Man dies in motorcycle drag race at state fair in Monroe

MONROE — A motorcyclist died while competing in a drag race Monday afternoon at the Evergreen State Fair.

The 42-year-old Bothell man was riding in the Evergreen Drags at the Evergreen Speedway, the grandstand race track at the fairgrounds, around noon on the final day of the fair. His motorcycle hit a parked bus.

Initial reports are that the motorcycle was new to the rider and he overshot the track, according to Shari Ireton, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. He was wearing a helmet. Investigators believe he was going about 97 mph when he hit the bus, which was one of several vehicles parked at the track for other events such as the demolition derby. No one was in the bus.

The man’s name was not immediately released. The county medical examiner will identify him and determine cause and manner of death, Ireton said.

All remaining events at the fair grandstands and track were cancelled, fair manager Hal Gausman said. Racing had been scheduled to continue throughout the afternoon.

“It’s sad, sad stuff in a crazy happy place,” he said. “Three-fourths of the people here at the fairgrounds, maybe more than that, don’t realize what happened. The way our first responders and our emergency personnel handle something like this out here is just so professional.”