Anything can happen in King Of The Baggers racing, and that again proved to be true at last weekend’s races at Circuit of the Americas. It was a chaotic affair, with unexpected results from some of the big hitters from Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Kyle Wyman on the Harley factory team stole the show on Saturday and got the checkered flag two seconds ahead of Vance & Hines teammates Hayden Gillim and James Rispoli, filling out a podium of Road Glides. Indian had a dismal day, with defending champ Tyler O’Hara unable to start the race after his Challenger tossed its chain during the Challenge dash-for-cash sprint and caused him to crash, which damaged the radiator and couldn’t be fixed in time for Race 1. Indian teammate Jeremy McWilliams was too battered to start the race after highsiding himself in the Super Hooligan race.
O’Hara was out for redemption on Sunday, sprinting away to a sizable lead over the rest of the field, but bad luck struck again when his Challenger suffered a mechanical ailment that took him out of the race. Kyle Wyman got caught up in traffic at the start and collided with another rider as he charged up through the field and crashed. Rispoli led the race over the resurgent Travis Wyman, running stronger than he has all season, but he crashed out of the race on the last lap.Rispoli ended up crossing the finish line 8 seconds ahead of Gillim, with Indian’s Kyle Ohnsorg finishing in third, his best result of the season and Indian’s only podium spot for the weekend. Kyle Wyman was able to pick up his Road Glide and finish in ninth, just ahead of brother Travis.
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O’Hara had a stint of bad luck with his Challenger, but he was able to celebrate his second consecutive Super Hooligan championship with two wins aboard his Indian FTR. The result of the first race was in doubt all the way to the final corner of the race. See the video below!
Heading into the KOTB season finale, Hayden Gillim leads the standings with 215 points followed by teammate James Rispoli with 213. Kyle Wyman has 204 in third, Bobby Fong holds onto a distant fourth with 130, and last year’s KOTB champ, Tyler O’Hara, sits in fifth place with 123 points.
Read Harley-Davidson’s press release below for more information, and be sure to catch the bagger action at the season finale double-header Sept. 22-24.
MILWAUKEE (September 10, 2023) – Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman won his sixth race of the season and Harley-Davidson riders claimed five of six podium positions in two MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers races last weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Travis County, Texas. Wyman led Saturday’s race from start to finish aboard the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle. On Sunday, Vance & Hines/Mission Foods rider James Rispoli won his second race of the season on the team’s Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle.
Wyman was the top qualifier for the weekend with a quickest lap of 2:15.621 on the challenging 3.4-mile, 20-turn Circuit of the Americas road course.
On Saturday, racers endured the challenge of temperatures topping 100 degrees at the start of the first 6-lap Mission King of the Baggers race. Wyman got a great start from the pole on his Factory Harley Road Glide bike and opened a 1.02-second lead after two laps, a gap that stretched to more than 2 seconds at the finish. Hayden Gillim was second on a Vance & Hines/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson, followed by his teammate Rispoli in third place as Harley racers filled the podium. Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Travis Wyman was fourth on the team’s second Road Glide motorcycle. The win moved Kyle Wyman two points ahead of Gillim for the series championship.
On Sunday, Kyle Wyman got caught in traffic at the start of King of the Baggers race two and was running in eighth place when he crashed in turn 13 following contact with another rider. Wyman was able to pick up his motorcycle and re-joined the race in last place, then battled back to finish in ninth place and earn valuable championship points. Rispoli took the race lead on lap 4 and crossed the finish line 8.66 seconds ahead of his teammate Gillim. Travis Wyman was running in second place before crashing out on the last lap, promoting Gillim and Kyle Ohnsorg, who finished third on the Roland Sands Design Indian.
“In race two, I got what I thought was a good start, but got swallowed up by a couple of riders,” said Wyman, “And I could not get the drive I wanted out of turn one. I was trying to be patient but got caught in a bad spot and went down. I was able to work back up to ninth and score seven points, which keeps me in the hunt for the championship, just 11 points back going into the final round. The goal is clear for me to try to win both races in New Jersey and see where everything falls. It should be an exciting finish to the season. A Harley is going to win the championship. I just hope the orange and black bike is the one on top.”
After 12 of 14 rounds in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Vance & Hines’ Gillim leads the championship with 215 points, followed by his teammate Rispoli with 213 points, and Kyle Wyman in third place with 204 points. Travis Wyman is in eighth place with 86 points.
The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Factory Team 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.
The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team returns to action Sept. 22-24 in the MotoAmerica Superbikes at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J.
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Race Results – Circuit of the Americas 1
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
- Hawk Mazzotta (Ind) Lloydz Garage
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
DNF. Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands Design
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Race Results – Circuit of the Americas Race 2
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
- Hawk Mazzotta (Ind) Lloydz Garage
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Robert Johnson (H-D) Johnson Engine Technology
DNF. Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands
DNF. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
Harley-Davidson invites you to enhance the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Check out, ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending 2021 champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Watch it now on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.
