News Indian wins the Baggers race with its Challenger.

imagine a race on one of America's most famous racetracks, with Indian Challengers, Harley Road Glides and Street Glides, suitcases and Corkscrew fights!
The inaugural event of the Bagger Road Race season saw an Indian bagger win once again. The brand took two of the three steps on the podium. Tyle O'Hara took victory aboard an Indian Challenger revised by S&S Cycle. Frankie Garcia took third place on an Indian Challenger prepared by Roland Sands Design.

indian adds another victory to its sporting achievements. The brand took first place in the first race of the Drag Specialities "King of the Baggers" season, held at Laguna Seca. Up against a pack of 11 Harley-Davidsons, S&S Cycle's Indian Challenger took the win, with Indian claiming the majority of the podium, taking two of the top three places in the race.

the victory was achieved in an emotional atmosphere. It came barely a day after Frankie Garcia suffered a serious accident. The day before, during qualifying, the rider lost control of his 272 kg motorcycle after crashing into a hole. During the race, in the first three laps, O'Hara built up a comfortable lead. But with 5 laps to go, an incident relegated O'Hara to third place. Garcia took advantage of the situation to take second place, just behind the experienced Hayden Gillim, who took the lead. O'Hara then began a patient and methodical comeback. He regained the lead over Garcia, then took advantage of Gillim's steering error on the famous "Corkscrew" bend to pull off a spectacular overtake on the penultimate lap. The final lap was hotly contested. O'Hara defended his position dearly. In the end, the Indian rider won by 1.9 seconds to claim the title of "King of the Baggers".

"It's a great honour for us to have won this very prestigious race, against some very talented teams and drivers. We're really delighted with this victory," said Gary Gray, Indian Motorcycle's Vice President, Racing Technology and Service. Our riders Tyler and Frankie, as well as the specialists at S&S Cycle and the RSD team, did an extraordinary job. They were able to reveal and transcend the full potential of our Indian Challenger motorcycle. We're really proud of their work, as well as of the qualities of our bike.

motorcycle racing fans were treated to a piece of history. The first race of the "King of the Baggers" season recorded a record audience of 2 million views on social networks, including over 30,000 shares on facebook.

" It has to be said that the show was on. Watching a field of 13 "Baggers" enter the famous Corkscrew S-curve at Laguna Seca is a real motorcycle racing highlight," said Reid Wilson, vice-president of Indian Motorcycle. And to see the new Indian Challenger defeat eleven expertly prepared Harley-Davidsons is proof of the tremendous work our designers and engineers have put into our bike ".

for Indian Motorcycle Racing, this "King of the Baggers" victory is yet another success, adding to the fourth consecutive title won in the Grand National and American Flat Track Manufacturer's Championships.

for more information on the Drag and " King of the Baggers " specialties , visit MotoAmerica.com.

Credits : Indian Motorcycle
Image credits : Brian J. Nelson / MotoAmerica