Barnes Tops Inaugural Baggers
Racing League Opener
H
oban Brothers Racing/DTF
Performance rider Michael
Barnes rode a race-prepared
Harley-Davidson Road Glide Spe-
cial motorcycle to victory in the
inaugural Bagger Racing League
(BRL) road race event at Utah
Motorsports Campus in Erda,
Utah, June 27. Competing in the
main event Premier Bagger class,
Barnes beat S&S/Indian Motor-
cycles rider Tyler O'Hara to the
finish line by 0.356 seconds.
Cory West was third on the
Saddlemen Racing/Slyfox Per-
formance Harley-Davidson Road
Glide Special.
In BRL support classes, Benny
Carlson won both the Hooligan GP
(Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson
XR1200) and Pro Stock GP (Sui-
cide Machine Company Harley-
Davidson Road Glide) races.
"This win is a confidence
booster for myself and the team,"
said Barnes. "We didn't think we
were that far off at the MotoAmer-
ica King of the Baggers race at
Road America. For this race we
had a different front end, differ-
ent shocks, different geometry.
We made some smart decisions,
and they have all made the bike
better. That's a testament to the
knowledge of this team. Setting
up a Road Glide for road racing
has been a steep learning curve,
not just for me riding it but every-
one involved. We've made leaps
and bounds at every test and
every event, so after disappoint-
ing results earlier this season it's
a great reward to get this win."
Barnes was the top qualifier for
the BRL event, took the holeshot,
and led O'Hara for the entire
eight-lap race distance.
"Tyler and I have raced each
other a lot over the years," said
Barnes. "He was right there the
whole time. At the start, I could
feel him try a line up the inside.
And couple times I ran wide due
to shifting issues, but he wasn't
able to take advantage. I basically
got the holeshot and tried to keep
him at bay."
CN
Premier Bagger GP
1. Michael Barnes (H-D)
2. Tyler O'Hara (Ind)
3. Cory West (H-D)
4. Ben Bostrom (H-D)
5. Jake Johnson (H-D)
IN
THE
WIND
P32
Michael Barnes
and the Hoban
Brothers Racing/DTF
Performance crew
took top honors at
the Bagger Racing
League (BRL) road
race opener at Utah
Motorsports Campus.
