Nürburgring: The ‘Baggers’ are coming – Round 3 of the Europe League plus double starters

For the first time, the Bagger Racing League will be taking part in the Euro Moto event at the Nürburgring this coming weekend, staging two races – one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The bagger trend has been around for some time in the USA, and as people on the other side of the Atlantic like to go one size bigger, they’ve already crowned the ‘King of the Bagger’ there. The Bagger World Cup is currently taking place as part of the MotoGP series.

At the Nürburgring, you can now watch the European Bagger Cup up close. Following the races in Cremona and Brno, the Nürburgring is the third of four rounds in the series. The final will take place on 31 October–1 November 2026 in Jerez, Spain. “For the German round, the field of entrants will be further strengthened by new riders of international calibre, key returnees and new Harley-Davidson motorbikes set to make their debut,” assure the organisers of the Bagger race. “James Ellison and Maurizio Vettor will be racing on two new Harley-Davidsons. James Ellison brings an exceptional international career to the Bagger Racing League, which he has built up over more than twenty years of top-level motor racing. In 2000 and 2001, he was European Champion in the Superstock 1000 class, and in 2003 he won the World Endurance Championship title. From 2004 onwards, he also competed in MotoGP for WCM, Tech3 Yamaha and Paul Bird Motorsport, and gained extensive experience in the British Superbike Championship, the World Superbike Championship and the World Supersport Championship.”

“Portuguese rider André Pires is returning to racing on a Ducati,” the organisers note. “In 2011, he was Portuguese champion in the 125 GP class; in 2012, he was Superstock 600 champion; and in 2014, he was Superbike champion. His career also includes appearances at some of the world’s most famous motorbike races, including the Macau Grand Prix and the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. In 2021, he also competed in the MotoE World Cup for the Avintia Esponsorama team.»

Support from the Euro Moto Superbike

It is set to be a particularly busy weekend for Milan Merckelbagh. Having already competed in the BRL at Cremona on his Harley-Davidson, the 2024 Dutch Superbike Champion will be back on a bagger once again. Alongside his main role in the Euro Moto Superbike series, where he races for the Masteroil-alpha-Van Zon-BMW team. On his Bagger debut in Cremona, Merckelbagh finished fourth on both occasions.

Milan, what’s the reason for your second Bagger outing? “First of all, I really enjoyed my first Bagger race in Italy. The bikes are completely different and it was fun to try them out. Now the team has asked me to ride again.”

What will be the biggest challenge when switching from one motorbike to another? “Overall, I find it easy to quickly adapt my riding style and feel to different motorbikes, as I do the same when I switch to the Suzuki in the EWC.”

Are you just doing this for fun, or can you imagine this becoming part of your future? “Of course, it can sometimes be difficult to fit this in alongside the Superbike season, but my priority is very clearly Superbike. I think it’ll be fun, and I can’t say much yet about the future in this class, but we’ll see how it goes.”

Well-known founder

The competition was launched in 2025 on the initiative of former WorldSBK rider Ruben Xaus and is organised under the auspices of FIM Europe. The regulations allow for various makes and models. Alongside the well-known Harley-Davidson Street Glide, Road Glide, Road King and Ultra models, the BMW R18, Honda Goldwing, Kawasaki VN Voyager, Suzuki Intruder, Yamaha Star Cruiser, Moto Guzzi MGX 21 and California, Triumph Rocket, Ducati Diavel V2 and motorcycles from WYCHE. In its inaugural year, the Cup was won by the Italian Manuel Grandi.