MotoAmerica 2026
Laguna Seca
King of the Baggers
Harley-Davidson ended Hayden Gillim’s four-race Mission King Of The Baggers winning streak at Laguna Seca, with Bradley Smith and Kyle Wyman sharing the two feature-race victories.
Smith claimed his maiden Baggers win in Saturday’s opener, before defending champion Wyman won Sunday morning’s three-lap Challenge and backed it up with his first full-length victory of the season that afternoon.
Australian Troy Herfoss delivered another consistent weekend for the J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian team, finishing second and third. Those results cut Gillim’s championship lead from 25 points to 13 after the American crashed during Sunday’s race.
Wyman takes pole before Corkscrew oil stoppage
Kyle Wyman headed Friday qualifying aboard the Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing Road Glide, with team-mate Bradley Smith second and Troy Herfoss third on the leading Indian Challenger.
Saturday’s Q2 session was red-flagged before a scored lap had been completed when Wyman’s Harley-Davidson deposited oil through the Corkscrew.
The required clean-up consumed the remaining session time, leaving Friday’s Q1 order to determine the grid. Wyman therefore started from pole alongside Smith and Herfoss.
Smith claims commanding maiden Baggers victory
Herfoss made the best start and led the opening lap, but Smith immediately showed that the factory Harley-Davidson had the pace to challenge.
Smith passed the Australian on lap two and rapidly broke the tow. By the middle of the nine-lap race he had opened a margin of around three seconds and continued to edge away.
Herfoss remained second, with Tyler O’Hara, Hayden Gillim and Wyman closing in behind. O’Hara attacked Herfoss at the Corkscrew on the final lap, diving to the inside to try and steal the runner-up position.
The SDI Racing Indian ran wide at the exit and crossed the inside downhill berm. Herfoss maintained second, while Gillim capitalised to move into third and O’Hara fell to fourth.
Smith crossed the line 4.690 seconds clear to claim his first Mission King Of The Baggers victory. Herfoss was second, with Gillim third, O’Hara fourth and Wyman fifth.
James Rispoli finished sixth, ahead of Cory West, Jake Lewis and Rocco Landers.
King of the Baggers Race One Results
 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/Gap
|
|
1
|
B Smith
|
HD
|
13m25.401
|
|
2
|
T Herfoss
|
IND
|
+4.690
|
|
3
|
H Gillim
|
IND
|
+5.652
|
|
4
|
T O’Hara
|
IND
|
+5.980
|
|
5
|
K Wyman
|
HD
|
+6.043
|
|
6
|
J Rispoli
|
HD
|
+14.300
|
|
7
|
C West
|
HD
|
+14.578
|
|
8
|
J Lewis
|
HD
|
+15.783
|
|
9
|
R Landers
|
IND
|
+23.079
|
|
10
|
K Ohnsorg
|
IND
|
+44.772
|
|
11
|
M Flinders
|
HD
|
+1 Lap
|
Wyman survives penalty to lead Harley-Davidson one-two
Wyman and Smith again made strong starts in Race Two, emerging from the opening corners first and second. Herfoss initially held third ahead of Gillim, with the leading quartet quickly distancing themselves from the rest of the field.
Gillim moved ahead of Herfoss during the opening phase and set the fastest lap of the race, a 1m27.871, more than two-tenths quicker than the leading Harley-Davidsons.
Gillim’s podium challenge then ended early on lap five when he low-sided at Turn Two. He remounted and returned to the race, but had fallen outside the top ten before recovering to eighth.
Wyman continued to lead Smith, with the two Road Glides running closely matched lap times. The defending champion crossed the line 2.240 seconds ahead on the road, but was subsequently assessed a two-second track-limits penalty.
The penalty reduced Wyman’s official winning margin to only 0.240 seconds, but was not enough to change the result. Smith completed the Harley-Davidson one-two, with Herfoss third, 7.436 seconds behind.
O’Hara finished fourth ahead of Landers, Rispoli and Cory West. Gillim’s recovery to eighth earned eight potentially valuable championship points.
The victory completed a perfect Sunday for Wyman after his earlier Challenge success and marked his first full-length Baggers win of the season.
King of the Baggers Race Two Results
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/Gap
|
|
1
|
K Wyman
|
HD
|
13m22.832
|
|
2
|
B Smith
|
HD
|
+0.240
|
|
3
|
T Herfoss
|
IND
|
+7.436
|
|
4
|
T O’Hara
|
IND
|
+9.477
|
|
5
|
R Landers
|
IND
|
+10.800
|
|
6
|
J Rispoli
|
HD
|
+13.023
|
|
7
|
C West
|
HD
|
+15.430
|
|
8
|
H Gillim
|
IND
|
+21.634
|
|
9
|
J Lewis
|
HD
|
+27.810
|
|
10
|
K Ohnsorg
|
IND
|
+31.584
|
|
11
|
M Flinders
|
HD
|
+1m11.751
|
Wyman wins delayed three-lap Bagger Challenge
The oil clean-up that cancelled Q2 also forced the three-lap Bagger Challenge to be moved from Saturday to Sunday morning.
Wyman and Smith immediately placed the two factory Harley-Davidsons at the front. Wyman led every lap, but Smith remained within striking distance and recorded the fastest lap of the sprint with a 1m27.693.
Wyman won by 0.376 seconds and collected the $5000 winner-takes-all prize. Gillim finished only 0.845 seconds behind the winner in third, with Herfoss fourth and Rispoli fifth.
Tyler O’Hara was the only non-finisher.
King of the Baggers Challenge Race Results
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/Gap
|
|
1
|
K Wyman
|
HD
|
4m29.228
|
|
2
|
B Smith
|
HD
|
+0.376
|
|
3
|
H Gillim
|
IND
|
+0.845
|
|
4
|
T Herfoss
|
IND
|
+5.025
|
|
5
|
J Rispoli
|
HD
|
+5.295
|
| Not Classified | |||
|
DNF
|
T O’Hara
|
IND
|
DNF
|
Herfoss and Smith slash Gillim’s Baggers advantage
Gillim remains the Mission King Of The Baggers championship leader on 156 points, but his advantage has been reduced substantially.
Herfoss scored 36 points from his second- and third-place finishes and now sits on 143, only 13 behind his team-mate. He arrived at Laguna Seca trailing Gillim by 25.
Smith was the biggest mover of the weekend. His victory and second place earned 45 points, lifting him to 136 and cutting his deficit to Gillim from 41 to 20.
Wyman is fourth on 113 after following a fifth-place finish with a victory. He remains 43 points from the lead, ahead of O’Hara on 90, Rispoli on 82 and Landers on 80.
The Baggers Championship resumes at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from July 31 to August 2.
King of the Baggers Championship Points
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Total
|
|
1
|
H Gillim
|
156
|
|
2
|
T Herfoss
|
143
|
|
3
|
B Smith
|
136
|
|
4
|
K Wyman
|
113
|
|
5
|
T O’Hara
|
90
|
|
6
|
J Rispoli
|
82
|
|
7
|
R Landers
|
80
|
|
8
|
C West
|
50
|
|
9
|
J Lewis
|
47
|
|
10
|
M Flinders
|
43
|
|
11
|
K Ohnsorg
|
32
|
|
12
|
N Lamkin
|
15
|
|
13
|
M Toth
|
9
|
