Honestly, before watching a race live, I didn't know what to expect from the King of the Baggers motorcycle racing series. It seemed antithetical to the idea of a race motorcycle or a race anything at all. Race machines are lithe, light, nimble things, and a 700-pound bagger with the drag coefficient of a school bus just doesn't follow that prescription.
But, ho boy, was I freakin' wrong, as it was some of the most exciting, thrilling, loud as...heck racing I've ever witnessed. Imagine couches going head-to-head against one another at insane speeds, sounding like dinosaurs gargling porcupines, and bashing into one another as if it were NASCAR, all while mere inches away from pavement. It is, and was, one of the coolest races I've ever been to.
So when Harley-Davidson announced that it had partnered with MotoGP to bring a version of bagger racing to a global audience, I was beyond stoked to see what the two had pulled together. I mean, MotoGP is already a wild spectacle in and of itself. Add bagger racing and you just have *chef's kiss. Details, however, have been scant. That is, until the American icon dropped a bunch of new information at EICMA, and the inaugural series is shaping up to be a barn burner.
Get hyped, everyone.
Here's what we now know about the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup. First and foremost, unlike King of the Baggers, it's a single-make series. So only Harleys will be involved. Second, there will be a total of 12 races across six different weekends on the calendar, which will include the Grand Prix of the Americas, the Grand Prix of Italy, the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, the Grand Prix of the United Kingdom, the Grand Prix of Aragon, and the Grand Prix of Austria.
We also got our first glimpse of the prototype motorcycles, with the race machines weighing a whopping 617 pounds and producing around 200 horsepower. That may not sound like much compared to the manic 300+ horsepower machines of MotoGP legend, but when you consider the former is built off Harley-Davidson's Grand American Touring motorcycles, which make far less from the factory, it's a lot for those behemoths. Oh yeah, and they'll do around 186 mph, depending on the circuit, with the rider.
That's fast.
Harley also announced the first three teams, which include King of the Baggers' Saddlemen Racing, Joe Rascal Racing from Australia, and Cecchini Racing, hailing from Italy. More teams are supposedly on their way, too, which will be interesting to see as baggers aren't what you'd expect from global teams. That said, I'd love to see what Japan would have up its sleeve for a team.
Speaking at the event, Kolja Rebstock, Harley-Davidson's SVP for International Markets, stated, "We’re thrilled to welcome the first teams that have secured their spots in the inaugural season of the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup. Since the initial announcement of the series, we’ve seen tremendous interest from well-established and respected organizations. We’ve designed the series to feature between six and eight teams, for a total of 12 to 16 riders, and with these first three agreements, we’ve already filled almost half the grid. It’s a strong signal that confirms the momentum and excitement surrounding this project. We’re moving quickly to bring this championship to life and can’t wait to hit the track in 2026. It’s going to be loud, competitive, and unlike anything fans have ever seen before."
The inaugural race is set for the Circuit of the Americas round of MotoGP in March of 2026, and I can't wait.
