PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2022

S P O T L I G H T

PEORIA, ‘THE PLACE TO GO’ FOR MOTORCYCLE RACING Peoria Motorcycle Club, Grand National TT race, approaching big anniversaries

BY NICK VLAHOS PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

D on’t expect to see Hells Angels at Peoria Motorcycle Club. And don’t expect elitism from those there who ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the classic American brand. Do expect to see families and people from all walks of life, according to some of the club’s longtime members. Also expect to see something else, something not easily discernible from the club entrance off Cameron Lane west of Peoria. “Every time I go over this hill, I sit there and think to myself, ‘This is one

of the most beautiful properties that I have ever experienced in my life,’” club member Stann Wiebler said. “For people around here who have never seen it, they don’t get it. But every time I go over that hill, I just stop … it’s just breathtaking.” At the base of that hill, away from the main entrance and the modest clubhouse, is what has made the club famous and fabled among motorcycle enthusiasts nationwide and beyond. It’s the club’s irregular-oval dirt track —five-eighths of amile in length and full of twists, turns, jumps and memories.

Except for pandemic-af fected 2020, the track has played host annually since 1947 to an American Motorcycle Association Grand National Championship TT Race. “TT” stands for “Tourist Trophy,” which signifies a dirt track race that has left- and right-hand turns and steeplechase-type jumps. The Peoria track is surrounded by a natural amphitheater that can accommodate tens of thousands. Those fans have witnessed the requisite thrills, chills and spills. Some of those spills have come courtesy of the track’s 12-foot-high jump, which riders might hit at speeds of 70 mph.

68 JULY 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE