#racing

This weekend, MotoAmerica’s King of the Bagger series is getting a big boost on the international stage as a supporting class to the MotoGP round at Circuit of the Americas. Bagger racing has been around for a few years now, but this was the first time it took place at the same track and weekend as MotoGP.

A major racing news bombshell dropped on, of all days, April 1, as Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1, announced it was acquiring Dorna Sports, and both MotoGP and World Superbike racing. Of course, it was no joke, especially not when a $3.8 billion dollar transaction is involved. While it’s too early to know how this development will change things, we’ve already seen concerns raised about how much it will cost to watch these racing series, either on television, streamed, or in person.

The annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, known for its celebration of motorcycling heritage, showcasing machines from various eras, is bringing one of the newest forms of motorcycle racing to one of America's beloved road courses. Set to unfold at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, from July 26-28, 2024, the event is adding the AMA-chartered Bagger Racing League.

Liberty Media Corporation, which owns the rights to Formula One, is acquiring Dorna Sports and the commercial rights to the MotoGP World Championship, as well as the World Superbike Championship and their respective support series. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, pending regular approval in multiple jurisdictions. Once completed, Liberty Media will own an 86% stake in Dorna Sports, with MotoGP’s management team retaining a 14% stake.

[Kyra, KS] My Hard Enduro journey started with a crash. A big one. I didn’t break or tear anything, but I’ve done what is (so far) lasting damage to my sternum or diaphragm or somewhere in the chest cavity. An injury which still seems a mystery to my physician. That fateful moment, sprawled out in the middle of a dirt road in Baja, set off a chain of events which led me to become the rider I am today: a mediocre, albeit eager… kook. But a kook with better posture, focus, and sight, as well as significantly greater confidence. Time will tell if the latter is growing faster than my skills. Nonetheless, I’m still learning. However, my technique is tenfold what it was during my pivotal collision with the ground. And with every training session, each clinic, and all those drills take me yet another tire rotation to my goal. Towards the finish line at Romaniacs (*cough* 2025).

Yamaha Racing’s latest statement doesn’t ease any concerns about the R1’s future

Harley-Davidson has unveiled its Factory Race Team for the 2024 season, highlighting the team's preparations and their new 2024 Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles in a newly released video. These motorcycles, which are based on the latest touring platform, are tailored for the MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers road racing series. Fans can view the video on the Harley-Davidson YouTube Channel and other social media platforms, showcasing riders Kyle Wyman and James Rispoli in action.

Imagine just five years ago, if I showed you a picture of a red Grand Prix motorcycle and a red motocross bike, and told you one was a Ducati and the other was a GasGas, you probably wouldn’t even bat an eye. But if I told you the MotoGP bike was the GasGas, and the Ducati was the dirt bike, you probably would have thought I was nuts.

MotoAmerica, the leading motorcycle road racing series in North America, has expanded its 2024 Mission King of the Baggers Championship by adding a new round at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Scheduled for April 12-13, it will coincide with the third round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship.

by Troy Siahaan

For a couple of decades now, the Suzuki SV650 has been a fixture in Twins racing classes, but for 2024, Suzuki's newest two-cylinder sportbike has been homologated for the MotoAmerica Twins Cup. The fully faired GSX-8R will be eligible for the 2024 Twins Cup, as is its naked sibling, the GSX-8S.

American Ricky Brabec has won the 2024 Dakar Rally after a gruelling 4,950-mile trek across Saudi Arabia. Racing for the Monster Energy Honda Team, Brabec claimed his second victory at Dakar, this time completing it with a time of 51 hours, 30 minutes and 8 seconds plus a 1 minute penalty.

NASCAR outfit Trackhouse Racing has entered a three-year agreement with Aprilia to take over its satellite MotoGP team. The American team replaces Aprilia’s previous partner, the CryptoData-owned RNF Racing, which was recently kicked out of the series for “repeated infractions and breaches of the Participation Agreement”. The Trackhouse Aprilia team will compete in the 2024 MotoGP season, retaining contracted riders Miguel Oliveira and Raùl Fernandez.

Some girls spend their time talking about love and life. Others work together to advance their careers. But these two friends are joining forces to follow a passion. To set some impossible goals and push each other to reach them. Anastasia (Ana for short) plans to go the distance at the Dakar Rally. And Kyra intends to punish herself to no end at Romaniacs. Both have a lot of hurdles standing in their way. And together, they hope to overcome them one-by-one. Ana’s ethos is “no excuses''. While Kyra’s rationale is that “the time is now”.