Friday, February 3rd, 2012
The highly publicized Vulcan Bike Week scheduled to take place during the week of June 30th – July 3rd 2010 in Birmingham Alabama came to an abrupt stop almost as fast as it seemingly started. All but the the Thunder on The Mountain motorcycle drag race seems to be reportedly shut down.
The event boasting $210,000 in prizes and awards, $90,000 of which is to be awarded to participants of the Thunder on The Mountain motorcycle drag racing event finishing in top of each class. The activity’s ranged from bike shows,concerts,poker runs,eating contest,beauty contest and the motorcycle drag race with all activities except the drag race included at the main event grounds, Birmingham Race Course in Birmingham Alabama. The motorcycle drag race is still scheduled to occur.
Weeks before the event was scheduled to begin and days leading into the actual kick off the Thunder on The Mountain, the $90,000 motorcycle drag racing part of the bike week was moved to another location, to Steele Alabama’s Alabama International Raceway.
As vendors arrived Wednesday to begin the 4 day event one scheduled band played to a crowd of around 20 spectators. Later that night the concert stage was disassembled and removed. As vendors and band members stood observing and asking questions they were told the stage was being moved to another location. Thursday came with mixed emotions and questions still un answered and the stage was missing!
Local county Health Department officials arrived and reportedly shut down 8 food vendors for health code violations. Early Friday, many remaining attendees watched as the generators that powered equipment for the stage area were being unplugged and removed. Beaver Creek Customs owner Brian Ross along with Marsha York of Smith Grove Kentucky who made the trip from Smith Grove to set up as a vendor said, “we asked a worker that was removing the generators what was happening and he said he was told to remove them, pull the plug and cut the losses”.
A call placed to Birmingham Race Course, the facility where the Vulcan Bike Week was to be centralized was confirmed by a employee the event was no longer being held on the property as of Friday morning because of apparent permit violations.
When contacted by Dragbike Live, Kendall Schultz the advertising/marketing director for O’Reilly Auto Parts,Vulcan Bike Week’s main sponsor headquartered in Springfield Missouri gave a statement concerning the event. Schultz went on record as saying “we started receiving calls yesterday on the event and O’Reilly Auto Parts is no longer associated with the event and ticket sales were pulled from all O’reilly locations as of this morning.”
The official website, www.Vulcanbikeweek.com changed early Friday to just promoting the motorcycle drag race with very little information and with additional information pertaining Vulcan Bike Week not viewable. The gates at Alabama International Raceway remained locked with no activity till 2pm, much later than the 9am registration originally stated on the events official website.
Questions are on going with the biggest being is the $90,000 dollar payout still guaranteed? As of late Friday afternoon the track gates had opened and it appears the drag race will proceed. But what about that $90,000!?
stay tuned this story is developing…..
UPDATE:
G Entertainment LLC, promoters of Vulcan Bike Week announced late Friday afternoon the Vulcan Bike Week event was being moved to Steele Alabama and will take place during the Thunder on The Mountain motorcycle drag race event.
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UPDATE: http://dragbikelive.com/news/archives/1097
We are still waiting to hear what the final outcome is?
Sad news, indeed! I was hoping that “too good to be true” was for real!!! I’m not holding my breath, but I hope that those that make the trip find it worthwhile! It’s too bad, as of now in S.C. the weather is the most comfortable we’ve had in well over a month! Thanks for passing on the information from sources involved.