King Of The Baggers 2024

A dramatic finish to King Of The Baggers 2024 race series highlights the ongoing commitment of Harley-Davidson to race competition

The 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers championship came to a dramatic winner-takes-all finale at the end of September in the latest iteration of the historic racing rivalry between Harley-Davidson^® and Indian.

The MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers competition features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles, with the Harley-Davidson Road Glide^® motorcycles powered by modified Sreamin’ Eagle Milwaukee Eight^® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The Harley-Davidson Factory Racing team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins remote reservoir rear shocks as well as competition exhausts, race tyres and lightweight bodywork. The drama of the high-speed racing is highlighted by the near stock appearance of the bikes as they battle pannier-to-pannier and fairing-to-fairing towards the checkered flag.

For almost the entirety of the 18-race championship, the results were neck and neck between the Harley-Davidson team and arch-rivals Indian, with the two main contenders Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson) and Troy Herfoss (Indian) duelling for the top position on the podium and championship title.

The final stage of the 2024 series was a double-header over two days at the 2.25-mile, 12-turn New Jersey Motorsports Park road course. Heading into the first of the two races, Harley-Davidson factory rider Kyle Wyman held a narrow two-point lead over reigning Australian Superbike champion Troy Herfoss.

That first race on the Saturday saw RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Rocco Landers lead from the start and maintain the lead every lap to take his second win of the season, with championship-leading Harley-Davidson factory rider Kyle Wyman riding in third place.

“I always want to win these races so badly,” said Landers. “Today it was so much fun to battle with these guys. I want to give a huge shout-out to the Vance & Hines team for putting me on a great bike again today.”

For the championship-deciding race on the Sunday, it was Wyman’s turn to get the jump on the field at the start, only to be passed by Herfoss, who gradually opened a lead on Wyman and Landers, setting up a dramatic three-way battle for the rest of the race. In the end, Landers passed Wyman on the last lap to claim second place; Herfoss crossed the finish line 1.733 seconds clear of Landers, with Wyman coming in third, conceding the championship by 11 points.

“I will always fight to the end,” said Wyman after the race. “Troy rode a great race and I just didn’t have the pace today. I’ve had so many great moments this season. It has been the pinnacle of my career to represent Harley-Davidson and go up against number 17. We’ll be back to challenge for the title next season.”

Over the 18 rounds of the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers series, Indian’s Troy Herfoss scored 358 points to claim first place, while Kyle Wyman finished second with 347 points. RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Hayden Gillim took third place with 224 points, followed by Rocco Landers and Tyler O’Hara, also with 224 points and Harley-Davidson factory racer James Rispoli came sixth with 196 points. Wyman won six races and took seven podium finishes, while Herfoss took seven wins and 14 podium finishes to add the championship to his three Australian Superbike Championships.

Remarkably, Wyman’s teammate, James Rispoli, finished on the podium four times in his first season with the Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Team. “It’s been an amazing journey with the team,” said Rispoli following the Sunday race. “We really grew a lot this season and had some great results. I’m super proud and super humble to be part of this team making Harley-Davidson racing history. We have picked each other up when we were down. We put blood, sweat and tears into this season, and I’m looking forward to next year.” The MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers series demonstrates the continuing commitment of Harley-Davidson to race competition. In the 2024 Mission Super Hooligan series, Cody Wyman and Jake Lewis rode race-prepared Harley-Davidson Pan America^™ 1250 Special motorcycles to race victories, while in off-road competition, again on a Pan America 1250, Spaniard Joan Pedrero won the maxitrail category of the gruelling 16-day Africa Eco Race, showcasing the extreme off-road abilities of the Pan America.