Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127369
PREVIEW Daytona Cycle Week ~ 50th 200highlightsmotorcycling'srite ofspring By Jack Mangus r ens of thousands of motor cyclists will converge in Dayton a Beach for th e sport 's annual rite of sp ri ng - Cycle Week. Daytona 's city fath ers expect that a record number of people will flock to the Florid a city to enjoy the raci ng , the beach , the su n , an d mor e raci ng . Highlighted by th e 50th ru nning of th e Dayton a 200 - .n ot th e 50th an niversary; the race whi ch was first run on th e beach in 1937 did not take place from 1942 through 1946 du e to World War II - th e week o ffers spectators th ree o ther National Ch am pi onsh ip events : a round of the Ca mel Supercross Series, and the open ing ro un ds of both the Camel Pro Series and th e 600 Nat ional Dirt T rack Seri es. Daytona Cycle Week is adve rt ised as Came l Motorcycle Week, thanks to th e continui ng flow of sponsorship dollars from th e tobacco arm of R.]. Reynolds, and the " week" is actually a 10-day period - March 1-10. Road rac ing o n a cl ub level, AMA/CCS, gets underway on Friday, March I, and ru ns throug ho u t th e weekend on the combin ed in field/ova l course at the Worl d Center of Speed. Racing co ntinues o n Monday in the form of an AH R MA-sanctio ned vintage road race meet on an abbrevia ted infield course. The vin tage meet gr o ws in popularity every , year and strolling through the open infield pit ar ea a llo ws spec tat ors to get a close view of th e machines of yesteryea r. Acti vities contin ue throughout the week a t the Speedway and roa d racing gets the gree n flag again on T hurs day with the ru nning of quali fyin g heat races, and agai n on Friday with severa l class final s o n tap. T he scene at th e Speedway shifts to motocross on Sa turday when the stars of the Came l Supercross Series tack le th e unique Pro fesso r Gary Ba ileydesigned and cons tructed course in front of the main gr an dsta nds. The week hits its pea k o n Sunday whe n a full slate of road races are run at the Speedway. The day's featu red event, the 50th Dayton a 200, will also be th e fin al race of Ca mel Mo torcycle Week 1991 , and the checkered flag th at waves for the wi nn er of tha t pr estigious race will be un furl ed at a pproxim ately 3:30 p.m . Besid es the man y events a t the Speedway, specta tors and competitors have dozens of events to wa tch or take par t in. In additio n to the two dirt track Nationals , p rofes sional short track races will be run Wednesday a nd T h urs day ni ght at Municipal Stadiu m and am ateur flat trackers get to do thei r thing earl ier in the week. The 41st Alli ga tor Enduro will take pl ace o n Thu rsd ay mo rn in g a n d hund reds of off-road riders will tackle what can be eit her a relatively easy or very difficult event. Rain prior to th e enduro can make it a rider's ni ghtmare. But rain also mak es it a specta tor 's deli ght. For Cycle Week attendees who are lookin g for mor e than raci ng , there's a myriad of ot her activities on tap, incl uding th e motor cycle show at th e Spe edwa y, a poker run , a parad e, an antiq ue bike auctio n, a swap meet, a safety sch ool, a dyn o sh ooto u t, a concours d'elegance, ni ghtl y ra d io shows, a blessing of the bikes, and much, mu ch mor e. Then, of course, th ere's T he World 's Most Fam ous Beach. If Mother Nature coo perates, sno wbirds who flock to Florida can acquire a tan, or as is just as often th e case, a dose of sunburn. And if you 're amo ng the majorit y of spectators wh o've driven or flown sout h to -Flo rida, nothing top s a dip in the Atlant ic Ocea n on a sunny day. If su nba thing and swimming isn 't your th ing, head to the beach and ride your bike o n it. Where else can you do that? You don't need us to tell you abo u t the man y well-advert ised tourist auraetions such as Disney World, the Space Center, etc. If you' re headed to Daytona from another planet and have never heard of such places, you' ll find out tha t tourist a ttractio n brochures are mo re in abunda nce than grains of sand on the beach. Racks full of the free broch ures lin e th e wall s of every motel, ho tel an d restaurant. Speaking of restaurants: if you 're a first-t im e Cycle Week a ue ndee, you'll no tice that Dayton a, like all tourist towns, ha s dozens a nd dozen s of dining spots. If you' re o n a budget, check out Morrison 's Cafeteri a or the a ll-you can-ea t buffet at either of the two Duff's in to wn . If you 're seeking a great steak, head ou t past th e Sp eedway to Gene's Steak ho use, but be sure and make a reserva tio n . Seafood ? Daytona and neighboring communities offer seafood lovers dozen s of restaurants that feature fresh fish. Our favorite is Down the Ha tch , whi ch is located so uth of Daytona at Ponce Inlet. Of course, Daytona offers you Ameri ca 's favorite food - fast food - a t co u n tless locati ons. What wo uld Cycle Week be without a night (or 10) of partying? Aga in, you 're lim ited in the number of night - spots and watering holes you can samp le o n ly by your budget and th e ever ru nni ng clock. Be for ewarned: Don 't be caught" with an open con tainer of beer or any other alcoholic beverage in public! That's a no-no in Dayton a. And let us repeat a message From 1937 through 1960, the Daytona 200 was run on the beach . Due to a . fu el shortage, th e 1980 race was sho rtened to 180 m iles. The 1977 race was schedu led to be run in two 100m ile legs, but rain forced th e cancelati on of th e second leg. The 50th Daytona 200 will get the , green flag at 1:30 p.m, on Sunday, March 10,' following the 600cc Supersport, 250cc International, and Twin Sports finals. 8