Former MotoGP rider gets new ride in oddball American championship

Former MotoGP rider Loris Baz will race for the factory Indian team in this year’s MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series.

The Frenchman – who moved back to the US last year (having previously competed in MotoAmerica in 2019) after he was left out of BMW’s WorldSBK plans for 2024 when the Bavarian marque signed Toprak Razgatlioglu – will contest his third year in the MotoAmerica paddock this year, but will switch from the Superbike class he raced last year to the King of the Baggers series, and from Ducati to Indian.

Baz was able to seal his first MotoAmerica Superbike victory last year at the final round in New Jersey, beating ex-Moto2 rider Sean Dylan Kelly by 0.151 seconds in a race that saw the top five riders cross the line within a second of the win.

However, having not renewed with the HSBK Ducati team for this year, Baz has found himself a spot on Indian’s “Wrecking Crew” of factory racers, alongside defending champion and fellow new signing Troy Herfoss and past champion Tyler O’Hara on the 1,768cc Indian Challenger.

“The King of the Baggers series has had my attention since it began, and to be a part of it as a member of the legendary Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew is truly an honor,” said Baz.

“Racing Superbike, I’ve seen first-hand what Troy [Herfoss] and Tyler [O’Hara] have accomplished aboard the S&S Indian Challenger, and I’m thrilled to be joining this championship team as we chase another title together in 2025.”

The King of the Baggers series has increased in popularity internationally in recent years thanks to its unusual-looking motorcycles (at least compared to those which  are normally found on a race track), well-known riders such as Jeremy McWilliams, and the exciting racing produced at circuits like Daytona where slipstreams around the banked oval sections of the track keep the pack close together.