Here They Come: Mission King Of The Baggers is headed to COTA and MotoGP

MotoAmerica’s Mission King Of The Baggers Is Set To Strut Its Stuff In Front Of The World With Texas Invasion At Circuit Of The Americas, April 12-13

IRVINE, CA – April 9, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Harley-Davidson’s Kyle Wyman won the most important two Mission King Of The Baggers races of the 2024 season when he doubled up at Daytona International Speedway the second weekend in March.

Or did he?

Following his perfect weekend at Daytona, Kyle Wyman leads the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship as the series heads to Circuit of The Americas for round two, April 12-13.
Photo by Brian J. Nelson

The fact that he won both races at the “World Center Of Racing” isn’t up for debate. What is up for debate, however, is whether the Daytona round or this week’s round at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, which will take place in front of a worldwide audience with MotoGP, is the bigger event. Either way, they are both big.

Kyle Wyman arrives at COTA armed with his factory Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Road Glide and fresh off his two wins at Daytona. As the all-time wins leader in the class with 14 victories, Kyle Wyman has become the benchmark of the series and his two Daytona victories have him atop the 2024 standings with a perfect 50 points. Wyman also won the first of two races at COTA during the debut of the class in Texas this past September.

Defending MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Champion Hayden Gillim didn’t have the best Daytona as he opened his title defense on the RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, but his fourth and fifth-place finishes put him fourth in the championship heading to COTA. He trails Kyle Wyman by 26 points but, with the uncertainty of Baggers racing, that number isn’t as bad as it seems.

Gillim emerged from last year’s dramatic season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a win and a second place, and that earned him the title by 18 points over James Rispoli after a consistent season that saw him win three races and finish on the podium in eight others. Gillim can also take solace in the fact that he was fourth and fifth on one occasion last year at Road America, which mimics his Daytona results from a month ago.

Gillim also has the confidence that comes with two second-place finishes in the two Bagger races at COTA this past September.

Kyle Wyman’s new teammate for 2024 is Gillim’s old teammate from 2023 – Rispoli. He joins the factory Harley team after…