GENEVA-ON-THE-LAKE — The strength of Rhett “Rotten” Giordano’s vintage motorcycle sent tremors through decades-old wood Sunday at the Thunder on the Strip motorcycle rally, his fans cheering as he defied the “Wall of Death.”
Exhaust filled the tented early 1940s structure as Giordano rode his motorcycle to the top of the wooden cylinder to snatch money from his fans’ hands, nodding his head to Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.”
“I’m the baddest man on two wheels,” Giordano said. “I do this to support my family and to keep board track racing alive.”
Event organizers Dwayne Bennett and Jake Hummel said Giordano was the biggest draw of the motorcycle rally.
“He brought amazing crowds at every show,” Hummel said. “Everybody loves him, even the people who never heard of him before saw the show and love him.”
Giordano whizzed around his wall of death as exhaust fumes gathered under the black and white tent. The structure rocked with each pass as Giordano pumped his fists in the air and smiled for the crowd.
Giordano didn’t wipe out Sunday, but had a close call at a show on Saturday when the front end of his 1920 Indian motorcycle came apart.
“I am blessed that I was coming down from the wall when it happened, or else it would have been a real disaster,” Giordano said. “They don’t call this the ‘Wall of Death’ for nothing.”
Giordano was in the right place when his bike broke, as Bennett, who owns Goblin Custom Cycles, helped him fix it for the Sunday shows.
“I love Geneva-on-the-Lake,” Giordano said. “The people are super nice and I couldn’t have asked for a better crowd.”
Still nursing two broken ankles from an accident in March, Giordano said a prayer before he rode and took time to encourage children to stay in school.
Giordano’s visit to the village was part of Hummel and Bennett’s plan to extend the summer tourism season at the lake
Hummel, who owns Sportsterz Bar and Grill, said the plan is working.
“This was an amazing weekend for the village,” he said. “A lot of businesses are reporting huge profits and some are saying this was their biggest weekend of the summer.”
Hummel said traffic counters were positioned on Lake Road at both ends of the village to accurately gauge attendance at the event.
“I am really proud of Thunder on the Strip,” he said. “And we know it will grow. We expect it the be twice as big next year.”
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