NOVEMBER 2020 was possibly the gloomiest on record for the motorcycle world. Aside from MotoGP, WSBK, and a handful of smaller championships, the racing world was pretty quiet.
That was except for one shining beacon of American excess that cannot have failed to have put a smile on even the glummest face. I’m talking about King of the Baggers, a special event run at the Laguna Seca round of the MotoAmerica championship.
Given that event was such a success, partly thanks to a fairly captive audience having nothing else to do, those crazy Americans have given the idea a dusting off for 2021, and it’s not just a one-round special either. This year (COVID dependant), there will be five King of Baggers races taking place at selected MotoAmerica events throughout the year.
The premise of the race is simple, take a load of hopped up and high-power V-Twin baggers (cruisers with solid panniers fitted), plonk a big-name racer with bags (geddit) of talent on top, and fire them around the best race tracks the US has to offer.
And before you say, ‘I bet the racing is crap’, it’s really not, check out the clip from the inaugural round in November last year below.
2021 King of the Baggers schedule:
- Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, April 30-May 2
- Road America, June 11-13
- WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, July 9-10
- Pittsburgh International Race Complex, August 13-15
- Barber Motorsports Park, September 17-19
MotoAmerica president, Wayne Rainey had this to say:
“Honestly, the MotoAmerica King of the Baggers debut race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca went better than we ever dreamed of… The popularity of the event was crazy so how could we not do more? We know there are plenty of Bagger fans out there as our videos of the debut Laguna event were watched by millions. Having five races gives us the opportunity to bring King of the Baggers to fans in several different areas of the country. We’ve also opted to make the series open to any qualified racer, which should bring new teams and new bike builds to the series from the aftermarket and motorcycle dealers who specialize in baggers.”
