Bagger World Cup
Australia will have just one rider on the grid when the inaugural FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup roars into life at Circuit of The Americas later this month, with young Archie McDonald carrying the local hopes into a championship still taking shape alarmingly close to its first race weekend.
McDonald is the only Australian rider named in the current nine-rider line-up for the new global bagger series, and the Joe Rascal Racing entrant will be thrown in at the deep end against a group packed with experienced American names who already know their way around big V-twin race bikes.
That list includes Travis Wyman, Cody Wyman, Cory West and Jake Lewis, all seasoned US competitors with plenty of pedigree in heavyweight V-twin and bagger competition, while Brazil’s Eric Granado also brings genuine world-level experience to the category.
Against that backdrop, McDonald shapes as one of the real curiosities of the opening round, a young rookie stepping into an entirely new championship against riders with far deeper resumés in this style of machinery.
For Australian fans, McDonald’s presence is one of the key early storylines. He is not only the lone local in the field, but also one of its youngest and least experienced riders in a category that, at least on paper, appears stacked with proven names from the American scene. That makes Austin a major early test of both his adaptability and composure.
It also throws a spotlight on Joe Rascal Racing, the new Australian Harley-Davidson dealership group making an immediate statement by backing a full three-bike effort from the outset. At a time when the grid still looks thin for a championship set to begin in a matter of days, Joe Rascal has come out swinging, fielding the equal-largest entry on the roster and giving the series some badly needed substance.
Joe Rascal Racing’s three-rider line-up features McDonald alongside American Cody Wyman and Brazilian Eric Granado, giving the Australian squad a blend of youth, domestic interest and international firepower. In a field of only four teams and nine confirmed riders, that is no small commitment.
The latest update to the entry list confirms Italy’s ParkinGO Team as a new one-bike addition with Filippo Rovelli, while US-based Saddlemen Racing has expanded to a three-bike effort. Indonesia’s Niti Racing will field two bikes, leaving the current championship entry split across just four teams as the inaugural season approaches.
That is enough to give the series an international flavour, with riders from Australia, the United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Italy and Spain represented, but it also underlines how much work remains to build depth into the field.
With the first official pre-season test scheduled for March 21-22 at Circuit of The Americas, and the opening race weekend set for March 27-29 during the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas, the championship is heading to the line with a grid that still looks lean for a world cup launch.
Cecchini Racing’s provisional entry is currently on standby after the team was unable to finalise the required guarantees for round one, further underlining that the championship is still finding its feet in these final days before the curtain goes up.
For Australia, though, the immediate focus is clear. McDonald will fly the flag solo, and he will do it as a rookie up against riders with years of hard-nosed experience. That challenge alone makes him one of the most intriguing names to watch when the baggers hit the track in Texas.
Current 2026 team entry list
- Joe Rascal Racing (Australia) – 3 bikes
- Saddlemen Racing (USA) – 3 bikes
- Niti Racing (Indonesia) – 2 bikes
- ParkinGO Team (Italy) – 1 bike
Current rider line-up
- Travis Wyman (USA) – Saddlemen Racing
- Cory West (USA) – Saddlemen Racing
- Jake Lewis (USA) – Saddlemen Racing
- Cody Wyman (USA) – Joe Rascal Racing
- Eric Granado (Brazil) – Joe Rascal Racing
- Archie McDonald (Australia) – Joe Rascal Racing
- Dimas Ekky Pratama (Indonesia) – Niti Racing
- Oscar Gutiérrez (Spain) – Niti Racing
- Filippo Rovelli (Italy) – ParkinGO Team
About the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup
The Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup will be the world’s first global racing series dedicated exclusively to high-performance Harley-Davidson bagger motorcycles, competing as a premier 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
Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Calendar
- Austin, USA: March 27–29
- Mugello, Italy: May 29–31
- Assen, Netherlands: June 26–28
- Silverstone, Great Britain: August 7–9
- Aragon, Spain: August 28–30
- Red Bull Ring, Austria: September 18–20
