Five of MotoAmerica’s Mission King Of The Baggers riders appeared on stage at Circuit of The Americas for a pre-event press conference, and both Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles were represented. S&S/Indian Motorcycle rider and two-time King Of The Baggers Champion Tyler O’Hara was part of the group, and he always has something interesting to say. Here are some of the questions he was asked, along with his answers:
Q:
Tyler O’Hara, 2022 champ. Let’s talk about those lap times. We had a conversation earlier. What are you expecting in terms of times here? You know everybody is going to say, ‘Let’s compare you guys to MotoGP bikes.” But what do you expect in terms of lap times around Circuit of The Americas?
O’Hara:
I believe we’ll be faster than we were last year in September (when we were last here). Last year, we were right around 2:15. I think we’ll be around 2:14.5, is kind of where I’m predicting. That’s kind of what we’re fixing to do. But, we’ll see what the track gives us. So, probably about five seconds off Superbike. Maybe seven seconds off of Superbike and probably fifteen seconds off of MotoGP. Maybe. We’ll see.
Q:
The first exhibition race was at the end of 2020, and here we are three years later. Did you envision that we could get to this kind of magnitude with this class in such a short period of time?
O’Hara:
At Laguna Seca, we put on a show, and nobody really knew what to expect. Hayden (Gillim) and I had a great race. We’ve been at every race since. The wave just keeps getting bigger. To be here racing with MotoGP, the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, at an American track, racing American motorcycles, it’s just so American. I’m just super proud and honored to be here. It’s a great opportunity. We’re going to have some fun and hopefully put on a show and open up the eyes to a brand-new audience of people all over the world.
Q:
The appeal of the class has just really blossomed over the past couple of seasons on a global scale. What do you attribute it to?
O’Hara:
I think it’s very relatable. Customers are riding the same bike that we’re riding essentially, with some mods. Every year we’re going faster. This year, we went 186 miles an hour at Daytona. I think that’s still impressive. Every year we keep going faster. The sky is the limit. The development with these things, Indian Motorcycle, the Indian Challenger, it’s just the ultimate performance Bagger. People can relate. They’re riding their bikes to the track. They’re having fun. What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday. Like you said, it’s wild. It’s entertaining. It’s really raw. We really got to ride them. Without the rider aids, you get to see the bikes moving around more. It’s just kind of a throwback a little bit, so you get a little bit more personalities. It’s entertaining.
