Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week® Honors Its Roots

Tower Hillclimb at Laconia Motorcycle Week

June 8th-16th, 2024 – New Hampshire – home to America’s Original Riding Rally®

LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, UNITED STATES, May 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Fresh off its 100th year celebration, Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week^® returns to Laconia, New Hampshire on June 8th with a nod to its history on full display. At 101, Laconia remains the world’s oldest motorcycle rally^®, more than a decade older than its sister rallies, Daytona and Sturgis. It started back in 1916 as a “Gypsy Tour” a term used for a gathering of riders for the purpose of sharing a like-minded love of riding, usually with a destination in mind. That year it was Laconia and since then (save for a few years interrupted by world events), the tradition has continued, slowly gaining momentum and culminating at its peak in the early 2000’s with over 400,000 attending. Still, the Gypsy Tour seed remains at the heart of Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week^®, with multiple races, events and organized rides planned for this year that pay homage to its origins.

On June 9th and 10th the FIM North America Vintage Road Racing Championships take place at Canaan Motor Club in Canaan, New Hampshire. The event is sponsored by the United States Classic Racing Association (USCRA), the oldest continually operating vintage road racing organization in the country and whose roots can be traced to Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week^®. It sponsored the very first vintage race at, what is now NH Motor Speedway and continues to run the event as part of Motorcycle Week. Also on June 9th, the AMA Gypsy Tour leaves Rally Headquarters in Laconia bound for Canaan to attend the races.

On June 11th the 70+ Mile Scenic Gypsy Tour will lead riders to Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel, Maine. Bentley’s, owned by racing legend Bentley Warren, is a biker-friendly restaurant, bar and HUGE campground. Bentley’s Saloon features motorcycle shows, live entertainment and outdoor tournaments all summer long. For the past 14 years it has hosted its own Biker Rally, coinciding with Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week^®. This year’s 70+ Mile Scenic Gypsy Tour, led by Bentley himself, leaves Rally Headquarters at 11am.

Also on June 11th, The Tower Street Hill Climb takes place from 11am to 3pm on Tower Street at Weirs Beach. Tower Street is the original location of what would later become the Gunstock Hill Climb. The inaugural 1916 Rally included an informal competition to see who could make it up Tower Street (then a dirt road) the fastest. In 2018 the Rally’s organizers revived the event as an expo, featuring vintage motorcycles racing up the now paved road, lined with spectators.

The expo is sponsored by USCRA and admission is free to the general public. There will be a coinciding antique motorcycle show on Lakeside Avenue during the event.

Rounding out the week’s Gypsy Tours is the Covered Bridge Gypsy Tour on Wednesday, June 12th, a 170+ mile guided tour throughout scenic New Hampshire and encompassing at least 6 historic covered bridges.

“Every year we host this event we make history,” explains Charlie St. Clair, Executive Director of Laconia Motorcycle Week Association. “It’s only fitting that we continue with the tradition of organizing Gypsy Tours and other events that pay tribute to our origins. In that spirit, we’re honored to have the USCRA participate in the 101st Progressive Laconia Motorcycle Week^® and can’t thank them enough for bringing events like the FIM North America Vintage Road Racing Championships and Tower Street Hill Climb to our Rally every year.”

Laconia Motorcycle Week^® gives great appreciation to all of our sponsors, especially our Presenting Sponsors: Progressive, AMSOIL and American Iron Outfitters, as well as the State of New Hampshire for their large financial support of our rally each year.

For more information about visiting the state of NH, check out visitnh.gov.
Laconia – where rallies were invented!

Jennifer Anderson
Laconia Motorcycle Week Assoc.
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