Although it may not have been penned in permanent marker, the writing was definitely on the wall way back in March and April that the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship had taken another step up with the arrival of Australian Troy Herfoss. The possibility of Herfoss challenging for the title looked to be a possibility after he and his S&S/Indian Motorcycle Challenger finished second in both races at Daytona. It became etched in stone when he won his first Baggers race at Circuit of The Americas in April when the series brought the roar of the massive V-twins to Texas and a rendezvous with MotoGP.
Suddenly it was Herfoss, Herfoss, Herfoss as the Aussie was the talk of the town when he went on a three-race win streak through Road Atlanta and into Road America. But it was a case of hold your horses, Sonny Jim, as Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman had a thing or two to say about all of this.
And here we are. Back at Circuit of The Americas where Wyman and Herfoss return to the site of Herfoss’ first win, and they arrive separated by just 14 points in what has become a two-man battle for the Mission King Of The Baggers Championship.
Wyman (six wins, 11 total podiums) leads Herfoss (five wins, 10 total podiums) by 14 points with four races left (the two at COTA this weekend and two more in the season finale at New Jersey Motorsports Park) which basically means both riders will have to win to win. Both control their own destiny, and neither can sit around in second place.
There are several racers in the class capable of throwing a monkey wrench into things. Namely, RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim, the defending class champion and the only rider other than Wyman and Herfoss to win a race in 2024. The hard-riding Gillim has won three races with two additional podium finishes and would love nothing more than to end his season on a high note.
Ditto for Herfoss’ teammate Tyler O’Hara, who is just seven points behind Gillim in the battle for third in the title chase. Wyman’s teammate James Rispoli and Gillim’s rookie teammate Rocco Landers are on the outside looking in but are both capable of mixing it up with the best of them.
Supersport – Scholtz vs. Jacobsen
With a 25-point lead, Strack Racing’s Mathew Scholtz could theoretically finish second to Rahal Ducati Moto’s PJ Jacobsen in the four remaining races, and he’d still end up winning the 2024 MotoAmerica Supersport Championship by five points. Thus far this season, Jacobsen has won six races and Scholtz has won seven, so Jacobsen going on a four-race winning streak is entirely plausible but not very likely. Not with the way he and Scholtz have battled each other from start to finish in almost every single race. Scholtz would have to have at least one non-podium result in the next four races for things to get really interesting (and that’s provided that Jacobsen goes “four-for-four” to end the season). Which, of course, makes these two Supersport races at Circuit of The Americas must-see events.
While the race for the championship is being fought out between those two, the other riders giving chase have shown speed. It just hasn’t been with the same consistency as the top two.
Case in point: Altus Motorsports’ Jake Lewis is having a nice little season, scoring points in every round with three podiums, to sit third in the title chase with two rounds and four races to go. But… Lewis is 152 points behind Scholtz.
Just 12 points behind Lewis is young Blake Davis and his N2 Racing/BobbleHeadMoto Yamaha. Davis has shown flashes of speed and has four podiums to show for it.
The only rider other than Scholtz and Jacobsen to win a race is Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Tyler Scott, but some big crashes have cost Scott any chance at the title many thought he would challenge for.
Rahal Ducati Moto’s Kayla Yaakov has two podium finishes and sits sixth in the title chase in her first full season of Supersport racing.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Oh So Close!
The closest championship as the series heads to Circuit of The Americas is the one being fought out between Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson’s Cory West and S&S/Indian Motorcycles’ Tyler O’Hara, the defending class champion.
West and his three wins and six total podiums sit atop the point standings, four better than O’Hara and his one win and six podiums. Four points.
West’s teammate Jake Lewis is third, 34 points behind his teammate and eight points ahead of KWR/Harley-Davidson’s Cody Wyman, who has a win and an additional podium on his scorecard. Then comes O’Hara’s teammate Troy Herfoss, the Australian arriving in Texas with one win in the class and a more important Mission King Of The Baggers title fight to worry about.
BellissiMoto Twins Cup – Landers Out Front
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Rocco Landers will be out to win the fourth championship of his career when he takes his 19-point lead to the start line for the two BellissiMoto Twins Cup races at COTA this weekend. The 19-year-old has four victories on the season, including three in a row heading into Texas, to lead Rodio Racing – Powered by Robem Engineering’s Alessandro Di Mario with just the two COTA races remaining.
Di Mario has been able to keep Landers in sight with his lone victory and seven total podiums, including four second-place finishes in a row. Di Mario is 31 points ahead of his teammate Gus Rodio, who looked unbeatable in the first two races of the year at Daytona.
Giaccmoto Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle has two race wins on his resume from this season and sits fourth, four points behind Rodio.
Vision Wheel M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Rossi Moor rounds out the top five heading to COTA, 15 points behind Doyle and 23 ahead of EasyHealthPlans.com/TopPro Racing Avery Dreher, the fourth rider to have won a Twins Cup race in 2024.
Pre-Race Circuit Of The Americas Notes…
Xavi Forés and Tyler Scott split wins in the two Supersport races at COTA in 2023 with Forés beating Scott and Teagg Hobbs in race one before Scott turned the tables, besting Forés and Torin Collins in race two.
Harley-Davidson Factory Racing teammates Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli won the two Mission King Of The Baggers races last year at COTA. Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson’s Hayden Gillim finished second in both races to take over at the top of the series point standings – by just two points over Rispoli and 11 over Wyman.
S&S/Indian Motorcycle’s Tyler O’Hara won both of the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship races. Stefano Mesa finished second in race one with Andy DiBrino third. In race two it was O’Hara over his teammate Jeremy McWiliams with DiBrino third again.
