King Of The Baggers returned to Laguna Seca July 7-9 for an exciting weekend of racing between the Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle teams. Saturday’s race was highlighted by the two leading riders crashing in the final turn on the last lap, with an unexpected winner of the race. Sunday’s race ended with an all-Harley-Davidson podium.
Kyle Wyman was leading the points going into the weekend for his H-D factory team, and his weekend at Laguna began with a new lap record in qualifying and a win in the three-lap challenge shootout directly after qualifying. Indian’s reigning champ, Tyler O’Hara, had yet to take a feature-race win. Those two riders battled it out during Saturday’s race at Laguna, with O’Hara leading most of the six-lap event until he made a mistake on lap 5, running wide in Turn 2 and allowing Wyman to sneak ahead. But O’Hara made a ballsy move up the inside of Wyman entering Laguna’s famous Corkscrew corner on the last lap. Then, entering the final corner, both riders lowsided and crashed, allowing Vance & Hines riders Hayden Gillim and James Rispoli to nab the two top spots on the podium. Bobby Fong earned third place for the Roland Sands Design Indian team. The two crashed racers were able to pick up their bikes and finish the race, with O’Hara coming in fourth and Wyman finishing ninth.
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On Sunday, Kyle Wyman pulled to the front right off the start and stayed there. O’Hara stuck to him for a while before falling behind Rispoli and Gillim, both on Harley-Davidson Road Glides, on lap 4. In the end, Wyman took first followed by Rispoli and Gillim, rounding out the all-Harley podium.
“I really wanted to get a good start today to get out front and control the pace,” said Wyman about Sunday’s race. “I was feeling pressure from Rispoli in the second half of the race, and I know James would not hesitate to take his shot at a pass, so I made sure to not give him that opportunity. It’s really great to see Harley-Davidson lock up the podium today.”
Kyle Wyman’s performances allowed him to hold onto his points lead with 148 points. Rispoli follows with 143 points, and Gillim sits in third with 130 points. The 2022 champ O’Hara is fourth in the standings with 107 points.
King Of The Baggers returns July 28-30 to the Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. Read Harley-Davidson’s press release below for more information.
MILWAUKEE (July 10, 2023) – Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Kyle Wyman topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium on Sunday in the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California. Wyman led from start to finish in the 8-lap race on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle to claim his fifth win of the season. Vance & Hines/Mission Foods teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim finished second and third on Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles. With the win, Kyle Wyman preserved his championship points lead in the series.
“I really wanted to get a good start today to get out front and control the pace,” said Wyman. “I was feeling pressure from Rispoli in the second half of the race, and I know James would not hesitate to take his shot at a pass, so I made sure to not give him that opportunity. It’s really great to see Harley-Davidson lock up the podium today.”
Wyman opened the weekend by topping the first qualifying session on Friday with a new King of the Baggers track record lap of 1:28.586. On Saturday Wyman won the three-lap King of the Baggers Challenge race, besting second place Gillim by 1.462 seconds.
Related: Indian Challenger RR – 2022 King Of The Baggers Race Replica
In the Saturday feature race, Wyman dogged race leader Tyler O’Hara on the Factory Indian motorcycle before passing for the lead in Turn 2 on lap 5. O’Hara passed Wyman back to take the lead on the last lap but crashed on the entrance to the last turn of the race. Wyman fell behind him and both riders slid off the track as Gillim, Rispoli, and Sacramento Mile/Roland Sands Indian rider Bobby Fong took advantage. O’Hara and Wyman both managed to pick up their bikes and cross the finish line, O’Hara in fourth place and Wyman in ninth place. Gillim finished first, 2.919 seconds ahead of Rispoli, with Fong in third place. Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Travis Wyman finished in seventh place on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle.
On Sunday roles were reversed, as Kyle Wyman took the lead from the pole position with O’Hara chasing in second place, followed by Rispoli and Gillim. O’Hara fell off the pace on lap 4 and was passed by both Vance & Hines riders. Rispoli closed to within a fraction of a second on Wyman but never had an opportunity to attempt a pass. O’Hara finished fourth. Travis Wyman was sixth on the Factory Harley-Davidson Road Glide.
After eight of 14 races in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads the championship with 148 points, followed by Rispoli with 143 points, and Gillim with 130 points. O’Hara sits in fourth place with 107 points. Travis Wyman is in 10th place with 59 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 July 28-30 in the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway near Brainerd, Minn.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Laguna Seca Race 1
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands Design
- Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Cory West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Kole King (H-D) King Performance
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Danny Spina (H-D) Flex CBD
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results – Laguna Seca Race 2
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Tyler O’Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Cory West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Kole King (H-D) King Performance
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Eric Stahl (H-D) Jiffy Tune Racing
- Danny Spina (H-D) Flex CBD
