Tag: daytona

Daytona Beach’s 2025 Bike Week Concludes

Post author By Mike Deny
Post date March 19, 2025
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Daytona Beach’s 2025 Bike Week Concludes — *Harley Davidson display during Daytona Beach Bike Week.*
*Photo captured by Ava Traill*

The inaugural Bike Week took place in 1937 in Daytona Beach, Florida, and it was a far cry from the vibrant celebration seen today. At that time, the Daytona 200 motorcycle race was hosted on a 3.2-mile stretch of beach and roadway. Ed Kretz from California triumphed on his Indian motorcycle, with around 15,000 spectators in attendance. Currently, this renowned event draws nearly half a million attendees each year to honor their passion for motorcycle culture.

A1A, the picturesque coastal road of Florida, creates a continuous atmosphere of Bike Week, making it feel like an everlasting celebration. The 2025 Daytona Beach Bike Week spanned an extensive 10 days, beginning on Friday, February 28, and concluding on March 9.

Riders of all generations and backgrounds unite to cruise along the scenic A1A during Bike Week. The distinctive sounds of motorcycles echo along Florida’s eastern coastline.

Lisa Lowe first participated in Bike Week in 1996. After relocating from San Diego, California, to Florida in 1999, she has embraced the event as a resident of Daytona Beach for 26 years.

“There was always live music filling the air, and visitors arriving from around the globe,” she recalled.

She reminisced about one particular year during Bike Week when she unexpectedly encountered an old high school friend from San Diego.

Bike Week is renowned for its bustling Main Street, which transforms the small beach town with biker contests, parades, live performances, and street fairs.

“I adore how the small-town vibe of Daytona morphs into this spectacular event overnight,” Lowe expressed.

She shared unforgettable memories from past Bike Weeks, including the time she spotted Michael Jordan cruising on his light blue custom Harley.

Bike culture is deeply rooted in Daytona, with families from Volusia recounting their own Bike Week experiences. Cecelia Lewandowski, a Daytona State student, shares this connection: “My mom used to work as a beer tub girl, and my dad was a bartender for Bike Week, so we’re big Bike Week fans,” she stated.

This year, Bike Week attracted around 500,000 attendees, marking a remarkable surge that hasn’t been experienced in years. It was projected that Bike Week would contribute close to 100 million dollars to the Volusia County economy.

Celebrating its 84th year, this event has played a significant role in shaping the unique atmosphere of the Daytona Beach community.

Tags Beachs, bike, Concludes, daytona, Week

Harley Davidson News

Daytona 2025: Loris Baz Secures First Podium with Tenors at King of the Baggers D3 Despite Injury!

Post author By Mike Deny
Post date March 9, 2025
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The concluding day at Daytona commenced with a 15-minute warm-up for the King of the Baggers 2025

For the first time during this Florida event, the pristine weather was shifting, yet a dry track welcomed the 13 competitors. Among them, 3 opted to play it safe, including the pole sitter and winner of the Race-1 Challenge, Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing).

In the absence of the official Harley Davidson, it was initially Hayden Gillim (RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson) who set the pace on his Road Glide, followed by Bradley Smith (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing), who took the lead midway through the session and maintained it.

Ultimately, despite Kyle Wyman‘s strong performance, a trio of Milwaukee motorcycles topped the standings ahead of the trio of official Indians.
Loris Baz finished 5th despite suffering a severe elbow injury, having been thrown to the ground by James Rispoli at the opening of race-1 (watch the video here).

The second race of the King of the Baggers got underway half an hour late, due to prior setbacks with the Daytona 200.

The starting grid for these 8 laps mirrored that of race-1.

Here are the race highlights:

As the red lights extinguished, Loris Baz (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), hindered by a knee injury, lost a position at the first corner but managed to continue. In the second corner, the leader Kyle Wyman slowed down and was overtaken by defending champion Troy Herfoss (S&S/Indian Motorcycle). Was this a tactical move?
Probably, as both riders then accelerated side by side, with James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing), Bradley Smith, and Loris Baz trailing closely behind.

The drafting phenomenon is quite remarkable on the two banking sections used, enabling Kyle Wyman to reclaim the lead before once again surrendering it to Troy Herfoss. As they returned to the Infield, 6 motorcycles battled closely, with Tyler O’Hara (S&S/Indian Motorcycle Indian Challenger) catching up to the detached top 5. This moment saw Bradley Smith, who had been 2nd on Friday, make a slight mistake, but it’s not easy to lift a 300-kilogram motorcycle!

Up until the halfway point, the dynamics were straightforward among the four leading riders: Troy Herfoss and Kyle Wyman exchanged positions multiple times on the banking, closely monitored by James Rispoli and just a bit further back, Loris Baz.

This was when James Rispoli fell again at turn #6. The stewards retrieved his machine, but it refused to restart. This advancement allowed Loris Baz to move up to 3rd place, trailing just behind the two top contenders. Cautiously, #76 avoided getting involved in their duel, focusing on securing his podium spot. While he may have considered attacking in the final entry on the banking, he was still a bit far away.
Ultimately, the situation did not change, and Kyle Wyman successfully withstood the last-minute challenge from Troy Herfoss, securing Harley Davidson its third victory of the weekend.

Daytona Loris Baz King Baggers 2025 Daytona Loris Baz King Baggers 2025

Tags Baggers, Baz, daytona, Injury, King, Loris, Podium, Secures, Tenors

Harley Davidson News

Daytona 2025: Loris Baz and Indian’s Emotional Debut in King of the Baggers D2!

Post author By Mike Deny
Post date March 9, 2025
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On Friday in Daytona, the opening round of the championship
King of the Baggers 2025 featured the second qualifier, the 2-lap ‘Grid and Go’ Challenge, and the inaugural 8-lap race.

Below are the participants and their machines, a category that may be new to many of our readers.

On Thursday, Kyle Wyman (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing) dominated the first qualifying session ahead of
Loris Baz (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), showcasing a fantastic start from the Frenchman and a balanced duel between Harley Davidson and Indian.

On Friday morning, unlike the previous day, the second qualification, originally set for only 15 minutes, extended to 30 minutes for reasons unknown to us, all under a pristine Florida sky.
For the first 6 minutes, names kept swapping at the top of the leaderboard, until Kyle Wyman became the first to go under the 1’50 mark, ultimately finishing his session at 1’49.383, ahead of Troy Herfoss (S&S/Indian Motorcycle), Loris Baz, and Bradley Smith (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing).

Seeing Kyle Wyman and Troy Herfoss at the top of the table shouldn’t surprise the bookmakers, whereas Loris Baz and Bradley Smith are much more intriguing…

On the track, the tires of these heavy motorcycles were put to the test, even on the front…

Next up was the Grid and Go Challenge, a 2-lap race for the top 6 finishers, purely for fun (and a $5000 prize). The term “Grid and GO” denotes the starting procedure for this race, where racers align on the grid and commence the race immediately without a formation lap.

Starting from 3rd place on the grid, Loris Baz had a terrible start, entering the first corner in last position while Kyle Wyman led in front of Troy Herfoss and James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing). The trio quickly pulled away as the Frenchman engaged in a significant push to seize 4th place.

At the beginning of the second and final lap, Troy Herfoss made a mistake and was overtaken by James Rispoli. Loris Baz found himself battling Tyler O’Hara (S&S/Indian Motorcycle Indian Challenger). The machines twisted in all directions as they approached the ring for the last time, allowing Troy Herfoss to regain 2nd place before the chicane, but James Rispoli reclaimed his spot in the final banking.
Loris Baz ultimately finished 4th, ahead of his Californian teammate Tyler O’Hara, with Bradley Smith, racing under Monaco’s colors, rounding out the field.

You can catch the action starting at 1:56:30 in this video.

Over 3 hours of racing, it was 8 laps that the 13 drivers tackled in the first “real” race of the King of the Baggers.

What if we let you view the highlights of the race, courtesy of the video broadcast by MotoAmerica?

For those pressed for time, keep in mind that only 8 drivers completed the race, and an unfortunate collision occurred between Loris Baz and James Rispoli right from the first corner, with the latter propelling the Frenchman to the ground. Both drivers are fine, but their race ended there.

Unsurprisingly, Kyle Wyman and Troy Herfoss quickly broke away, aided by the incident. The chase was led by Bradley Smith and Tyler O’Hara, but even before completing the first lap, defending champion’s Indian, Troy Herfoss, got stuck in the barriers: a difficult day for the Indians!
Thus, a clear path opened for Kyle Wyman as Bradley Smith capitalized on the position after fending off Cameron Petersen (SDI Racing) for most of the lap.

The sequence of events continued throughout the day’s two meetings, not to forget the Daytona 200 at 19:10 p.m. over 57 laps.

Saturday, March 8, 2025:

15:45 p.m. – 16:00 p.m.: King of the Baggers Warm-up
22:05 p.m.: King of the Baggers Race 2 (8 laps)

Daytona King Baggers 2025

Tags Baggers, Baz, daytona, Debut, Emotional, indians, King, Loris

Harley Davidson News

Herfoss Secures Fifth Place in Opening Daytona KOTB Qualifying

Post author By Mike Deny
Post date March 7, 2025
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Kyle Wyman secures pole position for Harley-Davidson, with rookie Loris Baz taking second on the grid

The 2025 Moto America season gets underway this weekend at Daytona International Speedway, as Troy Herfoss embarks on his title defense in the King of the Baggers class.

Herfoss, riding an Indian Challenger supported by S&S Cycle, placed fifth in the first qualifying session, trailing leader Kyle Wyman of Harley-Davidson by 1.126 seconds. Despite having limited practice time leading into the race weekend, rookie Loris Baz showed impressive form by qualifying in second. He was closely followed by James Rispoli on his Harley and Herfoss’ teammate, Tyler O’Hara. “It’s really exciting! I’ve always wanted to race here. In this first session, there’s so much to learn about the banking. We’re doing well in Q1, but we’re facing some tire issues,” Baz remarked, referencing the notable tire wear as the track conditions evolve. Additionally, riders contended with windy weather, leading many to spend extended time in the pits.

Herfoss Secures Fifth Place in Opening Daytona KOTB Qualifying — *Troy Herfoss showcasing the number 1 plate on Daytona’s banking*

Earlier in the day, O’Hara led the opening practice session, with Herfoss following closely in second place. Loris Baz wasn’t the only newcomer, as fellow MotoGP veteran Bradley Smith made his debut, finishing tenth with a time that was three seconds off the pole, riding the Dynojet entry for Harley-Davidson.

This season, both Herfoss and O’Hara will reduce their commitments by stepping back from the Super Hooligans class to concentrate on the King of the Baggers competition.

As Supersport takes the spotlight at Daytona, Tyler Scott (Vision Wheel M4 Ecstar Suzuki) claimed provisional pole, surpassing defending Daytona champion Josh Herrin from Warhorse Ducati. Richie Escalante made his mark in third position on the second Vision Wheel Suzuki, while racing icons Peter Hickman (PHR Performance) and Michael Dunlop (Milwaukee Ducati) placed eleventh and fifteenth, respectively. Shane Lloyd-Maggs represents Australia, currently sitting in 22nd place on his privateer Yamaha.

More action is slated for tomorrow, with an additional qualifying session, a Challenge race, and the first championship race set to begin around 7 AM Australian time.

King of the Baggers Daytona Qualifying

Pos	Name	Make	Time
1	K. Wyman	HD	1:50.041
2	L. Baz	IND	0.95
3	J. Rispoli	HD	1.081
4	T. O’Hara	IND	1.126
5	T. Herfoss	IND	1.479
6	C. Petersen	IND	2.375
7	K. Ohnsorg	IND	2.697
8	H. Gillim	HD	3.077
9	R. Landers	HD	3.114
10	B. Smith	HD	3.707
11	J. Lewis	HD	5.016
12	C. West	HD
13	M. Flinders	HD

Tags daytona, Herfoss, KOTB, Opening, place, Qualifying, Secures

Harley Davidson News

Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025: Request the Program!

Post author By Mike Deny
Post date March 6, 2025
No Comments on Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025: Request the Program!

This weekend, from March 6 to 8, 2025, the DAYTONA 200, the 83rd edition of America’s most renowned motorcycle race, will unfold. For over seventy years, this event has presented a challenge to the world’s greatest motorcycle racers, transitioning from the tough sands of Daytona Beach to the iconic “World Center of Racing”!

Among the categories featured this weekend by MotoAmerica, we will certainly keep an eye on the Daytona 200 competing alongside the Supersport, as well as this year’s Mission King of the Baggers. This is due in part to the recent signings of Loris Baz with Indian and Bradley Smith with Harley Davidson. Moreover, this exciting competition is just as intriguing as it is unconventional!

For live coverage of the races and sessions, be sure to check out MotoAmericaLivePlus with a subscription, just like for the rest of the championship. If you’re passionate about these events and need assistance, we might be able to secure a discount like last year. Otherwise, we will provide daily updates on the action while waiting for the videos to be available on YouTube.

Here’s the schedule for the various sessions of interest, noted in French time.

Thursday, March 6, 2025:

16:05 – 16:35: King of the Baggers Practice 1
16:45 – 17:15: Daytona Supersport Practice 1
20:10 – 20:40: King of the Baggers Qualification 1
20:50 – 21:20: Daytona Supersport Qualification 1 Group A
21:30 – 22:00: Daytona Supersport Qualification 1 Group B

Friday, March 7, 2025:

16:10 – 16:40: Daytona Supersport Qualification 2 Group A
16:50 – 17:20: Daytona Supersport Qualification 2 Group B
17:30 – 17:45: King of the Baggers Qualification 2
18:00: King of the Baggers Challenge (2 rounds) Grid and Go
19:15 – 19:30: Daytona Supersport Time Attack
21:05: King of the Baggers Race 1 (8 laps)

Saturday, March 8, 2025:

15:20 – 15:35: Daytona Supersport Warm Up
15:45 – 16:00: King of the Baggers Warm Up
19:10: Daytona 200 (57 laps)
22:05: King of the Baggers Race 2 (8 laps)

As a reminder, last year, Josh Herrin, riding a Ducati, triumphed in the Daytona 200, finishing with a 45-second lead, marking his third victory. The pole sitter, Tyler Scott (Suzuki), secured second place, followed by Hayden Gillim (Suzuki) in third, after Bobby Fong (Suzuki) faced disqualification due to an oversized fuel tank. The race was clouded by controversy surrounding Bobby Fong’s disqualification. Initially in second place, Richie Escalante (Suzuki) ended up fourth after running out of fuel on the final lap.

This year, the contentious sponsor of the triple winner appears to have disappointed him…

In the King of the Baggers event, Kyle Wyman clinched victories in both races aboard a Harley-Davidson Road Glide. The Australian Troy Herfoss (Indian Challenger) finished as the runner-up in both races, with James Rispoli (Harley-Davidson) taking third place.

The official teams for 2025 are as follows:

To jog your memory, here are videos from the 2024 races.

King of the Baggers Course 1:

King of the Baggers Course 2:

Daytona 200:

Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025 Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025 Daytona 200 & King of the Baggers 2025

Tags Baggers, daytona, King, Program, Request

Harley Davidson News

Millionaire Tony Stewart and Wife Leah Pruett Make a Splash at Daytona Bike Week on a Harley Customized by Rusty Wallace’s Southern Country Customs

Leah Pruett took to her Instagram story to share photos alongside her husband, former NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, as they showcased their personalized Harley Davidson. This touring bike was custom-built by Southern Country Customs, a venture owned by fellow ex-NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace and his son, Steve.

Southern Country Customs (SCC) primarily specializes in customizing Harley-Davidson motorcycles, offering bespoke body kits, performance enhancements, and more.

With their mutual passion for speed, derived from their motorsport backgrounds, Pruett and Stewart decided to modify one of their Harleys. Pruett uploaded snapshots of the modified bike on her Instagram stories, capturing Stewart in action. The post reached her 371k followers. It’s noteworthy that Stewart has an estimated net worth of around $90 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Leah Pruett reveals her custom-made Harley Davidson (@leah.pruett on Instagram) — Leah Pruett unveils her custom-built Harley Davidson (@leah.pruett on Instagram)

The duo is gearing up for the annual “Bike Week” event at Daytona Beach, Florida, which takes place every year from February 28 to March 9. This gathering serves as a fantastic opportunity for motorcycle enthusiasts to connect and celebrate their shared passion for biking.

Pruett also shared an image of a Bike Week T-shirt boasting a nostalgic 1980s design.

“It’s that time again!” Pruett commented in her story.

Leah Pruett showcases 'Bike Week' T-shirt (@leah.pruett on Instagram) — Leah Pruett showcases ‘Bike Week’ T-shirt (@leah.pruett on Instagram)

Tony Stewart expresses affection for his wife Leah Pruett

Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart exchanged vows in November 2021 after a few months of engagement and dating.

Years into their marriage, their affection for one another remains as strong as ever. Recently, Stewart highlighted an interesting aspect of their relationship. He mentioned that, unlike many husbands who cherish their work as a break from family life, he eagerly anticipates spending quality time with Pruett.

“There are many men who enjoy going to work because it allows them a little time away from their spouses. They love their lives and their wives, but some guys need that distance. For us, we can be around each other seven days a week, and it functions well at the racetrack since we’re both racers,” Stewart conveyed (via Athlon Sports).

Interestingly, he revealed that their dynamic alters once they return home; despite working closely at the racetrack, they often find themselves in separate rooms at home.

“It’s amusing because it’s quite the opposite when we’re at home,” Tony Stewart elaborated. “We tend to spend a significant amount of time in different rooms, but at the racetrack, we’re in sync, aligned in everything, and I truly appreciate our dynamic.”

Pruett has been competing in the NHRA Top Fuel series but has taken a hiatus recently. Initially, this break was due to her pregnancy and has since extended to allow her to devote more time to her child.