The Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club's dream of hosting the top tier of American Motorcyclist Association flat-track racing, the Grand National circuit, during Sturgis Rally week will have to wait another year.

The AMA announced on May 17 that the Aug. 6 GNC stop at the J.C. "Pappy" Hoel short track in Sturgis was one of four scheduled races that had been pulled from the 2007 schedule.

Eric Flatmoe of Sturgis said the Gypsies board of directors at first tried to salvage the event, but decided at a meeting this week not to proceed with the GNC race in Sturgis, at least for this year.

"We decided to make it an 18-month project instead of a four-month project," Flatmoe said. "We're really going to push it for next year."

Flatmoe said the club had trouble coming up with the funding, estimated to be in the $60,000 range, in sanctioning fees and other basic costs needed to host a Grand National race.

The good news for motorcycle racing fans is that a series of six Saturday night short track events starts this Saturday at the Hoel Short Track in west Sturgis.

Short-track events are June 9, June 23, July 7, July 21-22 (Sat.-Sun.), Sept. 8-9 (Sat.-Sun.) and Sept. 22 (rain date)

Also set are a pair of Badlands Mini-Sprint Association/Dakota Kart Racers race dates on Sunday, June 17, and Sunday, Sept. 2.

There are also five nights of short-trackin' on the Rally week schedule in August, and with Sturgis conveniently located in between GNC stops in West Liberty, Iowa on Aug. 4 and Castle Rock, Wash, the following weekend, there should be a number of top AMA riders in town for at least some of the week.

Flatmoe also gets to strap into his 360 sprint car for the first time this year on Friday night at Black Hills Speedway.

NAPA/MDA Series update

Eric Mass of Rapid City won Saturday's second round of the NAPA Auto Parts/MDA Racing For A Cure Late Model Series at Gillette's Thunder Speedway.

In a flip-flop of the previous night's opener at Black Hills Speedway, Sturgis's John Bey finished second but leads the series points by three markers over Mass.

Holiday means racing

The biggest racing weekend of the year, (Indy 500, NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 and Formula One Monaco Grand Prix) also means lots going on around here.

Along with Black Hills Speedway on Friday night and the JackPine Gypsies short-track racing Saturday, the eighth-mile NHRA-sanctioned Sturgis Dragway is hosting a three-fer Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as is Oahe Speedway, a NHRA quarter-mile dragway, north of Pierre on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The Black Hills Racing Hare Scramble (motorcycle) Enduro series continues Sunday near New Underwood. South Dakota Mines is hosting a Mini-Baja event on the same site Friday and Saturday. See www.bhmoto.com for directions to the course.