Kyle Wyman seized Harley-Davidson's first King of the Baggers title when he took the checkered flag in the series finale at Laguna Seca in July, 2021. Capturing the crown was anything but easy though. Wyman trailed S&S Indian Challenger rider Tyler O’Hara after the opening round of the 2021 season, but soon took over the top spot after O’Hara didn’t finish the second race due to mechanical issues.
Prior to the final and deciding round at Laguna Seca, Wyman fractured his left elbow in multiple places during a MotoAmerica Superbike race on June 13, 2021. Following surgery on his left elbow, Wyman missed the next Superbike round at Washington’s Ridge Motorsports Park on June 25-27, 2021. Luckily, two extra weeks of rest helped Wyman climb back into the saddle of his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Road Glide for the King of the Baggers finale.
Of course, Wyman walked away with the bagger championship despite pulling double-duty in 2021, but that won’t be an issue in 2022. In an Instagram post, number 33 declared that his is taking a break from the MotoAmerica Superbike series to fully focus on retaining the King of the Baggers crown.
Due to Wyman’s injury, he missed six races in the 2021 MotoAmerica Superbike championship and finished ninth in standings on the KWR Ducati Panigale V4 S. In 2020, Wyman was the top Ducati, finishing the year in seventh. His best result was a vice-champion finish in 2017 with Yamaha. Despite taking a break from the Superbike circuit this year, Wyman isn’t done with the series.
“This step back from Superbike team ownership is a refreshing change for what has been a great challenge each year. I look forward to what is a much-needed sabbatical to understand how I want to approach Superbike again in the future. Right now, I am squarely focused on the goal of defending our King of the Baggers Championship, which has been expanded to seven races this year.”
With Wyman fully-committed to the Bar and Shield, he will now prepare for the first round of the 2022 King of the Baggers series at the Daytona International Raceway on March 10-12, 2022.
