Tag: King

It’s time for Bazball as Herfoss secures a podium finish in a challenging wet race weekend marred by mechanical issues and a title setback.

Defending Moto America King of the Baggers champion Troy Herfoss faced a tough weekend at Road Atlanta in Georgia, where teammate Loris Baz claimed his first victory.

After finishing third in a rain-soaked first race, Herfoss faced a DNF in Race Two, leaving him in fourth place in the standings.

Baz, making waves as a new addition to the series, secured a convincing victory in the first race, overtaking both Herfoss and Kyle Wyman of Harley-Davidson on the final lap to win by just 0.199 seconds.

Disaster nearly struck at the start of Race Two when pole-sitter Wyman seemed unable to engage first gear, resulting in him being stranded on the grid while he scrambled to get his Harley moving. Fortunately, the small grid minimized the impact. However, the situation escalated when Kyle Ohnsorg crashed heavily, causing Rocco Landers’ Harley to collide with the downed Indian and resulting in a red flag.

Following the restart, Wyman and Herfoss led the pack, but Herfoss’ engine failed on the back straight just two laps in. Wyman eventually secured his 21st career Baggers victory, closely followed by Baz in second and Bradley Smith in third.

Herfoss took the weekend’s events in stride, stating, “This weekend has been quite unfortunate for us. We worked hard to find speed for Race Two. I felt good on the bike, but then I noticed some smoke and wheelspin, and realized I was in trouble. It’s a significant points loss, so I have to be fully committed now.”

As a silver lining, Herfoss won the two-lap Challenge sprint, which, while carrying a $5,000 prize, unfortunately does not provide any points. Wyman now has a substantial lead in the championship standings, with the next round taking place at Road America from May 30 to June 1.

Loris Baz – “It shifted from just trying to survive to realizing I was catching up. There were so many close calls; I almost crashed multiple times. I was managing the rear, but my main concern was the front. During the practice laps before the race, I had a bad feeling about the front. I didn’t expect to fight for the win, but after the restart, I noticed others were also struggling. It took time to overtake Troy because of my concerns, but after a couple of laps, I could see I was gaining on Kyle in several spots. I switched from securing second to taking the risk to catch him. I was pleased with my performance despite the tension.”

Kyle Wyman – “It’s too early to talk about the championship yet. Many things may change in the upcoming rounds. I’m focusing on doing my best. I’m proud of my performance in the wet. Typically, I progress slowly, but I was quick to warm up today, which made a difference. I got a good start, and while I thought I had the win halfway through, the rear grip started to fade. I felt strong up front but struggled with the rear. I wasn’t sure about my lap times toward the end, but I believe Loris picked up speed. He was close behind, and I made the cautious choice to take the points rather than risk it.”

Troy Herfoss – “Today wasn’t my day due to some issues with the bike. When Loris passed me, I noticed we had similar issues, but he took more risks. I was aware that I wouldn’t beat Kyle unless I made significant adjustments. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t find the connection with the bike. Working hard in the dry has yielded some progress, but this weekend has highlighted areas for improvement. I hope for some dry conditions in the future to really compete.”

King of the Baggers Standings