Harley Davidson Clinches Key Wins at King of the Baggers
Harley Davidson beats out Indian Motorcycles for the King of the Bagger racing championship.
In football, you’ve got Michigan vs. Ohio State, in basketball you’ve got Celtics vs. Lakers and in the motorcycle baggers class, you’ve got Indian vs. Harley Davidson.
Well sports fans, ring up a huge win for the Motor Company in that third rivalry, as HD riders clinched the top three spots in the King of the Baggers season championship that ended this past weekend.
HD knocked off defending champion Indian, who won last year’s series trophy.
‘Best Year of My Life’
Harley rider Hayden Gillim won the series championship in dramatic fashion in the last weekend of the season at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville by beating out fellow HD riders James Rispoli and Kyle Wyman on Saturday.
Rispoli took an early lead in the race, but Gillim overtook him in the third lap and ended up winning convincingly by 9.1 seconds over Rispoli in wet conditions. Wyman, had to retire on the third lap after his bike slid off the track and was damaged during a the warmup lap in the rain.
“It’s been one of, if not the best, year of my life,” said the consistent Gillim, who won three races with eight additional podium finishes on the season.
Wyman Sets Another Sizzling Record
It wasn’t exactly a bad year for Wyman who actually won more races than Rispoli with seven victories in the seven-weekend, 14-race series. But, Wyman had only one additional podium finish.
Not only was he in contention for the overall title down to the wire, he set a blazing track record in Friday’s qualifying with a lap time of 1:24.447. However, no one came close to that time for the rest of the weekend as weather conditions deteriorated.
He did win Sunday’s race.
“I suppose a win in the last race sends a message,” a disappointed Wyman said after the weekend action. “It really stings to come up short in the championship after winning the most races, but I’m also proud of my race wins, proud of the team and what it has accomplished from a development standpoint, which trickles down to the other Harley teams.”
Another Wyman Racer Joins the Family
Wyman said his disappointment was tempered by the dominant showing of the Motor Company baggers all year.
“This has been a crazy year and obviously this weekend did not end as we hoped it might, but Harley-Davidson is one-two-three in the championship and that’s the next-best result for us,” he said.
Kyle Wyman’s brother Travis also competes on a Harley Davidson in the King of the Bagger series, and for the first time a third Wyman, brother Cody Wyman, competed along with his other two brothers. Cody Wyman filled in for Team Saddlemen’s Corey West, who could not ride due to an injury.
Why the Interest? It’s Just Fun to Watch
Motorcycle fans, specifically those who own baggers, have shown increased interest in the King of the Bagger series which pits Harley Davidson against Indian. For one reason, it shows what can be done with a stock Road Glide. For another, it’s a fierce rivalry and for yet another it’s just fun to watch the big baggers lumber around a race track.
Photos: Harley Davidson
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