Harley-Davidson Strikes Partnership with MotoGP, But What Does it Mean?
Harley-Davidson has shaken hands with Dorna Sports on a new partnership, so does this mean the King of the Baggers series could be heading to the MotoGP race card?
Harley-Davidson’s King of the Baggers is a series that forms part of the MotoAmerica schedule and has enjoyed great success in the US, but a new partnership with MotoGP has us believing it could be coming to Europe.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles are sold globally, not just in the US despite the American market being the biggest for the company, so why not put its name at the forefront of everyone’s mouth by appearing on the MotoGP bill going forward?
The King of the Baggers first appeared in 2020, but on Monday after the MotoGP finale in Barcelona, the brand’s bikes took to the Catalan circuit while a press conference to confirm the agreement was staged.
When MotoGP raced in Texas earlier this year the US series, which has become just as popular as the MotoAmerica superbike class, competed on the same weekend, but whether it will join MotoGP full-time is yet to be confirmed.
Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz told Visordown sister title Crash.net: “I mean, let’s see what comes out of it. We want to move as fast as we can, but these things take a bit of time and we want to first see how much excitement there is for this.
“To bring the bikes here [to Barcelona] this is a big step for us and just test the waters. But so far the reaction has been extraordinary, a lot of positive feedback and shoulder-clapping of our racers, or our mechanics, and I think it’s a good sign so far from what we’ve seen that there’s definitely a lot of interest to create a new space outside of what MotoGP has been doing so successfully already.”
Harley-Davidson has had previous Grand Prix success in the 1970s, winning the 250cc and 350cc titles in back-to-back years thanks to Walter Villa. And given its rapid rise with the King of the Baggers class, the American brand is confident it can be a success in Europe.
Zeitz added: “Well, Harley has many fans around the world, many riders around the world, touring our most iconic motorcycles and taking them to the race track is something that has proven to be super successful since 2021 when we started with that idea and made it happen back then until now with MotoAmerica in the US,” Zeitz adds.
“But we think there’s more opportunity globally to do that and MotoGP can be a great partner, which is why this could be a win-win for us and we want to explore that.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
