Retrospect: Motorcyclists raced at fairgrounds

Forty years ago today, motorcyclists raced around the track at Jay County Fairgrounds.

Ricky Campbell of Melford, Ohio, won the feature event May 30, 1977, his second victory at the fairgrounds in two years. Riding his 750cc Harley-Davidson, Melford took the 10-lap expert class race.

Martin Busham of Lapeer, Michigan, took the victory in the junior class feature race, and Kenneth Kenyon of Columbiaville, Michigan, won in the novice class.

The event drew racers from Indiana and its surrounding states, but some competitors traveled from as far away as Texas, New Mexico and Utah. The event had a record number of participants, according to the race promotor Steve McKee; 158 motorcyclists entered the races. During the previous three seasons of racing, the high was 155 entries.

There was one serious accident that day involving Columbus, Ohio, resident Rosie Broome, who was injured during practice runs while riding her 250cc Bultaco. She suffered broken ribs, cracked vertebrae and facial lacerations, and was placed in intensive care. It was reported May 31 that Broome was unlikely to have permanent injuries from the crash.

The American Motorcycle Association-sanctioned competition was one of three races scheduled for the fairgrounds in 1977, with Portland slated to host the Indiana state championships and central U.S. regional championships later that year.