World Championship Motorcycle Ice Racing Series: Vengeance Tour at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK -- December 30.

Friday, December 30, 7:30 p.m.

Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 1201 River Drive, Moline IL

An exhilarating spectator event nearly 100 years in the making, the World Championship Motorcycle Ice Racing Series' “Vengeance Tour” is set to thrill fans at Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK on December 30, the pre-New-Year's event known for offering the most competitive point series of its kind at packed amphitheaters throughout the country.

Dirt track speedway motorcycle racing has been around in various degrees of popularity for more than 80 years, with the first races ever held credited to West Maitland, New South Wales, and Australia in November of 1923. In 1975, a group of inventive Americans took these brakeless, gearless, and simplest of all hybrid-racing machines indoors to compete on ice, while that same year, indoor ice racing competitions were being held using 250cc flat track bikes as the primary machines. Michigan resident Staten Lorenz was credited with starting this form of ice racing, and the end result has been the evolution and development of a thrilling new sport. From its early American beginnings, indoor ice racing is now being enjoyed by fans throughout the world.

The first-ever indoor speedway ice race was organized and promoted by a motorcycle dealer in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1975. The next was held in New York State, and the third was organized by a group of racers and their families in the summer of 1976. This event was held in the Kent State University Hockey Field House in Kent, Ohio, and with then-speedway rider Gary Densford staying in Indiana at the time, he was invited to compete in this event by his close friend Bob Hetrick. Hetrick ended up winning the event, Densford finished second, and the event officially started the wheels rolling for what is now the World Championship ICE Racing Series.

Over the years, ICE has developed and incorporated many innovations into the sport, most of them improvements in the areas of technical regulations and developments, safety regulations, and competition rules. One of the most important was the institution of the ICE Progressive World Race Format. The goal was to create a format that rewarded the riders’ performance while giving the ticket buying race fans the best possible, most exciting racing event. In the 1970s, with overwhelming fan approval, ICE was the first organization to hold a Main Event at the conclusion of a championship speedway race format. The top points scorers earned positions in the Main. Nowadays most promoters and organizations have adopted this format for their major speedway championships. The race format spectators see today has achieved the original intent of providing challenging and fair racing for the competitors while building to an exciting grand finale for the fans.

The World Championship Motorcycle Ice Racing Series' “Vengeance Tour” arrives at the Moline amphitheater on December 30, admission to the 7:30 p.m. event is $12-39 plus $10 for entry to the pre-race pit party, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting VibrantArena.com.

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