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Gillim Snaps Wyman’s Mission King Of The Baggers Daytona Win Streak
Story and photos from motoamerica.com
Mission King Of The Baggers wrapped up final qualifying on Friday with J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian rider Troy Herfoss setting the fastest lap with a 1:50.034 ahead of Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing teammates Bradley Smith in second and Kyle Wyman third.
The second row was set with the other two J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian teammates Hayden Gillim and Rocco Landers in fourth and fifth, respectively and Big Diehl x Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli sixth, setting the field for the Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge.
Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge – Gillim And Indian Gaining Steam
The first race of the 2026 MotoAmerica season was the two-lap Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge. The field included five of the six qualified riders as Kyle Wyman, who crashed towards the end of Q2, elected to sit out the Challenge to give his crew time to repair his motorcycle before Race 1.
Hayden Gillim led the five-rider field through the first turn with his J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian teammate Rocco Landers close behind and Big Diehl x Harley-Davidson Factory Racing’s James Rispoli in third. Behind Rispoli in fourth was J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian rider Troy Herfoss who unfortunately would low side in the first corner and not finish the race, giving that position to the Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory
Road Glide of Bradley Smith. The running order would remain the same for the remainder of the race with the J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indians of Gillim and Landers first and second, and Big Diehl x Harley-Davidsons Factory Racing’s James Rispoli third.
Mission King Of The Baggers Race 1 – Gillim Ends The Daytona Win Streak
The J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian team is rolling this week at Daytona. After qualifying fastest and winning the Challenge race, Hayden Gillim checked out to win Race 1 by over eight seconds aboard his Indian Challenger. The 31-year-old from Owensboro, Kentucky marked his first win at Daytona International Speedway by and broke Kyle Wyman’s five-race win streak at Daytona.
Behind Gillim in second was his J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian teammate Troy Herfoss. Herfoss battled early with third-place finisher Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing’s Kyle Wyman, who rounded out the podium in third. Wyman had led the field into turn one at the beginning of the race but was passed for the lead on the backstretch and later made a mistake entering the international horseshoe pushing him back to third where he would finish the race.
Wyman’s teammate Bradley Smith would finish fourth after J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian rider Rocco Landers had to retire with an unfortunate mechanical. Landers was closing in on the podium battle but had to lean his Indian Challenger against the wall for a heartbreaking DNF.
Rounding out the rest of the field were Big Diehl x Harley-Davidson Factory Racing James Rispoli in fifth, SDI Racing’s Tyler O’Hara in sixth, Saddlemen Racing Development teammates Jake Lewis and Cory West in seventh and eighth, and M3/Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson’s Max Flinders in ninth.
The following quotes are from the Mission King Of The Baggers Race 1 Press Conference:
Kyle Wyman – Third Place
“I definitely was leaving it all out there. There was that part in the race where Troy made a mistake, and I got around him. I was really trying to build a gap, and I completely screwed that up. I just made a mistake going into the international horseshoe. I think I could have been second today. Hayden was gone before I even knew where he went. We’ve got to do some work and see if we can get a little more infield pace for the afternoon in these hot conditions. But the Harley-Davidson x DynoJet Factory Racing team is giving me a great bike this week. I think I’ve been the one to put us on the back foot, so let’s see if we can do some work tomorrow.”
Troy Herfoss – Second Place
“I’ve got an incredible engine underneath me. This Indian Challenger is fast. The only reason I’m finishing in second place today is because that engine took me to the line. Luckily for all you Indian Challenger supporters, Hayden was out there showing what it can actually do in the corners. Unsure what he was able to do there, but I’m so happy for the whole team. We’ve got some great partners this year. I want to thank J&P Cycles, Vance & Hines, and Motul. Aside from that, I want to just thank the team for bringing me in. They don’t know me yet, and they’ve done such a good job to make me comfortable. I just keep asking questions. It’ll stop. I’m looking forward to having a beer with the guys on Sunday because, after a couple of beers, everyone knows each other better.”
Hayden Gillim – Race 1 Winner
“Man, that was something special. That was cool. That was a lot of fun. I had no idea I was by myself. So, the whole time, I’m pushing, just waiting for those guys to come by me. I know they were going to be fast enough to be there. But man, this whole J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian team is awesome. I’m having a blast. What a way to start (the season), with a Mission Challenge win and a first place in Daytona. This is my first win at Daytona, so I’m pumped.”
Supersport Q2 – Riders Up The Pace Eyeing A Spot In Supersport Time Attack
Today’s Q2 session was vital for any riders looking to improve their starting positions. The Q2 session itself was hotly contested as the top 12 move on to a 15-minute Time Attack session to determine the starting grid.
At the end of the 30-minute Q2, Tyler Scott and his D3O M4 ECSTAR Suzuki GSXR-750 stood atop the time sheets with a fastest lap of 1:49.134, leading Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati rider Darryn Binder’s time of 1:49.344 and Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL rider PJ Jacobsen’s third-fastest time of 1:49.891.
Mission Foods M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider Richie Escalante remains in fourth with a lap of 1:50.119 followed by DAYTONA 200 rookie and Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die + Forming rider Alessandro Di Mario. Di Mario has kept a solid pace with the experienced Supersport riders around him all weekend and locked himself into the Supersport Time Attack in his very first Supersport appearance.
However, the bigger stories here are the riders who came from outside the top 12 to put themselves into the Supersport Time Attack.
Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati rider Wristin Grigg was 15th after Q1, improving his time to a 1:50.860 for ninth-fastest and a spot in the Supersport Time Attack.
BPR Racing Yamaha’s Josh Hayes sat 17th after Q1 and was able to move into 11th with his lap of 1:51.278. Liberty St. Yamaha’s Dominic Doyle completed the top 12, and the field was set for the 15-minute Supersport Time Attack.
Supersport Time Attack – Top 12 Riders Battle For First Three Rows Of The Grid
In the 15-minute Supersport Time Attack began, the battle for a front-row start was intense as the riders broke into the 1:48s for the first time at the event.
Tyler Scott secured the DAYTONA 200 pole position for the third year in a row. The 19-year-old Pennsylvanian has a knack for qualifying fastest at the “World Center of Racing,” and he dropped the pace to 1:48.908 in the Time Attack.
The only other rider in the 1:48s was Rahal Ducati Moto with XPEL’s PJ Jacobsen at 1:48.944 with Rahal Ducati Moto with Desnuda Organic Tequila rider Josh Herrin completing the front row in third with a 1:49.455.
Darryn Binder has been near the front all week and will start fourth in the DAYTONA 200. The Celtic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse HSBK Ducati rider laid down a 1:49.598 in the Time Attack. He is followed by Mission Foods M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Richie Escalante in fifth and Rahal Ducati Moto with Roller Die + Forming’s Alessandro Di Mario in sixth with a 1:50.211.
The third row is led by veteran BPR Racing Yamaha rider Josh Hayes in seventh, followed by Rahal Ducati Moto with Droplight’s Kayla Yaakov in eighth andCeltic/Economy Lube + Tire/Warhorse HSBK’s Wristin Grigg in ninth.
Rounding out the Supersport Time Attack is an all-international fourth row of Team Classic Suzuki’s Danny Webb from the UK in 10th, Liberty Yamaha Racing’s Dominic Doyle from South Africa in 11th, and PHR Performance Triumph’s Peter Hickman from the UK in 12th.
The field is set for the 84th running of the Great American Motorcycle Race on March 7 at the “World Center of Racing.”
Twins Cup Race 1 – Hank Vossberg Dominated Daytona In Race 1, Three Different Manufacturers On Podium
Twins Cup Race 1 at Daytona kicked off with a clean start, as the entire field safely navigated turn one. On the opening lap, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki teammates Bodie Paige and Michel Agazzi surged to the front on their Suzuki GSX-8Rs. The draft was an immediate factor as Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane slipstreamed past them at the stripe, only to lose the lead to Robem Engineering Aprilia’s Hank Vossberg heading into the first turn.
By the backstretch, Vossberg established his rhythm, pulling Paige with him as they cleared the Bus Stop chicane. Crossing the stripe for lap three, the duo successfully gapped the pursuing pack of riders.
From that point on, Robem Engineering’s Vossberg checked out, expanding his lead to over four seconds and leaving the rest of the field to battle for the remaining podium spots.
The fight for second intensified into a three-way slipstream battle between Yamaha’s Drane, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Paige, and Karns/TST Industries Racing Suzuki rider Isaac Woodworth, who remained locked together. Meanwhile, a second pack formed four seconds behind, with polesitter Ghetto Customs Chris Parrish holding fifth ahead of Karns/TST Industries Racing Suzuki rider Kevin Olmedo, M4 ECSTAR Suzuki’s Michel Agazzi, and Chapin.
Vossberg dominated the closing stages, taking the checkered flag with a 4.46-second lead. Behind him, the battle for the runner-up spot came down to a tactical masterclass by Yamaha BLU CRU Estenson Racing’s Sam Drane. Drane timed his final draft to perfection, getting a slingshot past Paige before reaching the tri-oval to secure a hard-fought second-place finish over the M4 ECSTAR Suzuki rider and capping off a three-manufacturer podium with an Aprilia, a Yamaha, and a Suzuki, respectively.
Mission Super Hooligan National Championship – Top 10 Finishers Separated By Just .3 Seconds
Race 1 of the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship was the closest race of the Daytona weekend thus far. The top 10 finished the race separated by just three-tenths of a second and maintained a heated drafting battle throughout the entire race.
Saddlemen Race Development’s James Rispoli led the field into the first corner but never had any breathing room at the front of the field. For the entire six-lap contest, the top 10 were constantly swapping positions and drafting around one another on the high banks of Daytona.
The 10-rider pack included the entire Saddlemen Race Development Team of James Rispoli, Cory West, Jake Lewis, and Travis Wyman followed by Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio, BRP Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau and COATZYMOTO-LATIN WE Yamaha’s Robertino Pietri.
Capping off the lead group were TopPro Motorsports/Edge Racing’s Jason Waters, followed by BPR Racing Yamaha’s Bryce Kornbau and Trackhouse/Hawk Mazzotta Moto Camp/BLU CRU Yamaha’s Hawk Mazzotta.
The post-race lap charts show a different leader for all but two of the laps, and the only rider to lead more than one lap was Saddlemen Race Development’s Cory West in laps three and five.
As the field came into the chicane on the final lap, the top 10 were still in lockstep, and the typical stall tactics began to see who would lead everyone around the high banks to the finish. As Saddlemen Race Development’s James Rispoli reluctantly entered the chicane, Rodio Racing’s Gus Rodio put his Ducati at the front and tried to make a run to the finish.
As the field came into the tri-oval, Saddlemen Racing Development’s trio of Harley-Davidson Pan Americas came with a full head of steam. Cory West was the first of the Saddlemen riders to draft around Rodio before the tri-oval, but West’s teammate James Rispoli made a masterful last-second move at the line to get by his teammate and take the win. Saddlemen Race Development riders Cory West and Jake Lewis rounded out the podium for a Harley-Davidson lockout in a classic Daytona drafting finish.
Day Two Results:
Mission King Of The Baggers Challenge