Right here They Come: Mission King Of The Baggers Is Headed To COTA And MotoGP
MotoAmerica’s Mission King Of The Baggers Is Set To Strut Its Stuff In Entrance Of The World With Texas Invasion At Circuit Of The Americas, April 12-13
IRVINE, CA (April 9, 2024) – Harley-Davidson’s Kyle Wyman received crucial two Mission King Of The Baggers races of the 2024 season when he doubled up at Daytona Worldwide Speedway the second weekend in March.
Or did he?
The truth that he received each races on the “World Heart Of Racing” isn’t up for debate. What’s up for debate, nevertheless, is whether or not the Daytona spherical or this week’s spherical at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, which is able to happen in entrance of a worldwide viewers with MotoGP, is the larger occasion. Both method, they’re each huge.
Kyle Wyman arrives at COTA armed along with his manufacturing facility Harley-Davidson Manufacturing facility Racing’s Highway Glide and contemporary off his two wins at Daytona. Because the all-time wins chief within the class with 14 victories, Kyle Wyman has turn out to be the benchmark of the sequence and his two Daytona victories have him atop the 2024 standings with an ideal 50 factors. Wyman additionally received the primary of two races at COTA through the debut of the category in Texas this previous September.
Defending MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim didn’t have one of the best Daytona as he opened his title protection on the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, however his fourth and fifth-place finishes put him fourth within the championship heading to COTA. He trails Kyle Wyman by 26 factors however, with the uncertainty of Baggers racing, that quantity isn’t as dangerous because it appears.
Gillim emerged from final 12 months’s dramatic season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a win and a second place, and that earned him the title by 18 factors over James Rispoli after a constant season that noticed him win three races and end on the rostrum in eight others. Gillim can even take solace in the truth that he was fourth and fifth on one event final 12 months at Highway America, which mimics his Daytona outcomes from a month in the past.
Gillim additionally has the arrogance that comes with two second-place finishes within the two Bagger races at COTA this previous September.
Kyle Wyman’s new teammate for 2024 is Gillim’s previous teammate from 2023 – Rispoli. He joins the manufacturing facility Harley staff after his runner-up end in final 12 months’s title chase, a season that had him atop the rostrum on two events with 10 complete podiums. Considered one of his victories got here in race two at COTA after the Floridian was third in race one. Rispoli began his 2024 with two thirds at Daytona.
With Rispoli now on the manufacturing facility staff, 19-year-old Rocco Landers took his spot on the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson in what’s his debut season within the class. Landers, a former MotoAmerica Twins Cup and Junior Cup Champion, is aware of his method round a podium as he’s tasted success in each class he’s tried. Landers’ Baggers debut at Daytona resulted in fifth- and Tenth-place finishes.
The racer who at present sits simply 10 factors behind Kyle Wyman within the 2024 title chase after Daytona is newcomer Troy Herfoss, the three-time Australian Superbike Champion who made not solely his Mission King Of The Baggers debut at Daytona but additionally his MotoAmerica debut. Herfoss opened eyes when he completed second in each Daytona races in March. The Aussie might be making his COTA debut this coming weekend.
If Herfoss wants any assist in studying COTA, he can get it from the opposite aspect of the cover the place the S&S/Indian Motorbike’s Indian Challenger of Tyler O’Hara is parked. O’Hara, the 2022 Mission King Of The Baggers Champion, had an off-year (by his requirements) in 2023 and completed fifth within the championship with 5 podiums (three of which had been runner-up finishes) and no victories. O’Hara can even be making an attempt to make amends for failing to attain some extent within the two races at COTA final 12 months.
Fifth place within the championship after Daytona is held by RydFast Racing’s Kyle Ohnsorg and his Indian Challenger. Ohnsorg was sixth in each races on the Speedway. The Minnesotan probably has a passion for Circuit of The Americas as he scored his first-career podium there final 12 months.
The Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson staff arrives in Texas with Cory West, Travis Wyman and Jake Lewis using the staff’s three Highway Glides. The trio are eighth (Travis Wyman), Eleventh (Lewis) and twelfth (West) after an issue-filled Daytona and wish to rebound.
SDI/Roland Sands Racing/Indian Motorbike’s Bobby Fong received twice and had six complete podiums final 12 months, however he additionally had a tough Daytona with a non-finish and a seventh on his scorecard.
Mad Monkey Motorsports’ Max Flinders sits within the prime 10 following Daytona after his ninth- and Eleventh-place finishes within the two races. Flinders earned his first MotoAmerica podium final 12 months within the Baggers season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Spaniard Ruben Xaus had a dismal starting to his MotoAmerica debut season with only one level coming his method at Daytona. The Feuling Elements Harley racer involves MotoAmerica with a formidable resume that features race wins within the World Superbike Championship. Xaus, who lives in Andorra, might be trying to discover his toes at COTA.
The Baggers hit the COTA highway course for the primary time at 8:20 a.m. on Friday, April 12 for Follow 1 after which once more at 4:15 p.m. for a 15-minute qualifying session.
At 4:45 p.m., the Baggers will race for the primary time within the three-lap Mission King Of The Baggers Problem.
On Saturday, the primary of two six-lap Mission King Of The Baggers races will begin at 12:15 p.m. with race two slated for 4 p.m., following the MotoGP Dash race that begins at 3 p.m.
Pre-Race Notes…
Kyle Wyman is the Mission King Of The Baggers lap document holder at Circuit Of The Americas along with his 2:15.461 lap document set in Sunday morning heat up this previous September. The quickest lap from the 2 races final 12 months additionally goes to Wyman along with his 2:16.429 set en path to him profitable race one.
13 riders have entered the Mission King Of The Baggers Introduced By Drag Specialties. Eight of these are Harley-Davidson Highway Glides with 5 Indian Challengers on the entry checklist.
Kyle Wyman is way and away the winningest rider within the quick historical past of Mission King Of The Baggers along with his 14 victories. Three riders are tied for second with three wins – Tyler O’Hara, Hayden Gillim and Bobby Fong. The opposite two riders to win King Of The Baggers races are Jeremy McWiliams and Travis Wyman, with these two having one win apiece.
About MotoAmerica
MotoAmerica is North America’s premier bike highway racing sequence. Established in 2014, MotoAmerica is dwelling to the AMA Superbike Championship in addition to further courses together with Supersport, Inventory 1000, Twins Cup, Junior Cup, and King Of The Baggers. MotoAmerica is an affiliate of KRAVE Group LLC, a partnership together with three-time 500cc World Champion, two-time AMA Superbike Champion, and AMA Corridor of Famer Wayne Rainey; ex-racer and former supervisor of Crew Roberts Chuck Aksland; motorsports advertising and marketing government Terry Karges; and businessman Richard Varner. For extra info, please go to www.MotoAmerica.com and comply with MotoAmerica on Fb, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. To look at all issues MotoAmerica, subscribe to MotoAmerica’s reside streaming and video on demand service, MotoAmerica Stay+
