The MotoGP RedBull Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin was a truly historic moment for motorcycle racing enthusiasts worldwide.
Set against the backdrop of incredible weather and an electrifying atmosphere, this groundbreaking event marked the first time that the Mission King of the Baggers Championship graced the prestigious MotoGP stage.
The two races were for championship points, and were the second round of what is now an 18-race 2024 Mission King Of The Baggers Championship. In addition to the two points-paying races on Saturday, a three-lap Mission Challenge was also held on Friday afternoon with the six fastest qualifiers battling for a $5000 winner-take-all purse.
THE CHALLENGE
The Mission Foods King of the Baggers Challenge dash-for-cash set the stage for Saturday’s main events. The top 6 qualifiers in order, Tyler O'hara, Kyle Wyman, Troy Herfoss, Bobby Fong, James Rispoli, then Hayden Gilem.
"LIGHTS ARE OUT AND IT'S HAMMER TIME!"
Tyler O'hara lead us in to turn 1 with our own Bobby Fong sweeping his way into 2nd right behind him making it a Indian challenger 1 and 2 off the start. Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli was out of the Challenge before it even started as a mechanical issue put him on the sidelines. Heading into turn 8 of lap 1, O'hara experienced a problem and pulled off, leaving it to be a 4-man race with Fong on his privateer machine leading the pack of three factory bikes. Heading into the last turn of Lap 1- Fong and Herfoss had exchanged some ferocious passes, and Kyle Wyman nearly wadded up as he rode off onto the paint. Herfoss parked Fong going into turn 1 giving him nowhere to go, leading Wyman to run right into the back of Bobby- though somehow, they all rode away unscathed.
Herfoss' move going into turn 1 allowed him to lead the rest of the Challenge, and take the victory with a bit of a gap aboard his S&S Indian Challenger by 2.836 seconds.
After smashing bags Bobby Fong was the runner-up in the Challenge on his SDI/Roland Sands Racing Indian.
RACE 1
Race 1 had fans on the edge of
their seats as the Indian vs. HD battle was set.
With three
laps to go and Fong sitting in 5th after a lack luster start,
he took a wicked shot at Hayden Gillem, but ran a little wide and opened up the
door for Herfoss, putting Bobby in 6th amongst the tight pack of 6 racers all
heading into turn 1.
"At
Circuit of the Americas, Bobby Fong is able to take a lot tighter lines than
the other racers - he's really able to carve that Indian up underneath
people."
Bobby was
right there with the factory bikes the whole race and delivered a solid
performance - but unfortunately with less than two laps to go, a motor issue
led Fong to run wide on the back straight away and had him crossing the finish
line in 7th place with a time of 2:15:590.
Wyman out
braked O’Hara heading into Turn 11 on the final lap to take the lead, but Wyman
fell victim to an aggressive pass by Herfoss and had to settle for the
runner-up spot on his Road Glide.
O’Hara
dominated the race from poll-position & led every lap except the last lap
and finished third.
Troy Herfoss found himself trailing
as far back as sixth midway through the race, but the reigning Australian
Superbike Champion surged ahead as the race progressed and passed both his
teammate Tyler O’Hara and Kyle Wyman on the last lap to claim his
first ever victory in the class.
RACE 2
Race 2 was an absolute thrill
ride. Just as in Race 1 & in the Challenge, we had Tyler O'hara,
Kyle Wyman, Troy Herfoss, Bobby Fong, James Rispoli, and Hayden Gilem, all
duking it out for the podium spots the entire race.
"REVS ARE UP AND HERE WE GO!"
Hayden Gillem jumped down the inside of Herfoss in turn 1,
but it was the same guy leading the pack as in race 1: O'hara.
With three laps to go, Fong who was sitting in 3rd went
flying into turn one and went in deep on the rear brake getting the bike
completely sideways, unfortunately landing himself in the back of the 6 pack.
Wyman tried an inside move on Herfoss with two laps to go for
the lead, but Herfoss squared it up, grabbed a handful and got right by. Right
behind these two we had Gillem, Rispoli, O'hara, and Fong clashing to get that
3rd place spot.
Heading into the final lap, Herfoss and Wyman got themselves
a pretty decent sized gap in front of the other riders.
These are 620-pound motorcycles that these riders are
throwing around in full control with no electronic traction aids at all, it's
all done with the right wrist, and of course that braking hand.
Wyman seized the lead on the final lap by a razor-thin margin
of 0.677 seconds and set a new lap record of 2:14.890.
In a fiercely contested battle for third place, James Rispoli
emerged triumphant. Prior to the race Bobby Fong and the SDI/Roland Sands
Racing Indian team was forced to utilize an untested clutch which modified
Bobby's corner entries, turning what could have been a race victory into a
hard-fought 4th place. Tyler O’Hara crossed the finish line in
5th position, 0.5 seconds behind Fong.
Excitement remains in the air as we gear up to tune in this
weekend, Saturday & Sunday for more adrenaline-fueled Mission King Of The
Baggers races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta! Tune in to MotoAmerica Live+ to
watch the epic bagger showdown continue!
#Let'sGoRacing !
-
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Vendor:Roland Sands Design2024 RSD Racing Hat
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- Sale price
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2024 RSD Racing T-Shirt
Vendor:Roland Sands Design2024 RSD Racing T-Shirt
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