A biker haven with a long history
The Flying Dutchmen Clubhouse closes out another motorcycle season
Motorcycles are parked along a tree-lined drive at the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club grounds outside New Ulm, Minn. The club is located along the hills of the Minnesota River valley. (Courtesy FDMC)
Spectators and riders gather at the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club grounds outside New Ulm, Minn. The club hosts road runs, hillclimbs and flat track races and operates a 200-foot hill and a quarter-mile dirt oval. (Courtesy FDMC)
Motorcycles are parked on the lawn in front of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn. The red-brick barn with a curved red metal roof was built in 1949 by farmer Arthur Knuppel and was purchased by the club in 1971. The club hosts road runs, hillclimbs and flat track races. (Photo by Jamie Milbrett)
The interior of the upper loft of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn. The second level features original exposed rafters, a raised performance stage and a bar area. The barn was remodeled in 2001 into a multi-level clubhouse and race control center. (Photo by Jamie Milbrett)
Members of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club gather for a group photo outside the clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn., for the 75th anniversary photo in 2022. The club was established in 1947 and has more than 120 members. (Photo by My Eye Photography / Shanira Hornick)
Motorcycles are parked along a tree-lined drive at the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club grounds outside New Ulm, Minn. The club is located along the hills of the Minnesota River valley. (Courtesy FDMC)
Spectators and riders gather at the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club grounds outside New Ulm, Minn. The club hosts road runs, hillclimbs and flat track races and operates a 200-foot hill and a quarter-mile dirt oval. (Courtesy FDMC)
Motorcycles are parked on the lawn in front of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn. The red-brick barn with a curved red metal roof was built in 1949 by farmer Arthur Knuppel and was purchased by the club in 1971. The club hosts road runs, hillclimbs and flat track races. (Photo by Jamie Milbrett)
The interior of the upper loft of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn. The second level features original exposed rafters, a raised performance stage and a bar area. The barn was remodeled in 2001 into a multi-level clubhouse and race control center. (Photo by Jamie Milbrett)
Members of the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club gather for a group photo outside the clubhouse outside New Ulm, Minn., for the 75th anniversary photo in 2022. The club was established in 1947 and has more than 120 members. (Photo by My Eye Photography / Shanira Hornick)
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NEW ULM -- For 55 years at its current site, the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club has called a farm site south of New Ulm east of the highways 15 and 68 junction home.
The club, formally known as the Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club (FDMC), is a private club located along the hills of the Minnesota River valley. It hosts several public motorcycle events each year, including road runs, hillclimbs and flat track races.
The FDMC was first established in 1947 but did not purchase its current clubhouse until 1971. The clubhouse is an old barn that was originally built in 1949 as a red-brick barn with a curved red metal roof by local farmer Arthur Knuppel. It was remodeled in 2001 to serve as a multi-level clubhouse and race control center.
A few yards from the clubhouse sits a 200-foot hill for hillclimbs and a quarter-mile dirt track oval for flat track races.
Philip Gulden is the current president and has been since November 2025. Don Bredeson has served as secretary since 2008, holding the record for the longest consecutive tenure in a single elected office in club history. Russ Wiltscheck, son of the late Smiley Wiltscheck who was also a Lifetime FDMC member, has been treasurer since November 2025.
Outside the building near the entrance, a gold-painted motorcycle sculpture welded from salvaged engine parts and metal frame components sits mounted on a post in a permanent mid-air wheelie.
“They made this up as a trophy for the person that came the farthest distance,” Brian Hornick said as he showed the trophy outside the clubhouse. “So obviously the guy that came the farthest didn’t take his trophy.”
The ground floor of the clubhouse acts as the administrative center for race registration, scoring and historical archiving.
During competition, volunteer Tony Effenberger logs racer entries, organizes engine displacement classes and processes heat times generated by the hillside timing lights.
The walls of the lower level display decades of motorcycling heritage, including vintage American Motorcycle Association safety award banners from the 1950s, framed photographs and historic trophies.
A large 75th-anniversary panorama banner, taken by Shanira Hornick of My Eye Photography, hangs above the main administration desk. The club celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022.
“We have over a 120 members,” Randy Kraus said. “This has been going on since 1947.”
The clubhouse interior also features playful tributes to long-time members, including a life-size cutout of the late musician and beloved member Smiley Wiltscheck near the central staircase.
“It freaks some people off,” Hornick said with a laugh as he stood beside the lifelike display. “They said they put him behind the bar sometimes.”
Upstairs, the upper loft opens into a high-ceiling hall framed by the barn’s original exposed wooden rafters. At one end sits a raised wooden performance stage anchored by two full-length American flags and a Harley-Davidson emblem.
The second level of the clubhouse has been converted to the dance area with a large stage and bar area. The club promotes live music at the club, with multiple musical events throughout the year, ranging from polka to blues and classic rock.
“Smiley donated this,” Hornick said, pointing to the 60th-anniversary photo before referencing the newer panorama. “The one downstairs, my daughter, the photographer, did the one downstairs. I donated the one downstairs.”
“My two grandkids are 7 and 9 years old, and they both went up the hill,” Hornick said.
“Our youngest member now is 36 years old,” Gene Wiltscheck said.
“Sept. 19 and 20, there’s flat track racing,” Hornick said. “And the Saturday night there will be a band out here.”
The band performing at the flat track races is called The 2-4-1’s.