Loudon Classic - Motorcycle Weekend - 1985

In 1985 my roommate and I liked riding motorcycles so we decided to head north to watch the races in Loudon, NH.

Race weekend had a bad reputation.  The campground was a scary place.  No police, ambulance, or fire would go in.  Anything happened in the campground and you would need to be carried to the ambulance waiting at the front entrance.  

Up on Animal Hill we saw cars on fire, motorcycles on fire, lots of drinking, and guys jumping Harley's over burning bikes.  One guy went up a makeshift ramp, over a burning motorcycle lying on the ground, landed in the gravel and cracked up.  His arm, shoulder, and chest was all torn up. (no shirt or helmet)  They slowly took him to the ambulance.  It wasn't the safest place to venture. 

I wanted to take pictures of the racing and get close to the track so we headed in.  I took pictures at turn 4.  We were close had a great viewing point as the bikes came off the turn.  I am still scavenging to find more pictures.  No digital cameras back then.

 

Several years later they cleaned it all up.  NASCAR was talking about racing in NH.  It would mean tearing everything down and rebuilding the track, stands, etc.  If the track events and the track reputation didn't get more family friendly NASCAR would go elsewhere.  

The track was rebuilt, new stands, etc. and the events were cleaned up.  NASCAR now races here twice a year.  The motorcycle races are the last weekend of NH Motorcycle Week and much more family friendly now. 

I wish I could find the rest of my pics ...

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