Vance & Hines rider and reigning King Of The Baggers champ Hayden Gillim had a knock-out weekend aboard his H-D Road Glide at the KOTB races at Brainerd International Speedway, June 15-16, winning the Challenge dash for cash sprint and both feature races in the double-header event.
While Gillim still lags behind in the points standings in 4th place, his victories helped rein in Indian’s Troy Herfoss, the Australian who has run away with the points lead during his first season of bagger racing. Herfoss earned 3rd- and 7th-place finishes at Brainerd, breaking his streak of 1st- and 2nd-place finishes in the first eight races of the season. Title rival Kyle Wyman also struggled at Brainerd, the factory Harley rider finishing 4th in Race 1 and then limping home 8th in Race 2 after suffering clutch issues.
As the KOTB racers head to Laguna Seca for the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest, July 12-14, Herfoss leads in points with 205, followed by Harley’s Kyle Wyman with 192 and Indian’s Tyler O’Hara with 142.
For more information, read Harley-Davidson’s press release below.
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MILWAUKEE (June 16, 2024) – RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Hayden Gillim dominated the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers double-header race weekend at Brainerd International Speedway in Brainerd, Minnesota. Aboard a race-prepared 2024 Road Glide motorcycle, the defending Mission King Of The Baggers champion Gillim set a new track record to top qualifying, won the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge dash for cash sprint race, and both feature races on Saturday and Sunday.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing rider James Rispoli bounced back from a crash on Saturday to finish 3rd on Sunday and score his fourth podium finish of the season. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing rider Kyle Wyman finished in 4th place on Saturday and in 8th place on Sunday following a mechanical issue.
“A weekend like this is a payoff for all the work the Vance & Hines team has done since September,” said Gillim following the Sunday race. “It’s an awesome weekend after a rough one at Road America. The whole start of the season has been a little rough. Wearing the number one plate this season I thought it might be a little easier than it has been. I’m really happy for myself and the team and looking forward to Laguna.”
“I’m stoked to give my factory Harley-Davidson crew a podium today,” said Rispoli following the Sunday race. “It was greasy out there, and I played the smart card to bring it home. I am bummed for Kyle and know he will rebound at Laguna Seca. Thank you everyone for your continued support.”
Gillim topped qualifying with a track-record lap of 1:34.717 on Saturday on the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Brainerd International road course. Gillim won the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge sprint race by 1.342 seconds over his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Rocco Landers. In the nine-lap Saturday race, Gillim set the pace from the start and opened a gap between him and a close fight between Factory Indian rider Tyler O’Hara, Rispoli, and Wyman. Wyman got by O’Hara on the last lap to finish in 4th place, with Landers zapping Factory Indian’s Troy Herfoss in the last corner to take 2nd place.
On Sunday, Gillim again led from the start and opened a lead that would stretch to 6.5 seconds at the finish. O’Hara, Herfoss, and Rispoli gave chase, with Herfoss crashing on Lap 5 but able to pick up his bike and rejoin the race. Rispoli took 3rd place behind O’Hara on the podium. Championship leader Herfoss finished 7th. After setting a record pace over the field in the Sunday morning warm-up session, Wyman suffered a clutch issue on the warm-up lap but was able to complete the race in 8th place and claim 8 valuable championship points.
“Today was a big shame after setting the track record on the morning warm up on used tires. We really made huge steps with the bike overnight on Saturday. I felt like we had a bike that could win,” said Wyman. “To have a clutch issue right out of the gate was tough to swallow on the warm-up lap. I just rolled around and tried to score all the points I could score. But we’re still in really good shape for the championship. And I’m looking forward to Laguna Seca and the rest of the races.”
After 10 of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers series, Herfoss leads the championship with 205 points. Wyman is second with 192 points, followed by O’Hara with 142 points, Gillim with 135 points, and Rispoli with 108 points.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing returns to action July 12-14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California for the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey.
The Mission King Of The Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Road Glide motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing is sponsored by Mission Foods, Rockford Fosgate, Brembo, Öhlins, Protolabs, SYN3 lubricants, and Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts and Accessories.
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Race Results – Brainerd Race 1
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
- Rocco Landers (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
- Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
- Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
- Cory West (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
- Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Brainerd Race 2
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
- Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
- James Rispoli (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
- Cory West (H-D) Saddleman/Harley-Davidson
- Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
- Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
