Loudon officials and New Hampshire Motor Speedway debate demo-ride safety, marshal requirement and permit process

Loudon Board of Selectmen members met with representatives from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sept. 3 to discuss safety concerns, permitting and public communication tied to the track’s motorcycle demo rides during bike week. The town sought clarification about a permit condition that would require marshals on demo rides; Speedway officials said vendors would not participate if marshals were mandatory.

Why it matters: the demo rides traverse town roads and residents on Lower Ridge Road and Route 106 have raised safety and driveway-visibility concerns. The permit conditions the selectmen can add to a special permit could affect whether vendors such as Harley-Davidson and Indian participate, and therefore could have economic impacts for the speedway and Loudon.

The meeting opened with town leaders saying three topics were on the table: the demo-ride marshal requirement, emergency-services fees, and permits for flat-track and fireworks. The discussion focused on the marshal condition placed on a special-event/hawkers-and-peddlers permit and competing views of the public-safety data that led the…