Police raid at WERA/CMRA Event August 9, 1998

At approximately 1:30pm on Sunday, 8-9-98 a group of Dallas, Tx police swarmed onto the Oak Hill Raceway, site of a Wera/Cmra motorcycle race. The racetrack is located approximately 200 miles east of Dallas, and South of Longview. The police showed some sort of blanket warrant, signed by a local judge. They arrived in a large RV with 'Dallas Police' on the side. All exits of the track were blocked, and police began a crackdown on V.I.N. numbers. Racebikes, spectator streetbikes, pit bikes, dirt bikes, and trailers were all checked and numbers ran. All moving vehicles on the track property were checked. Some racers missed their starting grid due to the chaos. Police had at one point confiscated 40 bikes, but released 30 of them back to riders. Of the 30, many were gp bikes that the police took because they did not have 'proper' V.I.N. numbers and no street titles! At the end of the day they had taken 12 bikes, several spectator bikes among them. Some of these were loaded onto wreckers by wrapping a chain around them, and raising them off the ground by winch. Also, 1 trailer was taken due to having truck liscense plates. All bikes were impounded in Rusk County Texas. Among the bikes that were confiscated were a few actual (alleged) stolen bikes. Also taken, however were bikes that the engine did not match the frame #, (as in an 1100 motor in a 750 frame) or that either # "appeared to possibly be altered." If a frame had been powdercoated, it was especially checked closely. An engine or frame VIN that had been scratched or marked by either a crash or multible engine rebuilds was considered possibly altered. Some riders who had a proper title to the frame, but differing engine numbers were told they might be able to remove the engine at the impound lot and take their frame. Some bikes were taken by this type of wrecker, although most were loaded onto flatbeds. This was their 'command center' which blocked the entrance to the track. You could enter, if you REALLY wanted to. Here they are inspecting a spectator's bike Checking out another spectator bike... Some photographers were told to stop shooting, I caught these as quick as I could.