Gillim wins Baggers title for V&H and J&P team

Sep 14, 2026

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A rider and a team switching to a different brand of motorcycle, competing in a class spiked with MotoGP and Superbike veterans, and with only one test session to prepare before the season... it may sound like too many challenges to overcome. But Hayden Gillim proved otherwise.

The J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Factory Indian rider clinched the 2026 Mission King of the Baggers championship one round early this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas with a win on Saturday and a second-place finish on Sunday on his Indian Challenger. Gillim, also the 2023 King of the Baggers champion, won the title with the unbeatable combination of sheer speed and consistency. With two races remaining, he's already set a new class record with eight wins on the season, starting with the opening race at Daytona, and he's been on the podium in 10 of the 12 races.

Gillim leading the race at Daytona International Speedway on his Indian Challenger — Hayden Gillim started the season strong by winning the opening Mission King of the Baggers race at Daytona, above, then went on to win seven more to break the class record for single-season wins. And he still has two more chances to win at the final round at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Though Vance & Hines is one of the most established names in U.S. racing, 2026 was a new challenge as the team took over running the factory King of the Baggers race effort for Indian, instead of running Harley-Davidsons, as in past years. J&P Cycles quickly jumped aboard as a sponsor. With the deal coming together at the last minute, there was little time to prepare for the opener at Daytona.

Instead of struggling, the J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines team dominated. Gillim won five of the first six races and his teammate, Troy Herfoss, won the other, the two pulling ahead in the points standings. The third and youngest member of the team, Rocco Landers, has also added three podium finishes this year

"I just can't thank the whole J&P Cycles, Motul, Vance & Hines guys enough," Gillim said Sunday after being awarded his #1 plate. "We didn't get the bikes until late and got one test in before the season started, and we came out winning. To be able to finish it early is pretty special, especially against the guys that we're racing against."

Herfoss and Gillim seen from behind, racing closely, leaned over in a corner on their Indian Challenger KotB race bikes — The J&P Cycles/Motul/Vance & Hines Indian Factory team has been the clear frontrunner all year, with Hayden Gillim (69) and Troy Herfoss (17) running first and second in the standings all year until an unlucky weekend for Herfoss at the Circuit of the Americas dropped him to third in the standings. Photo by Brian J. Nelson.

Those guys included Herfoss, a former Australian Superbike champion, Bradley Smith, a former MotoGP racer, and defending champion Kyle Wyman, a former Superbike racer, among others.

Going into this weekend, Herfoss had the best chance of stopping Gillim from clinching the title before the final round in two weeks at New Jersey Motorsports Park. But a crash Saturday while he was pushing hard for a win and a missed shift on Sunday that caused him to run off track left him with just 11 points for the weekend and ended his title hopes. That also let Harley-Davidson x Dynojet Factory Racing's Smith take the fight to Gillim and eventually pass and get his second King of the Baggers win this season in Sunday's race. Smith moved ahead of Herfoss by three points in the standings, but Gillim's first- and second-place finishes gave him an insurmountable 54-point lead with just two races left at the final round.

And that also gave him another King of the Baggers AMA #1 plate to go with his 2023 version.