<Tr> <Th> Attendance </Th> <Td> highest: 739,000 (2015) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> sturgismotorcyclerally.com </Td> </Tr> <P> The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is an American motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, for ten days usually during the first full week of August . In 2015 the city of Sturgis officially expanded the dates to have the rally start on the Friday before the first full week of August and end on the second Sunday . It was begun in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts and races . Attendance has historically been around 500,000 people, reaching a high of over 700,000 in 2015 . The event generates around $800 million in revenue . </P> <P> The first rally was held by Indian Motorcycle riders on August 14, 1938, by the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club . The club still owns and operates the tracks, hillclimb, and field areas where the rally is centered . The first event was called the "Black Hills Classic" and consisted of a single race with nine participants and a small audience . The founder is Clarence "Pappy" Hoel . He purchased an Indian motorcycle franchise in Sturgis in 1936 and formed the Jackpine Gypsies that same year . The Jackpine Gypsies were inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1997 . Hoel was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame the following year, in 1998 . </P>

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