LEEDS, Ala. (WIAT) — The city of Leeds is cashing in on another big race weekend at Barber Motorsport Park. Today was the third and final day of MotoAmerica’s championship series, which attracted a record number of race fans.
Because this is the final destination of their 2022 season, MotoAmerica tells CBS42 this weekend’s event in Leeds has been one of their most exciting yet.
MotoAmerica content creator, Sean Bice, says the Barber Motorsports Park is one of the best racing facilities in the country and they are always excited to host their finale event there each year.
“We love doing that because this track has been a jewel on our schedule,” Bice said. “We love being here. We love being in Alabama. The fans are really terrific. Just being around town, everybody’s super friendly. We enjoy everything about it.”
Bice says attendance is up 125% this year. He says he believes COVID played some role in lowering attendance prior to this year.
“With people being at home, people kind of got in touch with their families a little bit more,” Bice said. “So, this is, like I said, a family-oriented sport. So, you’ll see kids out here with their parents and everything. I just think it helped us in all levels. It really increased our popularity.”
Bice believes this event leaves a great economic impact on Leeds as their teams and fans come from all around the world to enjoy the area, eat, and have fun.
We spoke with several businesses in the area like Bass Pro Shops who say they have seen an increase in sales this weekend, but they were not willing to speak on camera.
“All of our teams stay in hotels in the area,” Bice said. “All of our riders stay in hotels in the area. Fans come in from all over the country especially for this round, because again it’s the last one. I think, you know, I don’t know in terms of dollars and cents, but I know for the hospitality industry-restaurants, stores- I think that it helps all in the area.”
Bice says as the MotoAmerica series increases in popularity, he expects this annual event in Leeds will only continue to grow more and more each year.
