Cycle News Staff | April 14, 2021
The Baggers will join the rest of the AHRMA road-racing program April 16-18 and April 23-25 at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California.
Tony Shreds on the Speed Merchant bagger. Photo by Justin George
The following includes excerpts from a press release from AHRMA…
Baggers will be in the spotlight during the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) 2021 Bridgestone National Historic Cup Road Race Series events at Willow Springs International Raceway in April, 2021.
The Baggers will join the rest of the AHRMA road racing program April 16-18 and April 23-25 at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California.
The Bagger Racing League (BRL) sanctions Bagger competitions at road-racing events throughout the United States. The BRL rules allow for a variety of modifications to make the big bikes safe and competitive on a road-racing track. However, all bikes must have the characteristic front fairings and hard-sided saddlebags.
Alex Mock, AHRMA’s Road Racing Director, recognized growing interest in this form of road racing and selected the Bagger class as a Director’s Choice event during the back-to-back AHRMA nationals at the Willow Springs tracks.
“With the Bagger Racing League gaining traction, we have been getting lots of requests for licensing,” Mock said. “Since we are listed as a BRL-approved sanctioned race organization we have made a limited number of entries available. Bagger racers can take part in the AHRMA Academy of Racing also being held at these events, get their AHRMA racing license and then race with us all in the same weekend.”
“We are honored for the Bagger Racing League to gain the support of a legacy race organization like AHRMA,” said John Oakes with BRL. “Bagger Racing League is attracting a lot of riders to come to the track for the first time or the first time on a Bagger and other V-Twin. With the support of AHRMA, we are able to give riders a great environment to get licensed, practice and race.”
“With the rise of performance baggers we’ve seen over the last 5 years, we wanted an event that could help promote those parts that make these bikes so sought after,” said Rob Buydos, Bagger Racing League founder.
“Making room for the Baggers as Director’s Choice classes will really enhance the motorcycle experience as we mix the fastest from the past with a new genre of racing,” Mock said. “It’ll be a great showing of how motorcycle racing has evolved over the decades and is continuing to evolve. Plus, Baggers are just flat-out all-American cool, and what better place to showcase them for the first time with AHRMA at our 25th anniversary of the Corsa Moto Classica at Willow Springs!”
The AHRMA Bagger events will feature the BRL Baggers Class that requires saddlebags and windscreens and the Super Hooligans class for lightly-modified street bikes used for dirt-track racing.
“AHRMA has a tradition of highlighting alternative road-racing machines that may not find a home with other racing groups, and giving these Baggers a place to race is part of our culture,” said Arthur Kowitz, chairman of the AHRMA board of trustees. “One of my AHRMA race bikes is electric, so I know first hand how great it is to have a place to compete on a somewhat odd bike.”
For more information, visit AHRMA