SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The 2024 image of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for many is likely larger motorcycles parked in the street and thousands of people gathered at concerts.

But the rally’s roots are in racing. The rally was started in 1938 to provide races for motorcyclists, according to numerous historical descriptions of the rally.

Now, the city of Sturgis wants to add a street race starting this summer and over the following five years. The city has a contract with AMA-Pro, AFT-E and Ǿuterkind for the races, but on April 9 voters will decide the fate of the street race. Voters can reject or accept a street race.

Racing started when J. C. (“Pappy”) Hoel worked with the Jackpine Gypsies, a local motorcycle club, for a race at the local fairgrounds. The number of participants grew over the years.

According to Law Tigers, a motorcycle lawyers group, the first race in 1938 drew nine participants who competed for a $500 first prize. That would be $10,000 today, according to Law Tigers.

In 1961, the Jackpine Gypsies started the Hill Climb and motocross races.

The planned race on some of the downtown streets is a cost far different from 1938. City documents said the cost for the first year of the street race is $653,962. Those involved believe the city’s cost will be covered by event revenue. “however, there is no guarantee that this will happen,” a copy of the voting ballot posted by the city said.

The city attempted a street race for 2023 but “We were not able to secure an organization to stage the race on the streets of Sturgis,” Deb Holland, the city’s director of communications said today

In the 2022 Sturgis Rally report, the planned 2023 downtown street race “harkens back to the racing legacy of Sturgis.”

Sturgis did co-sponsor an AMA race in 2023 at the Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, Holland said.

Holland said the goal with the planned street race is to bring in a new demographic to the rally.

The city has been targeting a different or new demographic for the rally since 2016, former city manager Daniel Ainslie said in an Oct. 31 KELOLAND News story.

“After the 2016 rally, the city began specifically targeting some younger individuals and a younger market as well as ensuring it was a broader market that we were appealing to,” Ainslie said in the story.

Holland said the planned 2024 street race would not be a ticketed event.

A social media group called Sturgis Citizens For Change has been vocal in opposition to the street race citing an apparent need for tax dollars to achieve the race. At least two residents presented the petition for the street race vote.

Several downtown businesses have concerns or are opposed to the planned street race, according to multiple media reports.