Smith injured during qualifying session
Posted on Aug 18, 2025 by George Penny
Harley-Davidson® x Dynojet Factory Race Team rider Bradley Smith was injured in an off-track incident during the first qualifying session, and he retired for the weekend. His place on the Harley-Davidson® x Dynojet Factory Race Team Road Glide motorcycle was taken by Saddlemen Race Development rider Travis Wyman.
Gillim and his Vance & Hines race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle paced the Mission King of the Baggers field through both qualifying sessions, taking pole position for the weekend with a best lap of 1:28.019. Gillim then won the three-lap King of the Baggers Challenge bonus race, besting Factory Indian rider Troy Herfoss by 0.469 seconds.
Gillim led all nine laps of the Saturday King of the Baggers race, passing Herfoss off the start and then opening a gap that stretched to 0.929 seconds by lap three over Herfoss, Harley-Davidson® x Dynojet Factory Race Team rider James Rispoli, Indian rider Cam Petersen and Kyle Wyman. Wyman passed Rispoli for third place on lap six as Gillim saw his lead over Herfoss begin to shrink. By lap 8 Herfoss was on Gillim’s rear tire, but Gillim showed tremendous pace through The Keyhole (turn 2) that Herfoss could not match, which proved the difference in the final laps. Gillim crossed the finish line 0.173 seconds clear of Herfoss, with Wyman 4.398 seconds back in third place. Rispoli finished fourth.
“It’s been a long year. This is my first podium of the season,” said Gillim, the 2023 Mission King of the Baggers champion. “After last year being pretty competitive, we’ve struggled at times, but we are finding our footing again. This one I wasn’t going to give up very easily.”
On Sunday Herfoss got a great start but was passed by Gillim before the end of the first lap. A poor start put Wyman in sixth place on the opening lap, which also saw Harley-Davidson® x Dynojet Factory Race Team rider Travis Wyman and RevZilla/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Rocco Landers retired from the race after colliding and running off the course. Gillim and Herfoss opened a five-second gap on the field. Herfoss passed for the lead on lap five as Wyman fought through traffic and worked his way to third place. On the final lap Gillim passed Herfoss in turn two to re-take the lead but gave the lead back in turn six when his speed carried him off the track. Wyman moved up to second place as Herfoss went on to win by 0.581 seconds. Factory Indian rider Tyler O’Hara finished third. Gillim was able to re-join the race and finished sixth.
After 10 of 14 rounds in the 2025 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads in series points with 222, followed by Herfoss with 149 points, Factory Indian rider Loris Baz with 129 points, O’Hara with 110 points, Gillim with 93 points, and Rispoli with 87 points.
The Harley-Davidson® x Dynojet Factory Race Team returns to action September 12-14 at the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Texas weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Del Valle, Texas.