Dodge City 300 Looking To Celebrate Centennial Anniversary In 2014

In 1914 the city of Dodge City, Kansas held a motorcycle race, the Dodge City 300, attracting over 17,000 spectators. By 1921 there were more than 20,000. The race was held on a two-mile dirt oval and was sanctioned by the FAM (Federation of American Motorcyclists).

Many manufacturers of the time attended, including Excelsior, Indian, Flying Merkel, Thor, Pope and Harley-Davidson, which was entering its first sanctioned race. In 2014, a small group of passionate residents are reviving the celebration for its centennial anniversary, tentatively scheduled for July 1 – July 6, 2014.

“There was literally train load after train load of spectators, participants and sponsors coming off the train,” local race historian Roger Burnett told www.hutchnews.com. ”It was so unbelievable you could make a movie about it.”

Burnett and others including Oliver Bland and Mark Mahieu are part of the team who formed the Dodge City 300 Centennial Group in order to organize a week-long celebration in 2014 to commemorate their little town’s big, historical race.

According to the report in HutchNews, the biggest hurdle facing the group is funding. They’re working on attracting sponsorship and participation from Harley-Davidson and Indian, who both were involved in the original races. On the bright side, the group already has local support from Main Street Dodge City and area businesses.

www.RidingVintage.com has reported some of the activities planned for the 2014 event include:

For more information on the Dodge City 300, including ways you can lend your support, visit www.dodgecity300.org.

By Troy Siahaan