Harley-Davidson drops details on its new bagger racing series
Harley-Davidson announced new details around its Bagger World Cup at EICMA 2025, revealing the series’ official logo, debuting a prototype race bike, and announcing the first teams confirmed to compete in the inaugural season.
Starting in 2026, the inaugural bagger series will run alongside six MotoGP Grands Prix and will become the world’s first global racing series dedicated exclusively to high-performance Harley-Davidson baggers.
Along with the official championship logo — an evolution of the brand’s bar and shield — The Motor Company showcased at EICMA its race-prepped Road Glide. The bike is purpose-built for competition by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing and features the championship logo in its exclusive livery. Built on the brand’s Grand American Touring platform, they weigh approximately 617 lb., produce more than 200 horsepower, and will exceed 186 mph on track.
Harley-Davidson also confirmed the first teams that will join the inaugural Bagger World Cup grid. Saddlemen Racing will represent the U.S., with Joe Rascal Racing (Australia) and Cecchini Racing (Italy) rounding out the teams.
For the U.S., Saddlemen Racing is one of its most established and innovative V-twin performance programs. Led by David Echert, the team competes in MotoAmerica’s King of the Baggers and claimed the 2024 Mission Super Hooligan National Championship, earning a reputation for technical excellence, rider development, and race-winning engineering.
“We’ve designed the series to feature between six and eight teams, for a total of 12-16 riders, and with these first three agreements, we’ve already filled almost half the grid,” says Kolja Rebstock, H-D’s senior vice president for international markets. “It’s a strong signal that confirms the momentum and excitement surrounding this project.”
The championship will span six rounds, each held during MotoGP weekends, with two races per round — totaling 12 races across the season.
The 2026 calendar includes:
- Grand Prix of The Americas – Circuit of the Americas (USA): March 27–29
- Grand Prix of Italy – Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello (Italy): May 29–31
- Grand Prix of the Netherlands – TT Circuit Assen (Netherlands): June 26–28
- Grand Prix of the United Kingdom – Silverstone Circuit (UK): Aug. 7–9
- Grand Prix of Aragon – MotorLand Aragón (Spain): Aug. 28–30
- Grand Prix of Austria – Red Bull Ring (Austria): Sept. 18–20 – Championship Round
