Sturgis Rally vehicle count shows early overall increase

Data from the South Dakota Department of Transportation shows that traffic is up almost 3 percent overall for the first three days of this year’s 78th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, compared to the same time last year.

The numbers, released Monday, are for Friday through Sunday. Both the Friday and Saturday traffic numbers into Sturgis were up compared to the same days in 2017. The Saturday traffic into Sturgis totaled 60,119 vehicles, which is almost an 11 percent increase from the rally’s first Saturday last year.

Traffic at the nine locations entering Sturgis for the 2018 Rally:

Friday, Aug. 3: 49,424 entering — up 1.9% from Friday last year

Saturday, Aug. 4: 60,119 entering — up 10.8% from Saturday last year

Sunday, Aug. 5: 52,153 entering — down 4.2% from Sunday last year

3-Day Total:

2018: 161,696

2017: 157,166

up 2.9%

Team EPG Media will be adding to the count today, with Powersports Business staff reporter Abby Larson and graphic designer Chad Cochran making their way to Sturgis alongside publisher Dave Voll.