STURGIS, S.D. – Representatives from AMA Racing and American Flat Trackers held their post rally recap community forum last night to update Sturgis residents on this year’s inaugural Sturgis TT Race.
The race was held on the final day of this year’s rally, and according to CEO Gene Crouch, hit the mark on what they hoped to achieve this year.
Along with an additional 400,000 people watching the race live-stream, Crouch says they were able to tell the story of Sturgis in front of a national audience of half a million people. Further, he says there were 10-percent more people downtown Sturgis on the final day of the rally this year.
However, due to the late start in planning for the race, Crouch says this year’s race saw a shortfall.
With a full year to plan for the 2025 race, Crouch says they have already locked up a partnership to bring an AFT National Race to the Jackpine Gypsies short track on Monday and Tuesday of the Rally. The second annual Sturgis TT Race will again be held on the final Sunday of the Rally.
Crouch says racing officials also remain interested in bringing back to life the Sturgis Half Mile located on the fairgrounds property.
Having fallen into disrepair over the years, a lot of work will need to be done to bring it up to racing standards. However, Crouch says they are committed in doing so.
Lance Schere Sturgis Director of Sponsorships and Brand believes it is possible to get sponsorship interest in the half mile, if the community is interested.
The City of Sturgis had initially expressed an interest to sell a portion of the fairgrounds property to the Meade 46-1 School District. With a new mayor and council, whether or not that interest remains will be seen when it comes up for the first council meeting in January.
In the meantime, Crouch says they are committed to bringing an even better TT race to Sturgis next summer, and are expecting improvements over last year’s race. He says racers who were skeptical of the track ahead of the inaugural race were pleased with the turnout and look forward to coming back next year.
