capacity. The 1947 Daytona 200 boasted a record 176 riders.

Daytona Beach fell out of love with the bikers and Bike week. The locals objected to the noise and the crowds. The races themselves were organized and orderly but the activities that surrounded the races were anything but organized and orderly. Law enforcement officers and officials were strained as were the relations with the bikers. Bike Week became known as the ‘Invasion’. Things got ugly.  When things appeared to be at their worst (after the 1986 event), a special task force was organized by Daytona Beach in cooperation with the local chamber of commerce to improve relations, sooth ruffled feathers and to gain better control of the event.

Things did in fact change. One of the more important changes was that the event was extended from one week to a period of ten days. For events other than the races themselves, permits were required. The area in which the events were held was enlarged and as things were spread out there was a great deal less violence and many fewer deaths. One death is, of course, too many but fewer was a definite improvement. This year the crowds were estimated to have been between 300,000 and 500,000.

Bike Week (as it is still called even though it lasts ten days) is a very big deal for the local merchants. It contributes greatly to the local economy every year. Today there is much better control of the situation and Daytona Beach is again welcoming bikers and biker babes to their city with open arms.

Bike Week in Daytona Beach winds down just about the same time that Spring Break in Daytona Beach is getting started. The bikes roar out of town just as the bikini clad college students arrive. Daytona Beach! You have to love it!