V&H H-D's Hayden Gillim Sweeps the KOTB Weekend at Brainerd
Brainerd, MN, Rounds 9 & 10, June 14-16, 2024
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Hayden Gillim dominated the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers Double Header race weekend at Brainerd International Speedway in Brainerd, MN, June 14-16, 2024.
Aboard a race-prepared 2024 Road Glide, the defending Mission King Of The Baggers champion Gillim set a new track record in top qualifying, winning the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge Dash for Cash sprint race and both feature races on Saturday and Sunday.
H-D Factory Racing's James Rispoli bounced back from a crash on Saturday to finish third on Sunday and score his fourth podium finish of the season. H-D Factory Racing's Kyle Wyman finished in fourth place on Saturday and in eighth place on Sunday, following a mechanical issue.
Gillim topped qualifying with a track-record lap of 1:34.717 on Saturday on the 2.5-mile, 13-turn Brainerd International Road Course. Gillim won the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge sprint race by 1.342 seconds over his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson teammate Rocco Landers.
In the nine-lap Saturday race (KOTB Round 9), Gillim set the pace from the start and opened a gap between him and a close fight between Factory Indian rider Tyler O’Hara, Rispoli and Wyman. Wyman got by O’Hara on the last lap to finish in fourth place, with Landers zapping Factory Indian’s highly rated Troy Herfoss in the last corner to take second place.
On the Sunday (Round 10), Gillim again led from the start and opened a lead that would stretch to 6.5 seconds at the finish. O’Hara, Herfoss, and Rispoli gave chase, with Herfoss crashing on lap 5, but able to pick up his bike and rejoin the race. Rispoli took third place behind O’Hara on the podium. Championship leader Herfoss finished seventh.
After setting a record pace over the field in the Sunday morning warm-up session, Wyman suffered a clutch issue on the warm-up lap, but was able to complete the race in eighth place and claim eight valuable championship points.
After ten of 18 rounds in the 2024 MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers series, Herfoss was leading the championship with 205 points. Wyman was second with 192 points, followed by O’Hara with 142 points, Gillim with 135 points and Rispoli with 108 points.
Next Up: Rounds 11 & 12, July 12-14 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California, for the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey.
Then comes the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 16-18; Circuit of The Americas, Austin, TX, September 13-15, then the final two rounds (17&18) at the New Jersey Motorsports Park on September 27-29.
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Race Results – Brainerd Race 1
1. Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
2. Rocco Landers (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
3. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
4. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
5. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
6. Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
7. Cory West (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
8. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
MotoAmerica King Of The Baggers Race Results – Brainerd Race 2
1. Hayden Gillim (H-D) RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson
2. Tyler O’Hara (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
3. James Rispoli (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing
4. Jake Lewis (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
5. Cory West (H-D) Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson
6. Max Flinders (Ind) Mad Monkey Motorsports
7. Troy Herfoss (Ind) S&S/Indian Motorcycle
8. Kyle Wyman (H-D) Harley-Davidson Factory Racing