Strategy shift at Harley-Davidson – full focus on the Bagger World Cup

In 2026, the first season of the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup took place as part of the MotoGP World Championship. A week and a half ago, at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Australian Archie McDonald was crowned the first overall winner. This year, twelve races were held across six events. The starting grid was modest, comprising four teams and around ten riders – depending on whether wildcard riders were taking part or not. The battles between the racing Harleys were spectacular and entertaining.

For Harley-Davidson, it was a debut season to gain experience on the global stage. The US manufacturer has consistently emphasised its intention to expand the series in the coming years – by 2027, there are set to be more teams, riders and races.

“What we achieved in the first season of the FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup exceeded our expectations,” said Jeffrey Schuessler, Director of Global Racing Programmes at Harley-Davidson. “We’ve seen some incredible races, five different winners, every team on the podium and a title battle that went down to the very last race. But what I’m most proud of is how our teams, riders, partners, dealers and the entire Harley-Davidson community have supported this championship and helped bring it to life around the world. This is just the beginning. We now have an incredible foundation on which to build, and the opportunities ahead of us are enormous.”

Harley has now announced a significant strategic move regarding growth on 1 October. Building on the first season and the partnership with MotoGP, the IRTA and the FIM, Harley-Davidson will invest in expanding the Bagger World Cup as the company’s key racing platform. At the same time, the aim is to expand grassroots sport. In future, the company intends to offer Harley riders from various disciplines and with different levels of experience more and easily accessible competition opportunities.

However, this strategic expansion on the global stage and at grassroots level also marks a turning point. After the 2026 season, Harley-Davidson will end its involvement in factory racing and its official team support in the ‘King of the Baggers’ series in MotoAmerica. In other words: there will no longer be a Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Team in 2027.

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“The partnership with MotoAmerica has played a key role in building up this category,” said a Harley-Davidson spokesperson. “The Harley-Davidson Factory Racing Team excelled on the track, helping the brand secure three out of six national championships and producing, in Kyle Wyman, the most successful rider in the category’s history, who claimed 27 individual victories.”

“Many thanks to MotoAmerica for the partnership and their commitment to the King of the Baggers. Without their support and the thrilling races in the series, we would not have achieved the success we have enjoyed,” said Jason Kehl, Technical Director and Team Principal of Harley-Davidson Factory Racing. “I’d also like to acknowledge Indian Motorcycle Racing for the fierce competition across each of the six seasons. Having a rival who consistently spurred us on to raise our game has made our team better, helped elevate the entire category to a higher standard, and made the victories all the more meaningful. We are extremely proud of what Harley-Davidson Factory Racing, our riders, staff, supported teams and partners have achieved. This success is based on the dedication and technical expertise of an incredible group of people, as well as the support of our fans. The passion of so many Harley-Davidson fans is a key reason why the Bagger category continues to grow.”

As a result, from 2027 onwards, Harley-Davidson will focus entirely on the Bagger World Cup. According to Harley, the experience gained from racing – such as engineering expertise and insights into performance optimisation – will increasingly be incorporated into the Bagger World Cup, motorcycle development, and the ‘Screamin’ Eagle’ parts and other high-performance components derived from racing.

It is not yet clear what this strategic decision means for the King of the Baggers series – particularly how rival Indian will respond. As a reminder: unlike the Bagger World Cup, which is a purely brand-based cup featuring only Harley-Davidson motorbikes, the US series – which has been running since 2021 – sees bikes from both Harley and Indian competing against one another. This year, Hayden Gillim secured the title for Indian. Last year, the overall winner was Harley rider Kyle Wyman. Following Harley-Davidson’s withdrawal from the King of the Baggers series, Wyman and former MotoGP rider Bradley Smith – who is also a Harley works rider – will have to look for a new job.