The Other Loudon

THE OTHER LOUDON

RACE WATCH

It's not all racing. And it's not all good.

IDIOTS AND MORONS." THE OVERWEIGHT SECUrity guard at the Weirs Beach McDonald's was holding forth while a steady stream of motorcycles rumbled past his parking lot. A few yards away, a rather rotund member of the Blue Knights touring club, well into his 50s, had a different perspective on the proceedings. “It's great." he said, “I’ve been coming here for five years."

Loudon is different things to different people. To the racers, it's a chance to ply their trade in front of an enthusiastic audience. To the shopkeepers and motel managers of the New Hampshire Lakes Region, it's a chance to take part in an $8 million bonanza that the motorcycling weekend represents. To the residents of Weirs Beach, the small town where many of the Loudon enthusiasts (down to 30,000 from the usual 50,000 because of rainy weather just before the weekend) spend time, the annual gathering is either an amusement or an annoyance.

Nowhere was that more apparent than on Weirs Boulevard, a short stretch of two-lane that winds around the town’s lakefront. A man and his wife were sitting in their front yard, watching the goings-on below their house. For the most part, the car and motorcycle traffic was moving along peacefully. Occasionally, someone would pop a small wheelie or indulge themselves in a smoky burnout, much to the assembled erowd's delight. The couple on the hill took it all in stride. “It's fantastic, I love it,” the husband said. “It seems like 98 percent of the bikes in the country are here. It gives 'em a chance to come and perform and show off"

Two houses away, the mood was not so enthusiastic. “There’s nothing wrong with that," said the resident. pointing to a pair of suitably muffled Harleys that were ambling by, “but some of these guys are just creating noise for the sake of it." As if to make his point, an unmuffled Yamaha Virago pulled within earshot, its rider furiously gunning the throttle. “Til be glad w hen Sunday afternoon comes," he concluded. Others are more militant. One long-time Weirs Beach resident pointed toward a group of State Police

and delivered his view' of the festivities. “The business people here love it," he said,“ but I'll tell ya, if it weren't for the law enforcement, we'd have another Vietnam. You should have been here for the 1965 riot. It was really beautiful: all the ‘Staties’ with their 1 2-gauge pumps shooting as fast as they could."

The man was referring to an incident 2 1 years ago, during which a mob of 5000 roamed the streets, throwing bottles. The National Guard was called out. and that, along with shotgun blasts over the crowd, brought things under control. But not before 700 people had been arrested and Loudon had a permanently blackened eye.

Things have been considerably more subdued in recent years. Local and state police are out in force, and the catch phrase is, “Give ’em an inch and they’ll take a mile." Still, the crowd is known for its rowdiness, and this year approximately 400 were arrested, on charges ranging from indecent exposure to disorderly conduct to driving under the influence. Sadly, two motorcyclists were killed when they hit each other head-on.

At the Loudon track itself, things have been known to get a little rowdy, as well. Last year, 1 4 cars were set on fire. Promoter Don Brymer added more security this year, but four cars still got the torch. One lessviolent but equally repugnant portion of the Loudon erowd verbally assaulted any female in the area unfortunate enough to be robust of figure and tight of Tshirt. vulgarly calling for a free burlesque show.

While not condoning the rowdiness, Brymer makes the point that things do get blown out of proportion by the mainstream news media. “Sometimes they come up here looking for trouble. One TV crew didn't even bother to talk to any of the racers; they just went straight for the junk.”

Brymer claims that each year there is less “junk." that the crowd is becoming better-behaved. For the sake of a classic bit of American motorcycling, let’s hope that’s true. Loudon is too exciting a race, too good an event, to let wallow in the mud. — David Edwards