Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1521442
P112 INTERVIEW I FACTORY INDIAN'S TROY HERFOSS that well. There's a bit of a lan- guage barrier there, but he sort of mentioned they were looking for a rider. It was interesting. "At first I was like, 'I'm a superbike rider.' Then I came home and thought about the Baggers. I was looking at the series and I thought, 'Bugger it, I'm going to have a chat with Indian.' I spoke to Gary Gray (Indian Motorcycle Vice Presi - dent of Racing, Technology & Service) on the phone, and Gary just filled me full of confidence straight away. I was looking to step out of my comfort zone and it sounded like a rock-solid series, plus I would be working directly with the manufacturer. It wasn't that hard of a decision from that point, to be honest." A deal was done to partner Tyler O'Hara in the S&S/Indian Motorcycle factory team on the Indian Challenger and just after New Years' Day 2024, Herfoss was on a plane from 95° Gold Coast, Australia, to Eagles Canyon Raceway, 50 miles out of Fort Worth, Texas, where the temperature didn't get above 45°. T roy Herfoss' arrival in the King of The Baggers paddock is a case of a bet paying o, ac- cording to Indian Motorcycle's Vice President of Racing, Technology and Service, Gary Gray. Gray has been the head of Indian's MotoAmerica program since the beginning, overseeing the brand's race eorts in King of The Baggers and Super Hooligan racing and is not just pleased with what he's seen so far in the Australian but also how he's gelled with incumbent teammate Tyler O'Hara. "I think it's too early to tell but so far Troy's is exceeding expectations," Gray said. "I was pretty confident in Troy looking at his background and seeing him be successful on multiple bikes in multiple disciplines. But we were taking a risk hiring a guy who's never ridden a bagger in his life. I'm not one to spike the ball on the 10- yard line but so far so good. "After last season the team needed a new perspective. We had a lot of issues with the bike that both Jeremy McWilliams and Tyler O'Hara helped us work through during last season to be in a spot this year to be more success- ful. The bike Troy stepped onto works well. He can ride it with confidence. Having him go out with confidence The King of The Baggers field all give chase to Herfoss at Road Atlanta in Race One. HERFOSS, ACCORDING TO THE BOSS