Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/738714
40 nNovember 2016n www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS by Hunter W. Thompson STURGIS, S.D. AUG. 26–28— Last year, after the 75th Sturgis Rally, rumors were fl ying around that the City of Sturgis was contemplating bulldozing the historic Sturgis half- mile dirt track at the Meade County Fairgrounds in favor of new apartment buildings. This notion didn't sit well with Brittney Olsen of 20th Century Racing whose team just fi nished winning four fi rst-place and four sec- ond-place titles at the rally. During an acceptance speech, with tears in her eyes Brittney broke the news to the race fans and then promptly decided to do something about it. Together with Bruce Eide of Sturgis Indian Motorcycles, they developed a plan and The Spirit of Sturgis Motorcycle Races was born. For those of you not familiar with Brittney Olsen, she has been tearing up the tracks in the current resurgence of vintage and board track racing for several years. But let's back up a little. You know what a vintage race is; old bikes racing each other, right? But what is board track racing? Board track, or motordrome, racing basically consisted of a large oval made out of 2'x2' and 2'x4' wooden planks with turns that sometimes banked up to 60 degrees, allowing a bike to maintain speeds up to 100 mph. And much like the Walls of Death we see at rallies today, just imagine that on a ¼-mile or even bigger scale. Yeah, that's a lot of timber. Although board track racing was outlawed years ago due to the obvious dangers (impalement by wood being the biggest), today this tradition is carried on via dirt fl at tracks much like the half mile we are on today. This is also where the huge rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian began, although other contenders, such as Excelsior, Cyclone and the Flying Merkel were around too. Brittney's husband, Matt Olsen, has also made quite a name for him- self as a two-time veteran of the Iron Butt Rally and has competed in the Motorcycle Cannonball with his dad Carl Olsen. Brittney has come on the vintage bike scene like a speed demon. From her period-correct vintage apparel to her unwaver- ing purist attitude and just sheer guts, this girl is defi nitely going places. Together the Olsens have formed 20th Century Racing. Based in Aberdeen, South Dakota, its mission statement proclaims: "We set our sights high and aim to preserve the magnifi cent history of early motorcycle racing by generating excitement, gaining interest and edu- cating current and future motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world, through our antique motorcycle racing adventures!" Being an inaugural event, and given the fact that they had only been given the green light to proceed back in April, the number of racer entries was less than planned for. So the orig- inal classifi cations were consolidated and the warm-up laps and race order were grouped into six categories from the original 14 as follows: Singles through 1989, PeeWee Class 50cc and 80cc, 250/360 Vintage through 1981 and Hand-Shift 1936 through 1951, Pre-80's "Run what ya Brung" Hooligans through 1989, Board Trackers through 1928, and Vintage Twins through 1923. Before things got started a water truck circled the track taming the dirt and the mud from Thursday night's storm. The previous night's rain did little to dampen the spirits of these hardcore riders, however, especially the young ones who were racing for the fi rst time. With clear skies in the fore- cast it was time to see some dirt and a little mud fl y. Team Olsen had planned on Brittney riding the "The Spirit of Sturgis," a 1938 Indian Sport Scout while husband Matt rode "Little Sure Shot," a 1923 Harley-Davidson J-model restored by Carl's Cycle which just happens to be Matt's dad's shop. But as motorcycles go, especially bikes of this vintage, sometimes just keeping them running is half the battle. And the THE SPIRIT OF STURGIS VINTAGE MOTORCYCLE FESTIVAL SAVING THE TRACK SAVING THE TRACK Inaugural event benefi ts historic half-mile Brittney Olsen riding "The Spirit of Sturgis" 1938 Indian Sport Scout #21 Chuck Beving, #18 John McClelland and #18 Mark Ericson Pee Wee winners— (l.–r.) Sierra Wold-Fortier, Daniel Wold-Fortier, Waterland Maken and Sage Wold-Fortier