Susquehanna Motorcycle Club

The club was established in 1946 by five returning war veterans with a love for motorcycle racing. A small patch of land, sitting on a bed of shale, was purchased and the first track was a simple drag strip where drag racing and field events were held. In the early 1950s a “clubhouse” was constructed, nothing more than a basement with a roof at ground level; spectators would stand on the roof to w

atch the drag races. In the late ’50s a few turns were added to the drag strip as well as a first floor addition to the clubhouse; the bar was now at ground level, which probably saved a few scraped shins. The SMC gained charter membership in the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1946 and actively promoted competitive motorcycling events throughout the ’60s and ’70s. Declining interest in motorcycle racing, increasing insurance costs of hosting competitive racing events, and a tragic and fatal drag race collision that claimed two lives slowly took its toll. By the early ’80s a deafening silence descended; the sounds of drags, scrambles and cheering crowds disappeared and motorcycle racing was no longer the main attraction at the Susquehanna Motorcycle Club. Today, the SMC is considered more of an independent motorcycle club for those mostly interested in a motorcycling lifestyle and motorcycle riding.