Hayden Gillim "Gets The Job Done At New Jersey Motorsports Park"
The 2023 Mission King Of The Baggers series came to a conclusion with Rounds 13 and 14 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park at Melville, NJ., on September 23 and 24.
Only seven points separated Vance & Hines Mission Harley-Davidson teammates Hayden Gillim and James Rispoli going into Sunday's race two at New Jersey Motorsports Park, but the hugely anticipated showdown never really materialized because Rispoli ran off on the wet-but-drying track while leading early in the race. Though he didn't crash, the off-track adventure put him well back in the pack and he ended up seventh.
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| Kyle Wyman (33) won the Mission King Of The Baggers season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park, but the championship went to Hayden Gillim (79). Photo credit to Brian J. Nelson |
That essentially handed the title to Gillim, but he still had to race, and he ultimately finished second to H-D Screamin' Eagle rider Kyle Wyman who took the win the race after having a miserable weekend to that point - one lowlighted by his crash in the Saturday race, eliminating him from any chance of winning the championship.
Third place went to M3/Revolution Performance Indian Challenger rider Max Flinders whose popularity as a crowd and paddock favorite was underscored by the raucous celebration he received on the podium after the race. For Flinders, it was his first career MotoAmerica class podium.
An excited Gillim said: "It's been one of, if not the best, year of my life." With three race wins and eight additional podium finishes for the season he continued: "I'm really happy to bring this home for Vance & Hines, for Mission Foods, and for Harley-Davidson. Next season will be a real scrap in this series. Honestly the field is stacked, and if everybody stays next year, it's going to be a tough championship to hold onto."
In the Friday qualifying session, Wyman broke his own New Jersey Motorsports Park class lap record of 1:24.447 aboard his race-prepared Road Glide. That time would never be approached for the rest of the weekend as rain resulted in very wet to damp conditions on the 2.25-mile, 12-turn road course on Saturday and Sunday.
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| Max Flinders was a popular third in the Mission King Of The Baggers Race II, with the Brit earning the first podium of his MotoAmerica career. Photo credit to Brian J. Nelson |
Gillim (215 points), Rispoli (213 points) and Wyman (204 points) were each in contention for the championship before the start of the first eight-lap King Of The Baggers race of the weekend on Saturday 23rd. As the riders completed a warm-up lap in the rain, Wyman lost control and slid off track. He was able to remount and start the race, but his motorcycle was damaged, and he retired on lap 3. Gillim took the race lead on lap 3 and was never challenged as early leader Rispoli could not match his pace on the wet track and settled for second place, 9.10 seconds behind Gillim. Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle factory rider Travis Wyman battled to finish in third place and scored his first podium finish of the season, just 0.40 seconds behind Rispoli.
Kyle Wyman bounced back with his Sunday race win, opening a gap and stretched his lead to 3.724 seconds over second place Gillim at the finish.
"After Rispoli went off, I just tried to be patient, not make a mistake and open a gap," said Wyman. "I suppose a win in the last race sends a message. It really stings to come up short in the championship after winning the most races, but I'm also proud of my race wins, proud of the team and what it has accomplished from a development standpoint, and that trickles down to the other Harley teams. His has been a crazy year, and obviously this weekend did not end as we hoped it might, but Harley-Davidson is one-two-three in the championship, and that's the next-best result for us. I want to send a big thanks to everyone at Harley who worked so hard for us this season, and we'll be back to get them next year."
At the conclusion of the 14-race 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers series, Gillim won the championship with 260 points. Rispoli is second with 242 points, followed by Kyle Wyman with 229 points. Wyman won seven of 14 races on the season, with one additional podium finish. Jake Lewis rode a Team Saddlemen Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle to seventh place with 126 points. Travis Wyman placed eighth with 112 points.
The Mission King Of The Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Factory Team Road Glide motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin' Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 performance crate engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin' Eagle/Öhlins remote reservoir rear shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results -
New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 1
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands Design
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
- Tyler O'Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- DNF. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
- DNF. Cody Wyman (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- DNF. Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Race Results -
New Jersey Motorsports Park Race 2
- Kyle Wyman (H-D) Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
- Hayden Gillim (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Max Flinders (Ind) M3/Revolution Performance
- Bobby Fong (Ind) Sacramento Mile/SDI Racing/Roland Sands
- Jeremy McWilliams (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- Travis Wyman (H-D) Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson
- James Rispoli (H-D) Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Harley-Davidson
- Kyle Ohnsorg (Ind) Roland Sands Design
- Jake Lewis (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Frankie Garcia (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- Patricia Fernandez-West (H-D) Team Saddlemen
- DNF. Tyler O'Hara (Ind) Progressive/Mission Foods
- DNF. Cody Wyman (H-D) Team Saddlemen