What started as kind of a novelty marketing race has turned into a Hog-eat-hog slugfest, in which AMA Superbike champ Ben Bostrom could only manage a fifth place at the third, and final round Sunday in Monterey. Kyle Wyman and his Road Glide Special won the race and the King of the Baggers championship, with the Indian Challenger of Tyler O’Hara taking second and the immortal Michael Barnes in third on his Harley-Davidson.
Harley-Davidson Press Release:
Wyman Leads Every Lap to Score Second Win of Season, Earns Bagger Title by 25 Points
Brian J Nelson photos
MILWAUKEE (July 11, 2021) – Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team rider Kyle Wyman won the 2021 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers championship with a dominating performance at MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey in Laguna Seca, Calif. Aboard the #33 factory-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special powered by a modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine, Wyman took the holeshot, set a new class lap record, and led every lap of the race on the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway road course. Wyman beat second place Tyler O’Hara on the #29 S&S Cycle Indian Challenger by 4.388 seconds at the finish. Michael Barnes finished third on the #34 Hoban Brothers Racing DTF/Horsepower Inc./Darkhorse Crankworks Harley-Davidson Road Glide Special. Travis Wyman was fourth on the #10 Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory team Road Glide Special.
The victory by Kyle Wyman came only weeks after surgery following a crash in the MotoAmerica Superbike race at Road America on June 13 in which he suffered multiple fractures of his elbow. Wyman chose to sit out the Superbike races at Ridge Motorsports Park and Laguna Seca to focus on the King of the Baggers race and championship title.
“I just wanted to give one lap of absolutely everything I had and see where that put me, and I saw plus one after the first lap and put my head down again,” said Wyman. “The Harley-Davidson team has given me such an amazing motorcycle, and this is a dream come true for me. I grew up in a Harley-Davidson dealership but have been road racing all different brands. I never thought I’d race a Harley again after the XR1200 series, and here we are, King of the Baggers champions. Thank you so much to everyone at Harley-Davidson.”
Using the power of his Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131R motor, Wyman posted a fastest lap of 1:31.983 seconds, good for a new class track record, and more than a second faster than O’Hara’s fastest race lap.
“Everyone at Harley-Davidson is immensely proud of Kyle and the entire factory team for their tireless commitment to securing this championship,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president, and CEO Harley-Davidson. “Kyle’s incredible dedication and focus on winning was matched by the passion and energy of the team of Harley-Davidson engineers who developed these bagger race bikes, constantly working to improve the performance of these remarkable motorcycles. This team truly exemplifies the spirit of Harley-Davidson Number 1.”
The MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series is for race-prepared, American V-Twin touring motorcycles equipped with fairing and saddlebags. With two wins and a second-place finish, Wyman wrapped up the three-race King of the Baggers series with 70 points. O’Hara finished second with 45 points. Hayden Gillim slotted in third with 39 points on the #79 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson Street Glide entry.
Kyle and Travis Wyman are the sons of Kim Wyman, owner of Harv’s Harley-Davidson in Macedon, N.Y., and grew up around Harley-Davidson and flat track racing.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results Laguna Seca:
1. Kyle Wyman (Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson)
2. Tyler O’Hara (S&S Indian)
3. Michael Barnes (Hoban Brothers Racing/DTF Performance Harley-Davidson)
4. Travis Wyman (Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson)
5. Ben Bostrom (Feuling Harley-Davidson)
6. Hayden Gillim (Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson)
7. Frankie Garcia (RSD Indian)
8. Patricia Fernandez (Saddlemen Indian)
9. Zack Nation (Zach Nation Racing Harley-Davidson)
10. Eric Stahl (Jiffy Tune Racing Harley-Davidson)
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Series Points:
1. Kyle Wyman 70 (Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson)
2. Tyler O’Hara 45 (S&S Indian)
3. Hayden Gillim 39 (Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson)
4. Frankie Garcia 36 (RSD Indian)
5. Travis Wyman 33 (Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson)
6. Eric Stahl 25 (Jiffy Tune Racing Harley-Davidson)
7. John Sueberling 19 (Mad Monkey Motorsports Harley-Davidson)
8. Danny Eslick 18 (Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Harley-Davidson)
9. Zack Nation 17 (Zack Nation Racing Harley-Davidson)
10. Michael Barnes 16 (Hoban Brothers Racing/DTF Performance Harley-Davidson)
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About the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine: The Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 is the most-powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models.
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Wyman and Harley may have won the championship, but some on the other team contend that Frankie Garcia and the Roland Sands Indian won the King of Fun title.
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