Gentlemen start your engines! Fairgrounds motorcycle race set for June.21

Racers line up for a final heat during a recent flat track motorcycle event. (Courtesy/SOS Racing Promotions)

ROCHESTER - After a 16-year hiatus, Flat Track Motorcycle Racing will return to the Rochester Fairgrounds this coming June during Laconia's Motorcycle Week.
The highly anticipated race is tentatively set for June 21, a Saturday.
Expected to compete on the half-mile oval are some 75 bikes.
A "flat track motorcycle" is a highly specialized motorcycle designed for racing on dirt oval tracks, typically featuring no front brakes, a powerful engine, and a lightweight design, often with custom modifications to maximize cornering ability and acceleration on the short, tight tracks characteristic of flat track racing.

During a September ZBA meeting Megan O'Connell of SOS Racing Promotions reads from a past placard that announces an upcoming Flat Track Motorcycle Race at the Rochester Fairgrounds prior to its cessation in 2009 (City of Rochester screenshot)

Rochester's Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the return of flat track motorcycle racing in mid-September over the objections of City Attorney Terence O'Rourke, who said their application for a variance was flawed.
A member of the RAMA board of directors said SOS Racing Promotions, the Massachusetts organization overseeing the event, will be doing safety upgrades on the Rochester Fairgrounds oval this fall.
The RAMA board member, who didn't want their names used because they are not an official spokesman, told The Rochester Voice that the event will see plenty of food trucks and other vendors.
The SOS Racing Promotions Facebook page announced on Saturday that the racing on June 21 will feature "top dirt track racers from around the world."
During the September ZBA meeting Megan O'Connell, owner of SOS Racing Promotions, said that the Rochester Fair location and its half-mile oval is known internationally among flat track motorcycle racing enthusiasts.
SOS Racing Promotions will present a second Flat Track Motorcycle Race during next year's Granite State Fair in September.
The June 21 event will be part of the Super Oval Series Racing Promotions that was established in 2021.
Organizers say a Lobster and Clam Fest will be part of the day's festivities.
For more info on race day click here.