Three-time Australian Superbike Champion Troy Herfoss is now racing in Mission King Of The Baggers, and he has quickly acclimated to the class. The S&S/Indian Motorcycle rider is second in the season championship, based on the strength of his two runner-up finishes at Daytona International Speedway in March. Herfoss joined four of his competitors on Thursday at Circuit of The Americas for a pre-event press conference held with an international group of journalists and media people in attendance. Here’s what Herfoss had to say:
Q:
Troy, what can we say? You stormed onto the scene in Daytona. Unbelievable finishes, close, obviously great battles. What’s it like racing Mission King of the Baggers?
Herfoss:
It’s an experience, I can tell you. It was a real baptism by fire racing with these guys in Daytona. It was everything from terrifying to exciting. Something I’ll never forget, to be honest. I’m really fortunate for the opportunity that Indian has given me to come here and do this. I did not expect to be sitting here at MotoGP in COTA this year. But, coming out of Daytona, it’s nothing but excitement. I had so much fun down there. I’ve just been thinking about it day in, day out. I just I had my own bike at home so I could stint some laps on it.
Q:
I’m just curious because of, obviously, your experience with Superbikes. What’s the characteristic of the Indian Challenger in this form of racebike that stands out as such a difference to you?
Herfoss:
The reality is that they’re just another road bike for us to ride. We set them up the same characteristics as a Superbike. It’s just longer, taller, heavier, and a different sort of power. For me, the main thing is, it’s just so raw. The bike has so much power in your right hand, so much torque. It’s really a physical challenge. It’s a rider’s challenge. There’s a lot of finesse involved. It’s a lot different. Over the past ten years, I’ve been coming from that style of Superbike. I did race carbureted Superbikes. I’m that old. I started with bikes that had potentially full power, worked my way through to bikes with a lot of electronics. Now, I’m here on this bike, and it sort of feels like where it all began, with all that power in my right hand. It’s a lot of fun. You can get yourself in a lot of trouble, but it’s a lot of fun.
