MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers race at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas at the Circuits of The Americas in Austin, Texas on April 13, 2024. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
The top two men in the 2024 Mission King Of The Baggers Championship, S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Troy Herfoss and Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman, each claimed victories today at Circuit of The Americas. On a sunny Saturday in Texas, Herfoss and Wyman split the wins, each taking a race. Herfoss won the first race with a thrilling comeback. He started at the back of the seven-strong lead pack but fought his way to the front, ultimately winning a hectic last-lap battle against his teammate Tyler O’Hara and Wyman. Herfoss crossed the finish line .295 of a second ahead of Wyman, with O’Hara .685 of a second behind in third.
Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli and RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim finished a close fourth and fifth, separated by just .145 of a second. Gillim’s rookie teammate Rocco Landers finished sixth, while SDI/Roland Sands Racing/Indian Motorcycles’ Bobby Fong managed to bring his damaged motorcycle to seventh. The team worked quickly between races to get Fong back on the grid.
Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West, RydFast Racing’s Kyle Ohnsorg, and Mad Monkey Motorsports’s Max Flinders rounded out the top 10. “Firstly, it’s an honor to be standing here today with my first win, especially with these two great competitors,” Herfoss said after his first-ever Mission King Of The Baggers victory. “There are more wins between these two guys than I dream of having. So, to get my first win here in COTA at MotoGP is a great feeling.”
Wyman turned the tables in the second race, setting up a duel with Herfoss that lasted to the finish. Herfoss led for most of the race, but Wyman made a decisive pass on the final lap. Wyman then set a record-breaking lap of 2:14.890, winning by just .677 of a second over Herfoss. Behind them, an epic battle for the final podium spot saw Rispoli finishing ahead of Fong by less than half a second. O’Hara and Gillim were also in the mix, with O’Hara securing fifth. Landers, Ohnsorg, Flinders, and West completed the top 10.
“Obviously, we’re super happy,” Wyman said after his 15th career Mission King Of The Baggers victory. “To come out of the first two rounds with this many points is a big deal. It was a good race. I got a worse start today, so I had to be more patient. Like I said on the podium, I learned my lesson in September. I really panicked when I got shuffled back, and it cost me a championship, potentially. That’s just experience. You can’t rush or pay for it, and I was just patient today and luckily didn’t get caught up in the melee behind me. The Mission Challenge was just a joke. You can’t do anything. These guys are gone at the front if they get clean air. Tried to just methodically work my way forward. Got up to Troy (Herfoss), and then he started clicking off good laps.
It started to grow the gap from myself back to third. So, that’s always a good feeling because you’ve got some breathing room, and you can start to plan things out. I didn’t really know where I was going to make a move. I was really indecisive. As calculated as I may have looked, I was like, ‘I don’t really know where I’m going to go. I’m just going to go when it feels right.’ I made one move down into 12 off the back straightaway. Got a good run. Got a good draft there. Overcooked it a little bit. He came back underneath me. Last lap, I felt like I had pace in the esses, so I wanted to try him in turn one and see if I could lead the whole rest of the lap, and that’s what we were able to do. So, pretty happy, obviously. Big thanks to Harley-Davidson, the whole team. They’ve just done an incredible job sticking with it this weekend. Doing a new track record on the last lap of the race, as hot as it was, is a great feeling and hopefully a sign of things to come.”
King Of The Baggers Race 1 Results
- Troy Herfoss (Indian)
- Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson)
- Tyler O’Hara (Indian)
- James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson)
- Hayden Gillim (Harley-Davidson)
- Rocco Landers (Harley-Davidson)
- Bobby Fong (Indian)
- Cory West (Harley-Davidson)
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Indian)
- Max Flinders (Indian)
King Of The Baggers Race 2 Results
- Race Two
- Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson)
- Troy Herfoss (Indian)
- James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson)
- Bobby Fong (Indian)
- Tyler O’Hara (Indian)
- Hayden Gillim (Harley-Davidson)
- Rocco Landers (Harley-Davidson)
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Indian)
- Max Flinders (Indian)
- Cory West (Harley-Davidson)
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers
What started as a novel idea has become one of MotoAmerica’s most popular and fastest-growing race classes. Touring motorcycles from Harley-Davidson and Indian form the basis for Mission King Of The Baggers, but these motorcycles are far from gentle cruisers. By the time the teams, aftermarket companies, and riders get done with these bikes, they are bona fide road racers with much-improved ground clearance, race-ready suspensions, aggressive ergonomics, and all sorts of engine modifications that deliver eye-popping performance. Touring fairings and hard side bags are part of the formula, but even those are highly modified through the use of carbon fiber and other exotic materials.
Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.
The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1. It has hosted the Formula 1 United States Grand Pix, MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more. Nestled within the track is Germania Insurance Amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and its 251-foot signature observation tower.
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