Cycle News Staff | March 7, 2023
Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team of Kyle Wyman and his brother Travis Wyman are ready to chase the King of the Baggers championship at the season opener at Daytona March 9-11.
This is a press release from H-D…
Photos Courtesy of Harley-Davidson
Milwaukee, WI (March 1, 2023) – The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team is prepared to open the 2023 racing season March 9-11 at Daytona International Speedway, site of the first two rounds of the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers road-racing series. Kyle Wyman and his brother Travis Wyman return to ride the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines. The Harley-Davidson factory team will leave nothing on the track as they fight to bring the championship title back to Milwaukee.
H-D Factory Team Kyle Wyman (left) and Travis Wyman
“In our 120th Anniversary year, we’re coming at it bigger and better than ever before, as we compete to win the championship and bring back the #1 plate to Milwaukee where it belongs,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “Our Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team is ready for the season—and with Kyle and Travis on the track, I’m excited for what is set to be a great season of racing for our community of racers and fans alike.”
The King of the Baggers series offers exciting competition between American V-Twin touring motorcycles prepared for competition and equipped with a fairing/windscreen and saddlebags. The 2023 season will see the King of the Baggers series expanded from seven to 14 races over seven doubleheader weekends held in conjunction with the MotoAmerica Superbike Series.
A fan feature for the 2023 season is the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary VIP Ticket Package. Offered as a three-day or one-day package, these special VIP passes include admission with fan zone and paddock access, all the MotoAmerica races including the Mission King of the Baggers practice sessions, qualifying and racing action. Each pass also includes access to premium parking reserved for Harley-Davidson motorcycles on all three days of the race weekend, and participation in Harley-Davidson parade laps around the track on Friday and Saturday.
For the 2023 season, the Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed livery, honoring Harley-Davidson’s 120th anniversary aboard their race-modified Road Glide motorcycles, Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.
Harley-Davidson invites you to kick off the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. On March 6, Harley-Davidson premiered Push the Limit, a film that shares the story of defending champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Check it out on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel [ check out the trailer for Push the Limit below].
Travis Wyman, the owner of Travis Wyman Racing based in Las Vegas, finished second in points during the 2022 King of the Baggers season, with one race win (Road America) and three second-place finishes. The 31-year-old racer returns for his second full season with the Harley-Davidson factory team.
“I am excited about my second season on the factory H-D team and ready for the expanded schedule this year,” said Travis. “My consistent finishes last year put me in contention for the title going into the last round. With the two-race format, if Saturday does not go well, you get another shot on Sunday rather than waiting for the next race weekend. As other teams get these bikes figured out, I expect the level of competition to be tougher this season. Our Harley team is going to need to be on its game at every race.”
Kyle Wyman
Kyle Wyman
Kyle Wyman
Kyle Wyman, 33, won three 2022 King of the Baggers races (Atlanta, Monterey and New Jersey) and had two other podium appearances to finish third in season points. Wyman began racing professionally in flat track aboard a Harley-Davidson XR750 and formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21 to compete at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. Kyle Wyman is the 2019 Daytona 200 winner. He was King of the Baggers champion in 2021, riding for the Harley-Davidson factory team.
“It will be an honor to represent the Harley-Davidson brand during this 120th Anniversary season,” said Kyle Wyman. “It is incredible to be a part of the enduring history of Harley-Davidson. I’ve spent much of the off season working with the team to further develop our Road Glide race bikes, and I have a lot of confidence going into 2023. We will continue to see lap records fall this season, and everyone on the grid will be quicker.”
Travis Wyman
Travis Wyman
Travis Wyman
Available Support
In addition to competing in the series, the H-D Screamin’ Eagle team continues to work directly with MotoAmerica to promote the series by supporting all Harley-Davidson competitors. Select performance products developed for the 2022 factory team bikes are available to all qualified racers. Teams should reach out directly to their local Harley-Davidson dealership for availability and pricing.
Top squads expected to run Harley-Davidson bikes at the front of the field include the four-rider Team Saddlemen effort with returning veteran racers Cory West and Patricia Fernandez-West along with Frankie Garcia and class newcomer Jake Lewis, all competing on race-modified Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles, prepared with the assistance of Hoban Brothers Racing. The Vance & Hines Racing team returns to the King of the Baggers series with proven series front runners James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim, also campaigning race-prepared Road Glide motorcycles.
The Wymans will race on race-modified Road Glide motorcycles with a custom livery honoring H-D’s 120th anniversary and equipped with at Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance crate engines.
MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers Contingency
Harley-Davidson will offer more than $185,000 in cash contingency for qualified Harley-Davidson racers competing in the Mission King of the Baggers series, with a contingency payout from first to 10th place in all 14 races and a $35,000 series championship bonus. Terms and conditions apply; please see www.MotoAmerica.com for full details, eligibility requirements and deadlines.
About the Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine: The Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 is a powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models.
2023 Mission King of the Baggers Schedule
(Two full races each weekend)
March 9-11: Daytona International Raceway – Daytona Beach, FL
April 21-23: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta – Braselton, GA
June 2-4: Road America – Elkhart Lake, WI
July 7-9: WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – Monterey, CA
July 28-30: Brainerd International Raceway – Brainerd, MN
September 8-10: Circuit of the Americas – Austin, TX
September 22-24: New Jersey Motorsports Park – Millville, NJ
For more information on Harley-Davidson, visit www.harley-davidson.com
For more information on MotoAmerica, visit www.MotoAmerica.com
