Power, Precision and Superiority of the Vance & Hines Indian Challenger On Full Display
Now Capturing Four Straight Wins and Nine of 12 Podium Spots to Start the 2026 Season
Golden Valley, MN (April 20, 2026) — Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, continued its red-hot start to the 2026 King of the Baggers season as the J&P Cycles / Motul / Vance & Hines Factory Indian Motorcycle Racing team delivered another dominant performance in round two at Road Atlanta. Hayden Gillim led the charge with back-to-back race wins, while teammates Troy Herfoss and Rocco Landers captured three of the remaining four podium spots over the weekend, capped off by Indian Motorcycle Racing’s first-ever podium sweep on Sunday. Piloting what has been a virtually unbeatable Vance & Hines-built Indian Challenger, the Wrecking Crew once again demonstrated the unrivaled power and precision of the PowerPlus 112-equipped bagger over a weekend of unprecedented success.
“When we set out on this new journey with Vance & Hines, our ambitions were high, but in all honesty, the success we’ve experienced is even more than we could have imagined and a powerful testament to our team and the amazing performance platform that the Indian Challenger provides us,” said Mike Kennedy, CEO of Indian Motorcycle. “What better way to reinforce the 125th Anniversary of a historic brand born from racing than to come out of the gates in the dominant manner we have this season, showcasing the unrivaled performance capabilities that have powered this brand for more than a century?”
Race 1
After the team blocked out the front row finishing first, second and third in qualifying, Gillim set the tone early by capturing his second Mission King of the Baggers Challenge (“Dash for Cash”) victory. When Race 1 got underway, the Wrecking Crew quickly asserted themselves at the front, with Herfoss taking the early lead. With Gillim close behind, the two former champions ran wheel-to-wheel through the opening laps, maintaining the tightest of gaps before Gillim made a decisive move with six laps remaining to take the lead. From there, Herfoss gave Gillim everything he could handle all the way to the finish, with Gillim ultimately holding on for the win by just .167 seconds.
“Race one was a ton of fun,” said Gillim. “Troy got an amazing launch off the line to get in front and really made me work for it. Once I finally got through, I was hoping I’d have a little bit of tire left to try and build a gap, but I just couldn’t do it. He pushed me hard all the way to the end. But man, what a great way to start the weekend with a Challenge win and a Race 1 win.”
Race 2
The dominance continued into Sunday with Race 2 as Gillim wasted no time positioning himself in the lead and immediately began gapping the field aboard his Indian Challenger. Coming out of turn one, Landers was running fourth, while Herfoss made an early mistake during lap one that saw him fall all the way back into sixth. Up front, the shuffle continued behind Gillim as Landers quickly regrouped, charging back into third ahead of Tyler O’Hara and then executing a strong move on lap two to overtake Bradley Smith and move into second. Meanwhile, Herfoss firmly set his intentions on a podium finish, showcasing impressive pace to fight his way back into fourth and ultimately begin the patient process of reeling in Smith. Out front, Gillim remained in complete control, laying down a blistering pace and stretching his lead lap after lap in route to a dominant, unchallenged run to the checkered flag, taking victory by 4.161 seconds. Behind him, Landers secured second, while Herfoss delivered a decisive late-race charge, diving underneath Smith with just two laps remaining to snatch the position and secure the Indian Wrecking Crew’s first King of the Baggers podium sweep. This marked Gillim’s third victory in four races, taking a one-point lead over Herfoss in Championship points with the two riders increasing a significant early-season gap over the rest of the field.
“To start the season with as much success as we’ve had is incredible,” said Gillim. “Our Vance & Hines factory Indian Motorcycle crew has worked their butts off since getting these bikes only a handful of months ago. The Indian Challenger is an amazing platform right out of the box, and the crew has done an incredible job, building on that with adjustments that are showcasing the full power and performance capabilities of these bikes. To be up here sharing the podium with both Rocco and Troy is a testament to our entire team and these phenomenal motorcycles.”
As the team begins preparations for Round 3 at Road America, Gillim leads the standings with 82 points, just one point ahead of teammate Herfoss in second with 81. Meanwhile, Landers sits fourth overall with 53 points, just two points shy of third. The team will head to Road America on May 29–31, the home of rival Harley-Davidson, where they’ll look to carry this momentum into enemy territory and outperform them once again, only this time on their home turf.
Sponsors for the 2026 Indian Motorcycle-Vance & Hines Factory Race team includes J&P Cycles, Motul, Progressive Insurance, Drag Specialties and Performance Finance.
For information about Indian Motorcycle, visit IndianMotorcycle.com, or follow along on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. For information about Vance & Hines Motorsports, visit VanceAndHinesMotorsports.com, or follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Source: Indian Motorcycles
