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/930926
VOL. 55 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 23, 2018 P99 race! The fans, made aware of Hillbish's situation, went nuts when he took the checkered flag a lap ahead of Ben Campanale, who would go on to win the Daytona 200 in 1938 and '39. Springfield (Massachusetts) Indian Motor- cycle Dealer Fritzie Baer was instrumental in bringing the New England Gypsy Tour races to the Belknap Recreational Area in Laconia, New Hampshire. Interestingly, Baer later left Indian to become managing director of the park. In that capacity, he promoted the Laconia Classic (now called the Loudon Classic) road races through 1963. In spite of being called the Laconia Classic, the Belknap Park circuit was actually located in neighboring Gilford. The first national at Belknap in 1938 was a 200-miler won by Daytona winner Iron Man Ed Kretz on an Indian. That gave Kretz several dis- tinctions—he was the first rider to win what would become known as the Laconia Classic, he was the first rider outside of the northeastern part of the country to win the national race associated with the New England Gypsy Tour, and finally he was the only 200-mile winner of the Laconia Clas- sic. In 1939 the race at Belknap would become a 100 miler. With the scenic environment and exciting course at Belknap, the New England Tour had found a permanent home for its big race. The races throughout the years would see improve- ment to the one-mile course, going from all dirt or gravel, to being paved. It went from being classi- fied a TT national to a road race national in 1940. The race grew steadily, but then absolutely exploded in popularity after it resumed after World War II. Look at images of the race in the 1940s and '50s and you'll see just massive crowds of fans crowded around the length of the wooded circuit. Word of the race spread and CBS made Laconia one its earliest annual sporting events covered. Laconia went along fine until the early 1960s when unruly attendees started drawing strong complaints from local residents. It reached a breaking point and in 1964 the New England Dealer Association announced it could not come to an agreement with local officials to host the rally and the race. The answer to renew the race was to build a specially built road course and Bryar Motors- ports Park was completed at nearby Loudon in time for the renewal of what would now become the Loudon Classic. Unfortunately, in order to satisfy complaints by local citizens, local officials went way too heavy handed in '65. They enacted unreasonable local ordinances that basically allowed police to arrest groups of three of more people who were "loitering." In order to enforce these stringent rules with 20,000 motorcyclists, a large group of National Guardsmen were stationed in place at Weirs Beach setting the stage for over-policing resulting in an outbreak of violence now called the Weir's Beach Riot. Thousands of Laconia attendees threw rocks, burned cars and damaged buildings during night of rioting in this resort area. More than 100 per- sons were arrested and more than 60 persons were treated at hospitals. The '65 riots marked a turning point for the rally. It gradually diminished in numbers, though the national races went on at Loudon through 2002. Incidentally, the nighttime partying at the new track became both legendary and infamous with the view from Animal Hill looking like some- thing out of Apocalypse Now on particularly crazy evenings. The rally continues today and races are still held during Laconia Bike Week, but have been club events now since 2002, but for an amazing stretch from the late 1930s to the early 2000s, the Laconia/Loudon Classic was one of the truly elite motorcycle racing events in America, and attracted massive crowds. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives