The Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally is “ready to go” with a second annual edition of the biker lifestyle event, according to Doug Fritz, CEO of Iowa Speedway in Newton.
Scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, the multi-faceted event will draw fans of the two-wheeled culture from all over the Midwest and put into motion one of the region’s largest bike rallies.
“We are definitely ready to go and thrilled to be hosting the Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally again this year,” Fritz said. “This year’s rally is jam-packed with action and excitement, and we can’t wait to open the gates [today]. If you ride, or just love motorcycles, we invite you to come out and party with us all weekend.”
The Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally is the first major event on Iowa Speedway’s 2013 schedule. The rally’s entertainment line-up will include live music acts, including the Iowa Grand Jam “Battle of the Bands” winners and headlined by renowned tribute bands. Numerous food, beverage and merchandise vendors, the Handy Bike Show, amateur tattoo, beard, burn-out and talent contests, the J&P Cycles motorcycle drag racing extravaganza, wild lawnmower racing, body painting, go-karts to drive on an infield road course and the ever-popular “Wall of Death” motorcycle daredevil show also will be featured.
In addition, the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience will be on site on Saturday with a special offer for rally attendees to ride around the Iowa Speedway tri-oval with a professional driver at speed in real NASCAR-type racecars. This ultimate thrill ride is available for $79, and customers may purchase a second “ride-along” experience for half-price or opt to drive a go-kart for free with their RWRE purchase. The “ride-along” experiences are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Individual ticket prices for this year’s Rally are $20 for Friday ($25 with a rider) and $25 for Saturday ($30 with a rider). Two-day tickets are available for $40 or $50 with a rider, while the Thursday and Sunday activities are free and do not require a ticket. Tent camping is free in designated areas, while RVs are $50 per site with no utility hook-ups and $150 with water/electric included for the four days. Individuals must be at least 18 years old for admission to the rally.
Gates are slated to open at 2 p.m. today and Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday. Additional information about the Second Annual Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally may be accessed on the Rally's official website, www.iowagrandrally.com, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowagrandmotorcyclerally.
Season tickets and weekend passes also are available for the Iowa Speedway’s 2013 racing season, which begins on June 7-8 with the first of two NASCAR Nationwide Series events, the DuPont Pioneer 250. Other major events include the Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by the Dekalb brand weekend on June 22-23, the second NASCAR Nationwide Series weekend, the U.S. Cellular 250, on Aug. 2-3, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series weekends, the American Ethanol 200 on July 12-13 and the Prairie Meadows 150 ARCA race and Iowa 200 NASCAR Truck clash on Sept. 7-8.