Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club

About Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club

Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club is an AMA chartered club at 1216 Short Track Road in Sturgis, South Dakota, with about 40 acres of racing grounds alongside Interstate 90. It is one of the oldest motorcycle clubs in the country and it is the club that started the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The property holds a lighted short track, a motocross track, a hill climb area, a field meet area and a clubhouse, and the club races on it throughout the year.

The Birthplace of Sturgis

Clarence Hoel, known to everyone as Pappy, bought an Indian motorcycle franchise in Sturgis in 1936 and formed the Jackpine Gypsies. The club received its official AMA charter the following year, and on August 14, 1938 it held the first Black Hills Motor Classic. Nine racers took the line in front of a small crowd.

That event became the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which now draws hundreds of thousands of people every August. The club still owns and operates the tracks, hill climb and field areas where the rally’s racing is centered, which makes this one of the few places in motorsport where the original organization still runs the original ground.

The Jackpine Gypsies were inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1997, and Pappy Hoel entered the AMA Hall of Fame the following year. The club has also been named top road club by the AMA.

Four Disciplines on One Property

Few clubs anywhere offer this range on a single site.

The short track was first used in 1963 and has been improved steadily since, gaining a wider surface, permanent seating, a better lighting system, an announcer, a sign up building and a clubhouse that houses the concession operation.

A motocross track was added in the 1980s and replaced with a new track in 1996. The hill climb area gives riders the steep, technical challenge the Black Hills terrain is suited to, and the field meet area supports the club’s older traditions.

Across the year the club runs motocross, hare scrambles, flat track, hill climbs, vintage TT and more, with events for all ages. Racing is AMA sanctioned and tied to AMA District 30 in South Dakota. The Gypsie Moto Series runs from spring through summer.

Rally Week

The first full week of August is when this property becomes one of the busiest motorsports venues in the country. During the Sturgis Rally the club has run as many as a dozen events, including motocross racing, a half mile race, hill climbs, road tours and short track racing, drawing thousands of spectators and hundreds of racers.

The club’s Gypsies Tour is the other long running rally tradition, a group ride through the Black Hills that has introduced generations of riders to the region’s roads.

A Club Built Around Kids and Community

The Jackpine Gypsies are a non profit with membership well past 150 people living across the United States and abroad. The average member is around 40, but the average racer is in their early twenties, which says something about who the club is really serving.

The club opens its facilities to local racing families so children can develop skills on the oval or take on the hill and moguls while their parents work the pits. That youth pipeline has been part of the operation since the early days, when the club created points opportunities for young racers at the fairgrounds half mile.

Off the track, the club donates to the local food bank, Sturgis High School, the Zonta Club of Sturgis and the Christian Motorcycle Association, has been a Sturgis Chamber of Commerce member for decades, and helped build the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

Getting There and What to Know

The grounds sit on Short Track Road alongside I-90 between exits 30 and 32, on the edge of the Black Hills.

Camping is generally not permitted on the property. Minors need a notarized release to race, so handle that paperwork before you arrive. Event dates and track prep move with the calendar and the weather, so confirm before hauling.

The club phone is 605-347-6022 and email is . Schedules and membership information are on jackpinegypsies.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the Jackpine Gypsies start the Sturgis Rally?

Yes. The club held the first Black Hills Motor Classic on August 14, 1938, and that event grew into the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The club still owns and runs the original racing grounds.

When was the club founded?

1936, by Clarence Pappy Hoel. It received its AMA charter in 1937.

What tracks are on the property?

A lighted short track, a motocross track, a hill climb area and a field meet area, across about 40 acres, plus a clubhouse and concession building.

What kinds of racing do they hold?

Motocross, hare scrambles, flat track, hill climbs and vintage TT, all AMA sanctioned under District 30.

Can kids race?

Yes. The club actively supports youth riders, and minors need a notarized release to compete.

Is camping allowed?

Camping is generally not permitted on the club grounds.

What happens during rally week?

The club runs a full week of racing, historically around a dozen events including motocross, a half mile race, hill climbs, road tours and short track.

Where is the Jackpine Gypsies club located?

1216 Short Track Road, Sturgis, South Dakota 57785, alongside I-90 between exits 30 and 32. The phone number is 605-347-6022.

More information on Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club; Click here https://www.jackpinegypsies.com/

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