Archie McDonald crowned inaugural Bagger World Cup champion

2026 FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

Round Six – Red Bull Ring

Archie McDonald Crowned Champion

Archie McDonald is the inaugural FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup champion. The 20-year-old Australian completed the job at Austria’s Red Bull Ring on Sunday, delivering a major international title for himself and the Melbourne-based Joe Rascal Racing squad that gave him his chance.

Eric Granado won the final race ahead of Oscar Gutiérrez and American wildcard Kyle Wyman. McDonald approached the decider with the championship firmly in mind, giving his rivals room and keeping himself clear of trouble. Afterwards, he revealed that he had completed the race without a rear brake.

Eighth in the decider took McDonald to 202 points, nine clear of Gutiérrez on 193, with Granado third on 192. The youngster from Jindera, near Albury, had arrived in Austria seven points ahead and turned that opportunity into the biggest success of his career.

Archie had earned the right to manage his advantage. He finished each of the opening 11 races inside the top five, collecting nine podiums and two victories. Saturday’s second place gave him a 21-point buffer over his sole remaining challenger, Gutiérrez. On Sunday, he understood exactly what the situation required and rode accordingly.

His parents, Scott and Miranda, were in Austria to see it. Archie had flown them over for the finale, bringing the family together for the biggest moment of his racing career after an exceptionally difficult year.

Speaking after the race, McDonald dedicated the title to his older brother Toby and described the relief of achieving a goal that had taken years of work.

Archie McDonald

“I dedicate this completely to Toby. I love you and miss you so much.

“But to have him on the back of the bike with me those last few laps was the best extra weight I could have asked for in any race.

“And I bet no one believes me, but that race I had no rear brake, so I’m very, very lucky I had the point lead from yesterday.

“Like I said, this is a dream come true. This is a goal come true. This is years and years of just setback, setback and blood, sweat and tears put into something so big.”

He thanked his manager, coach, father, family and friends, along with Joe Rascal Racing and the Bagger World Cup, for helping him to the title.

From Jindera to a place in the history books

McDonald’s journey began with Archie and older brother Toby riding motorcycles in the backyard, encouraged by their father Scott. Five Australian dirt track titles followed before Archie began working his way through road racing.

He finished fourth in the inaugural Oceania Junior Cup in 2019 and progressed through Supersport 300 and the Yamaha R3 Cup. A broken leg interrupted his 2021 campaign, but he returned to win races and finish fourth in Australian Supersport 300.

Europe was the next step. McDonald contested the European R3 Cup in 2022, then finished fifth in the FIM JuniorGP Superstock 600 ranks in 2023. In 2024, he combined his European programme with Australian Supersport appearances for Stop & Seal Racing.

Those years involved finding rides, learning unfamiliar circuits and building a life a long way from home. When MCNews spoke with Archie in early 2024, he was sharing accommodation with Spanish workers in Mallorca and training with riders including Joel Kelso and Collin Veijer.

Mallorca became his base as he tried to forge a career in Europe. Cycling, running, gym work and time on the bike filled his days, while racing meant travelling away from the island to pursue the next opportunity.

Scott stayed with him during his first year overseas, and coach Angel Poyatos became an important part of his development.

That ability to learn quickly proved useful when an opportunity arrived to race something very different from the smaller-capacity machinery on which he had built his career.

The leg up from Joe Rascal

Joe Rascal’s investment in the new Bagger World Cup gave McDonald a significant leg up. The new Melbourne-based Harley-Davidson dealership group backed a team, signed the young Australian and provided a route into an international championship racing alongside MotoGP.

Under James Tonna and Barry Fitzpatrick, Joe Rascal had taken over Harley-Davidson operations in Melbourne, Ringwood and Dandenong, along with the Ducati dealership in South Melbourne. Racing quickly became part of the group’s plans.

When we spoke with Tonna in December 2025, Archie was the team’s first announced rider and Tonna was already confident he could deliver podiums. Giving him that opportunity has now brought the inaugural riders’ title back to an Australian-backed outfit.

It was a substantial change for McDonald. A roughly 280 kg Harley-Davidson Bagger demanded a different approach from a 600 cc Supersport machine, from the riding position and braking to dealing with the torque and physical effort of hanging on out of corners.

He adapted quickly enough to win the championship’s very first race. Over the season, he then took on opposition with experience stretching from MotoGP and World Superbike to MotoE and American Bagger racing, including Iannone, Granado, Jordi Torres and Bradley Smith.

Sunday’s decider showed how well he could temper his ‘Mad Dog’ moniker and competitive instinct when the championship demanded it.

A difficult year for the McDonald family

Behind the results, the McDonald family has been dealing with the death of Archie’s older brother Toby, who died by suicide earlier this year.

Archie has spoken publicly about losing his brother and used his growing profile to encourage people to check in on those around them. He supported the Push For Better mental health campaign with push-up videos and carried a tribute to Toby on his Joe Rascal Racing machine.

Having Scott and Miranda in Austria meant they could be there for this achievement together. The title is the biggest reward yet for years of work by Archie and the people who have helped him keep racing.

In his post-race interview, McDonald spoke about the difficulty of leaving family and friends in Australia to continue pursuing his racing career overseas, and said he would now take time to celebrate with them and continue grieving.

The consistency that won the title

McDonald announced himself with victory in the inaugural Bagger World Cup race at COTA, winning by almost nine seconds. Third in the second race, after a time penalty, left him leading the championship.

Two thirds at Mugello kept the points coming. Assen was a much tougher test: a heavy practice crash left rider and motorcycle battered, the team faced a substantial rebuild, and a rear-brake problem added to his difficulties in qualifying.

He still salvaged fourth and fifth. Those 24 points from a difficult weekend were a valuable part of the campaign, keeping him in contention when the opportunity to win was out of reach.

Silverstone brought pole position, second in Race One and a lights-to-flag victory in Race Two. That 45-point haul cut his deficit to Granado to five points.

A further pair of thirds at Aragon moved Archie into the championship lead. Iannone won both races there, but McDonald’s two podiums and Granado’s first-race non-finish sent the Australian to the Red Bull Ring seven points in front.

Second on Saturday in Austria made it nine podiums from 11 starts. That run of results gave McDonald the freedom to take a measured approach in the finale, and he finished the inaugural 12-race season with two victories and nine podium appearances.

---

Bagger World Cup Race One

Granado had begun the Austrian weekend strongly, topping FP2 before claiming pole with a 1m38.366s. McDonald qualified alongside him, just 0.173 seconds adrift, with Iannone completing the front row.

Archie made the start count and led the opening lap from Iannone and Granado. The championship picture then changed dramatically on lap two when Iannone took Granado out, ending both riders’ races.

Iannone was subsequently handed a long lap penalty to serve in Sunday’s second race for the incident.

McDonald led the first three laps before Gutiérrez moved ahead on lap four. The Spaniard had already set what would stand as the fastest lap of the race, a 1m39.421s on lap three, and went on to win the nine-lap encounter.

Archie remained close, crossing the line 0.885 seconds behind. James Rispoli completed the podium, 2.933 seconds from the winner, putting two Joe Rascal Racing riders on the rostrum.

Kyle Wyman finished fourth on his World Cup debut with Wegner Automotive x KWR. The reigning American King of the Baggers champion had qualified seventh after some initial setbacks, and his race pace suggested he would be a factor again on Sunday.

Jake Lewis took fifth ahead of Maxwell Toth, who served a double long lap penalty for a jump start and another long lap penalty for exceeding track limits. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Max Flinders and Travis Wyman completed the finishers.

McDonald’s 20 points lifted him to 194, with Gutiérrez on 173. Granado remained on 167, now 27 behind with only 25 available, while Iannone was also out of title contention on 147.

That left Gutiérrez needing to win the finale to have any chance of taking the title. McDonald could secure the crown with 11th or better regardless of the Spaniard’s result.

Bagger World Cup Race One Results

Bagger World Cup Standings After Race One

---

Bagger World Cup Race Two

Granado made a great start from pole to lead McDonald and Iannone, with Gutiérrez fourth, Rispoli fifth and Kyle Wyman sixth in the early running.

Iannone soon went underneath McDonald at the same part of the circuit where he had taken Granado out on Saturday. Archie gave the Italian plenty of room, leaving Iannone to press on with a long lap penalty still to serve.

Gutiérrez and Wyman also came through on McDonald as the Australian played it safe. His subsequent revelation that he had no rear brake added another dimension to that measured ride. Granado, meanwhile, was making the most of clear track out front and began to escape.

With six laps remaining, Granado led Gutiérrez by almost three seconds. McDonald was running seventh, comfortably within the position he needed to secure the championship even if Gutiérrez went on to win.

Iannone then came back past Archie after serving his long lap penalty, relegating the Australian to eighth. McDonald continued to manage his own race, with no need to become involved in a fight that could put the title at risk.

Gutiérrez kept chasing Granado and had reduced the Brazilian’s advantage to less than two seconds with three laps remaining. Even a change of leader would still have left McDonald in a championship-winning position at that stage.

Wyman held third, just over three seconds behind Gutiérrez, with Rispoli and Toth engaged in the battle for the final podium place. The American wildcard had followed up Saturday’s fourth with another competitive showing against the World Cup regulars.

Granado held on to take the final victory of the season in 14m54.830s, finishing 1.966 seconds ahead of Gutiérrez. Wyman secured third, 6.651 seconds from the winner, with Rispoli only 0.360 seconds behind him and Toth another 0.118 seconds back in fifth.

Iannone recovered to sixth after his penalty, 12.166 seconds from Granado. Lewis took seventh ahead of McDonald, who finished 21.823 seconds behind his victorious team-mate. Pratama, Flinders and Travis Wyman completed the order.

Eighth was comfortably enough for Archie. The eight points took him to 202, securing the crown by nine over Gutiérrez. He had completed every race of the inaugural season and finished the job he had come to Austria to do.

For Granado, victory provided a positive finish to a weekend in which Saturday’s crash had ended his championship challenge. For Wyman, third delivered a podium from his debut World Cup round.

Granado welcomed the victory but remained frustrated that Saturday’s collision had denied him the chance to take the championship fight into the final race.

Eric Granado

“I had a pole position. I had a very good feeling.

“I won the race today, but yesterday another rider made me lose the championship. I’m so upset about it, but anyway, my only target today was to go for the win and enjoy this moment with the team.

“I know that I at least deserved to fight until the end, but anyway, it is what it is.”

For Archie, the reward was the inaugural crown. Years spent trying to make his way in Europe, the support of his family and the opportunity provided by Joe Rascal had come together in a title-winning season for the young Australian.

Bagger World Cup Race Two Results

Fastest lap: Oscar Gutiérrez, 1m38.689s on lap eight.

Bagger World Cup Final Standings

 

---

Bagger World Cup Qualifying Results

---

About the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

The Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup is the world’s first global racing series dedicated exclusively to high-performance Harley-Davidson bagger motorcycles, competing as a support championship on select MotoGP weekends across North America and Europe.

Bagger World Cup race bikes are built on Harley-Davidson’s Grand American Touring platform, transformed by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing into purpose-built competition machines.

Each race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide features:

• A Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin 131R race-modified motor
• Purpose-built chassis, suspension, braking, and electronics packages
• Extensive weight reduction and aerodynamic development
• Performance levels exceeding 200 horsepower, with top speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph)

Bagger World Cup Technical Regulations Here

2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Calendar

1. Austin, USA: March 27–29
2. Mugello, Italy: May 29–31
3. Assen, Netherlands: June 26–28
4. Silverstone, Great Britain: August 7–9
5. Aragon, Spain: August 28–30
6. Red Bull Ring, Austria: September 18–20

---

2026 FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

Round Six – Red Bull Ring

Archie McDonald Crowned Champion

Archie McDonald is the inaugural FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup champion. The 20-year-old Australian completed the job at Austria’s Red Bull Ring on Sunday, delivering a major international title for himself and the Melbourne-based Joe Rascal Racing squad that gave him his chance.

Eric Granado won the final race ahead of Oscar Gutiérrez and American wildcard Kyle Wyman. McDonald approached the decider with the championship firmly in mind, giving his rivals room and keeping himself clear of trouble. Afterwards, he revealed that he had completed the race without a rear brake.

Eighth in the decider took McDonald to 202 points, nine clear of Gutiérrez on 193, with Granado third on 192. The youngster from Jindera, near Albury, had arrived in Austria seven points ahead and turned that opportunity into the biggest success of his career.

Archie had earned the right to manage his advantage. He finished each of the opening 11 races inside the top five, collecting nine podiums and two victories. Saturday’s second place gave him a 21-point buffer over his sole remaining challenger, Gutiérrez. On Sunday, he understood exactly what the situation required and rode accordingly.

His parents, Scott and Miranda, were in Austria to see it. Archie had flown them over for the finale, bringing the family together for the biggest moment of his racing career after an exceptionally difficult year.

Speaking after the race, McDonald dedicated the title to his older brother Toby and described the relief of achieving a goal that had taken years of work.

Archie McDonald

“I dedicate this completely to Toby. I love you and miss you so much.

“But to have him on the back of the bike with me those last few laps was the best extra weight I could have asked for in any race.

“And I bet no one believes me, but that race I had no rear brake, so I’m very, very lucky I had the point lead from yesterday.

“Like I said, this is a dream come true. This is a goal come true. This is years and years of just setback, setback and blood, sweat and tears put into something so big.”

He thanked his manager, coach, father, family and friends, along with Joe Rascal Racing and the Bagger World Cup, for helping him to the title.

From Jindera to a place in the history books

McDonald’s journey began with Archie and older brother Toby riding motorcycles in the backyard, encouraged by their father Scott. Five Australian dirt track titles followed before Archie began working his way through road racing.

He finished fourth in the inaugural Oceania Junior Cup in 2019 and progressed through Supersport 300 and the Yamaha R3 Cup. A broken leg interrupted his 2021 campaign, but he returned to win races and finish fourth in Australian Supersport 300.

Europe was the next step. McDonald contested the European R3 Cup in 2022, then finished fifth in the FIM JuniorGP Superstock 600 ranks in 2023. In 2024, he combined his European programme with Australian Supersport appearances for Stop & Seal Racing.

Those years involved finding rides, learning unfamiliar circuits and building a life a long way from home. When MCNews spoke with Archie in early 2024, he was sharing accommodation with Spanish workers in Mallorca and training with riders including Joel Kelso and Collin Veijer.

Mallorca became his base as he tried to forge a career in Europe. Cycling, running, gym work and time on the bike filled his days, while racing meant travelling away from the island to pursue the next opportunity.

Scott stayed with him during his first year overseas, and coach Angel Poyatos became an important part of his development.

That ability to learn quickly proved useful when an opportunity arrived to race something very different from the smaller-capacity machinery on which he had built his career.

The leg up from Joe Rascal

Joe Rascal’s investment in the new Bagger World Cup gave McDonald a significant leg up. The new Melbourne-based Harley-Davidson dealership group backed a team, signed the young Australian and provided a route into an international championship racing alongside MotoGP.

Under James Tonna and Barry Fitzpatrick, Joe Rascal had taken over Harley-Davidson operations in Melbourne, Ringwood and Dandenong, along with the Ducati dealership in South Melbourne. Racing quickly became part of the group’s plans.

When we spoke with Tonna in December 2025, Archie was the team’s first announced rider and Tonna was already confident he could deliver podiums. Giving him that opportunity has now brought the inaugural riders’ title back to an Australian-backed outfit.

It was a substantial change for McDonald. A roughly 280 kg Harley-Davidson Bagger demanded a different approach from a 600 cc Supersport machine, from the riding position and braking to dealing with the torque and physical effort of hanging on out of corners.

He adapted quickly enough to win the championship’s very first race. Over the season, he then took on opposition with experience stretching from MotoGP and World Superbike to MotoE and American Bagger racing, including Iannone, Granado, Jordi Torres and Bradley Smith.

Sunday’s decider showed how well he could temper his ‘Mad Dog’ moniker and competitive instinct when the championship demanded it.

A difficult year for the McDonald family

Behind the results, the McDonald family has been dealing with the death of Archie’s older brother Toby, who died by suicide earlier this year.

Archie has spoken publicly about losing his brother and used his growing profile to encourage people to check in on those around them. He supported the Push For Better mental health campaign with push-up videos and carried a tribute to Toby on his Joe Rascal Racing machine.

Having Scott and Miranda in Austria meant they could be there for this achievement together. The title is the biggest reward yet for years of work by Archie and the people who have helped him keep racing.

In his post-race interview, McDonald spoke about the difficulty of leaving family and friends in Australia to continue pursuing his racing career overseas, and said he would now take time to celebrate with them and continue grieving.

The consistency that won the title

McDonald announced himself with victory in the inaugural Bagger World Cup race at COTA, winning by almost nine seconds. Third in the second race, after a time penalty, left him leading the championship.

Two thirds at Mugello kept the points coming. Assen was a much tougher test: a heavy practice crash left rider and motorcycle battered, the team faced a substantial rebuild, and a rear-brake problem added to his difficulties in qualifying.

He still salvaged fourth and fifth. Those 24 points from a difficult weekend were a valuable part of the campaign, keeping him in contention when the opportunity to win was out of reach.

Silverstone brought pole position, second in Race One and a lights-to-flag victory in Race Two. That 45-point haul cut his deficit to Granado to five points.

A further pair of thirds at Aragon moved Archie into the championship lead. Iannone won both races there, but McDonald’s two podiums and Granado’s first-race non-finish sent the Australian to the Red Bull Ring seven points in front.

Second on Saturday in Austria made it nine podiums from 11 starts. That run of results gave McDonald the freedom to take a measured approach in the finale, and he finished the inaugural 12-race season with two victories and nine podium appearances.

---

Bagger World Cup Race One

Granado had begun the Austrian weekend strongly, topping FP2 before claiming pole with a 1m38.366s. McDonald qualified alongside him, just 0.173 seconds adrift, with Iannone completing the front row.

Archie made the start count and led the opening lap from Iannone and Granado. The championship picture then changed dramatically on lap two when Iannone took Granado out, ending both riders’ races.

Iannone was subsequently handed a long lap penalty to serve in Sunday’s second race for the incident.

McDonald led the first three laps before Gutiérrez moved ahead on lap four. The Spaniard had already set what would stand as the fastest lap of the race, a 1m39.421s on lap three, and went on to win the nine-lap encounter.

Archie remained close, crossing the line 0.885 seconds behind. James Rispoli completed the podium, 2.933 seconds from the winner, putting two Joe Rascal Racing riders on the rostrum.

Kyle Wyman finished fourth on his World Cup debut with Wegner Automotive x KWR. The reigning American King of the Baggers champion had qualified seventh after some initial setbacks, and his race pace suggested he would be a factor again on Sunday.

Jake Lewis took fifth ahead of Maxwell Toth, who served a double long lap penalty for a jump start and another long lap penalty for exceeding track limits. Dimas Ekky Pratama, Max Flinders and Travis Wyman completed the finishers.

McDonald’s 20 points lifted him to 194, with Gutiérrez on 173. Granado remained on 167, now 27 behind with only 25 available, while Iannone was also out of title contention on 147.

That left Gutiérrez needing to win the finale to have any chance of taking the title. McDonald could secure the crown with 11th or better regardless of the Spaniard’s result.

Bagger World Cup Race One Results

Bagger World Cup Standings After Race One

---

Bagger World Cup Race Two

Granado made a great start from pole to lead McDonald and Iannone, with Gutiérrez fourth, Rispoli fifth and Kyle Wyman sixth in the early running.

Iannone soon went underneath McDonald at the same part of the circuit where he had taken Granado out on Saturday. Archie gave the Italian plenty of room, leaving Iannone to press on with a long lap penalty still to serve.

Gutiérrez and Wyman also came through on McDonald as the Australian played it safe. His subsequent revelation that he had no rear brake added another dimension to that measured ride. Granado, meanwhile, was making the most of clear track out front and began to escape.

With six laps remaining, Granado led Gutiérrez by almost three seconds. McDonald was running seventh, comfortably within the position he needed to secure the championship even if Gutiérrez went on to win.

Iannone then came back past Archie after serving his long lap penalty, relegating the Australian to eighth. McDonald continued to manage his own race, with no need to become involved in a fight that could put the title at risk.

Gutiérrez kept chasing Granado and had reduced the Brazilian’s advantage to less than two seconds with three laps remaining. Even a change of leader would still have left McDonald in a championship-winning position at that stage.

Wyman held third, just over three seconds behind Gutiérrez, with Rispoli and Toth engaged in the battle for the final podium place. The American wildcard had followed up Saturday’s fourth with another competitive showing against the World Cup regulars.

Granado held on to take the final victory of the season in 14m54.830s, finishing 1.966 seconds ahead of Gutiérrez. Wyman secured third, 6.651 seconds from the winner, with Rispoli only 0.360 seconds behind him and Toth another 0.118 seconds back in fifth.

Iannone recovered to sixth after his penalty, 12.166 seconds from Granado. Lewis took seventh ahead of McDonald, who finished 21.823 seconds behind his victorious team-mate. Pratama, Flinders and Travis Wyman completed the order.

Eighth was comfortably enough for Archie. The eight points took him to 202, securing the crown by nine over Gutiérrez. He had completed every race of the inaugural season and finished the job he had come to Austria to do.

For Granado, victory provided a positive finish to a weekend in which Saturday’s crash had ended his championship challenge. For Wyman, third delivered a podium from his debut World Cup round.

Granado welcomed the victory but remained frustrated that Saturday’s collision had denied him the chance to take the championship fight into the final race.

Eric Granado

“I had a pole position. I had a very good feeling.

“I won the race today, but yesterday another rider made me lose the championship. I’m so upset about it, but anyway, my only target today was to go for the win and enjoy this moment with the team.

“I know that I at least deserved to fight until the end, but anyway, it is what it is.”

For Archie, the reward was the inaugural crown. Years spent trying to make his way in Europe, the support of his family and the opportunity provided by Joe Rascal had come together in a title-winning season for the young Australian.

Bagger World Cup Race Two Results

Fastest lap: Oscar Gutiérrez, 1m38.689s on lap eight.

Bagger World Cup Final Standings

 

---

Bagger World Cup Qualifying Results

---

About the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

The Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup is the world’s first global racing series dedicated exclusively to high-performance Harley-Davidson bagger motorcycles, competing as a support championship on select MotoGP weekends across North America and Europe.

Bagger World Cup race bikes are built on Harley-Davidson’s Grand American Touring platform, transformed by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing into purpose-built competition machines.

Each race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide features:

• A Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin 131R race-modified motor
• Purpose-built chassis, suspension, braking, and electronics packages
• Extensive weight reduction and aerodynamic development
• Performance levels exceeding 200 horsepower, with top speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph)

Bagger World Cup Technical Regulations Here

2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Calendar

1. Austin, USA: March 27–29
2. Mugello, Italy: May 29–31
3. Assen, Netherlands: June 26–28
4. Silverstone, Great Britain: August 7–9
5. Aragon, Spain: August 28–30
6. Red Bull Ring, Austria: September 18–20

---