Challengers Rise to The Daytona Challenge
Sidestepping the inclement weather to successfully get both King Of The Baggers races away on the 3.560 miles of the Daytona International Speedway, the Indian Challengers proved to have the beating of Harley's 2021 championship-winning Screamin' Eagle team as year three of the performance bagger racing adventure got underway.
Specifically, the Mission Foods S&S Cycle Indian Challenger Team emerged top dogs from the weekend. Tyler O'Hara took the win in Race 1 on Friday 11th, with teammate Jeremy McWilliams fourth - the pair split by the Screamin' Eagle Road Glides of Travis Wyman second and brother Kyle in third. Taylor Knapp (Vance & Hines) bringing it home fifth, just behind McWilliams, in a close race that saw Trask's Shane Narbonne (Harley) finish sixth - less than five seconds splitting the first six.
Race 2 was a different story (Saturday March 12) with 57-year-old veteran Northern Irishman McWilliams besting O'Hara for the win, the pair ahead of the RSD Indian of Bobby Fong, third after his Race One 7th spot the day before.
That gave the Indian Challengers four out of the six available podium spots for the weekend, including a Race 2 podium sweep. James Rispoli (Vance &Hines) put his Race One DNF behind him for fourth in Race 2 ahead of Travis Wyman, who dropped to 5th after his second spot the day before. Taylor Knapp brought home his Vance & Hines Harley in 6th.
RSD's Frankie Garcia scored a pair of 9th spots (Indian), with Patricia Fernandez on the Saddlemen/Lloydz Garage Indian delivering a pair of 10th place finishes.
Going into the next round at the Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Georgia in April, Tyler O'Hara heads the points standing on 45, ahead of Jeremy McWilliams on 38, Travis Wyman on 31, Bobby Fong in fourth on 25 and Taylor Knapp on 21 in fifth. Kyle Wyman is currently wearing the #1 plate for Harley in sixth spot (16 points).