McDonald takes Baggers World Cup lead after Mugello double podium

FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

Round Two – Mugello

The second round of the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup took the big V-twin race machines to Mugello over the MotoGP weekend, and the Tuscan circuit delivered a pair of close, combative eight-lap races.

For Archie McDonald, the weekend carried an extra degree of difficulty. The Australian had never seen Mugello before arriving for round two, while several of the riders he was fighting at the front had either previous circuit knowledge, deeper European experience, or both. That did not stop McDonald from immediately taking the lead when the lights went out.

Qualifying

Eric Granado set the benchmark in qualifying with a 1m56.704 to secure pole position for Joe Rascal Racing. McDonald made it a team one-two on the front row, stopping the clock at 1m57.027 to finish just 0.323s from pole. Andrea Iannone qualified third on his Niti Racing Harley-Davidson in 1m57.251, with Oscar Gutiérrez fourth on 1m57.309.

Eric Granado claimed pole at Mugello with a 1m56.704, with Aussie Archie McDonald alongside him on the front row and Andrea Iannone third for his Bagger World Cup debut weekend.

That placed the top four within just over six-tenths of a second, and the numbers suggested the racing was likely to be tighter again. Iannone also showed the speed of the Harley-Davidson machinery down Mugello’s front straight, topping the qualifying speed figures at 276.9 km/h, while Granado, McDonald and Gutiérrez were all logged at 274.1 km/h.

Andrea Iannone added extra star power to the Mugello round and wasted little time getting up to speed, qualifying third before going on to win Race Two.

McDonald leads early in Race One

The Bagger World Cup field charges away at Mugello, where the big Harley-Davidsons again proved far more serious race machinery than novelty sideshow.

McDonald made full use of his front-row start in Race One. The Australian led the opening lap from Granado, Iannone and Gutiérrez, while Dimas Ekky Pratama’s race ended before he completed the first lap, with the timing sheet later noting the rider was okay.

Archie McDonald led the opening four laps of Race One at Mugello, a strong showing from the Australian on a circuit he had never raced before.

The leading four quickly sorted themselves into a proper fight. McDonald remained in front through laps two, three and four, while Iannone moved ahead of Granado on the second lap and shadowed the Australian through the early stages. Gutiérrez sat fourth but was never out of touch, keeping the lead group covered while the pace settled into the 1m57s and 1m58s.

Granado leads McDonald and Gutiérrez through Mugello as the Race One podium trio began to break clear of the chasing pack.

Iannone’s challenge was then complicated by race direction. He was handed a long-lap penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, then received another long-lap penalty for incorrect execution of the first. That took the Italian out of the immediate victory fight, despite the fact that his outright speed remained clear; his best lap of 1m57.441 was still the third-fastest lap of the race.

McDonald heads Granado and Iannone during the early laps of Race One, with the Australian quickly adapting to Mugello’s fast, flowing layout.

Granado took over the lead on lap five, with McDonald second and Gutiérrez now third. By lap seven, Granado still led, but Gutiérrez had moved to second and was only 0.262s behind, while McDonald remained within a second of the lead.

Gutiérrez then made his decisive move on the final lap. The Spaniard crossed the line 0.171s ahead of Granado, with McDonald completing the podium just 0.365s from victory. It was a three-rider finish decided by less than four-tenths after 41.96 kilometres of racing.

The fastest-lap sheet underlined how close McDonald had been. Gutiérrez set the race record with a 1m57.350 on lap seven, while McDonald’s best lap was a 1m57.390 on the final lap, just 0.040s slower than the winning benchmark.

Oscar Gutiérrez timed his Race One charge to perfection, crossing the line just 0.171 seconds ahead of Eric Granado, with Archie McDonald third only 0.365 seconds from victory.

Gutiérrez said the Race One victory carried extra weight after a difficult build-up.

“This Race 1 victory feels even more special than the one in Austin because Mugello has always been a difficult circuit for me. I was not feeling well yesterday due to an allergy and very little sleep, but we knew we had the pace to fight at the front. I focused on riding a smart race, studying my rivals and waiting for the right moment to attack. On the final lap I made my move on Eric and managed to take the win.”

Oscar Gutiérrez topped the Race One podium at Mugello ahead of Eric Granado and Archie McDonald after a final-lap move sealed victory.

Iannone recovered to fourth, 6.670s from the winner after completing the penalties, while Filippo Rovelli completed the top five. Jake Lewis was sixth, ahead of Cody Wyman, Travis Wyman and Cory West.

Iannone answers back in Race Two

Race Two brought a different shape but a similar intensity at the front. Rovelli launched from fifth on the grid to lead the opening lap, with Iannone second, Granado third, Gutiérrez fourth and McDonald fifth.

The Bagger World Cup field pours through Mugello in Race Two, with Andrea Iannone, Eric Granado, Archie McDonald and the rest of the pack already bunched tightly through the opening sector.

Gutiérrez’s hopes of a Mugello double disappeared early. The Race One winner crashed, was recorded as rider okay, and rejoined the race, but the time lost left him at the back of the field. He eventually finished tenth, salvaging six points on a day that had briefly looked likely to strengthen his championship position.

Andrea Iannone, Eric Granado and Archie McDonald lead the early Race Two fight at Mugello, where the big Harley-Davidsons again produced close racing from the opening lap.

Granado took control of the race on lap two and led through to the end of lap six, but Iannone was never far away. The Italian sat within a few tenths for most of the race, while McDonald moved into third on lap two and consolidated another podium position.

Granado led much of Race Two with Iannone shadowing him, while McDonald again kept himself in podium contention.

By lap four, the leading trio had put themselves clear of Rovelli. Granado led Iannone by 0.355s, with McDonald 0.627s from the lead. One lap later the margin from first to third was still only 0.455s, but the duel for victory was beginning to narrow to Granado versus Iannone.

Iannone moves to the front in Race Two, with Granado, McDonald, Rovelli and Jake Lewis giving chase through Mugello’s sweeping turns.

Iannone made his move on lap seven, taking the lead from Granado and beginning the final lap with a slender margin. He then delivered the fastest lap of the weekend when it mattered most, a 1m56.804 on lap eight, setting a new race lap record and securing victory by 0.512s.

Andrea Iannone takes the Race Two chequered flag at Mugello, completing a strong response after his Race One was compromised by long-lap penalties.

Granado finished second for the second time that day, while McDonald brought home another strong third, 3.135s from the win. Rovelli finished fourth, with Pratama bouncing back from his Race One non-finish to claim fifth ahead of Lewis.

Iannone said the opportunity to race the Harley-Davidson at Mugello had been a genuine surprise.

“Coming back to racing is always special, but doing it here at Mugello and with Harley-Davidson made it even more incredible. I really enjoyed it. What surprised me the most is the riding experience of this bike. Once you get on track, you discover a true race machine. It can achieve impressive lap times, it handles really well and, above all, it’s a lot of fun to ride.”

Andrea Iannone won Race Two at Mugello ahead of Eric Granado and Archie McDonald, who left Italy as the new Bagger World Cup championship leader.

Iannone’s Race Two pace was not just reflected on the stopwatch. He and McDonald were both logged at 281.2 km/h, with only Gutiérrez higher on the speed chart at 281.9 km/h.

McDonald leaves Mugello with the points lead

McDonald did not win at Mugello, but his weekend might prove just as valuable as a victory. Two third places, on a circuit he had never previously seen, lifted the Australian into the championship lead after four races.

Archie McDonald celebrates another podium at Mugello, capping a weekend that moved him to the top of the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup points table.

The points table after Race Two had McDonald on 73 points, three clear of Granado on 70, with Gutiérrez third on 64. Jake Lewis sat fourth on 53, just ahead of Rovelli on 51. Iannone’s Mugello-only haul of fourth and first immediately moved him to 38 points.

McDonald’s consistency is now the early marker in the championship. Across the first four races, he has recorded a win, followed by three third places, and has not yet finished off the podium. Granado has also built momentum with three straight runner-up finishes, while Gutiérrez has already won twice but paid heavily for his Race Two mistake.

Bagger World Cup Race One Results

POS

RIDER

BIKE

TIME

1	O Gutierrez	HD	15m50.035
2	E Granado	HD	+0.171
3	A McDonald	HD	+0.365
4	A Iannone	HD	+6.670
5	F Rovelli	HD	+7.373
6	J Lewis	HD	+23.355
7	C Wyman	HD	+26.560
8	T Wyman	HD	+26.620
9	C West	HD	+26.739
DNF	D Ekky Pratama	HD	DNF

Bagger World Cup Race Two Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

1	A. Iannone	HD	15m47.927
2	E. Granado	HD	+0.512
3	A. McDonald	HD	+3.135
4	F. Rovelli	HD	+9.319
5	D. Ekky Pratama	HD	+16.898
6	J. Lewis	HD	+17.210
7	C. West	HD	+22.854
8	C. Wyman	HD	+22.966
9	T. Wyman	HD	+23.745
10	O. Gutierrez	HD	+53.001

Bagger World Cup Standings

Pos

Rider

Nation

Points

1	A. McDonald	AUS	73
2	E. Granado	BRA	70
3	O. Gutierrez	SPA	64
4	J. Lewis	USA	53
5	F. Rovelli	ITA	51
6	C. West	USA	39
7	A. Iannone	ITA	38
8	T. Wyman	USA	26
9	C. Wyman	USA	26
10	D. Ekky Pratama	INA	20

Bagger World Cup Top Speeds

Pos

Rider

Average

Top

1	O. Gutierrez	269.3	281.9
2	A. Iannone	277.6	281.2
3	A. McDonald	277.6	281.2
4	C. Wyman	278.9	280.5
5	D. Ekky Pratama	274.5	278.3
6	F. Rovelli	274.5	277.6
7	E. Granado	272.9	277.6
8	C. West	272.6	275.5
9	T. Wyman	271.6	272.7
10	J. Lewis	269.0	272.0

Bagger World Cup Qualifying Results

Pos

Rider

Bike

Time/Gap

Speed

1	E. Granado	HD	1m56.704		274.1
2	A. McDonald	HD	1m57.027	+0.323	274.1
3	A. Iannone	HD	1m57.251	+0.547	276.9
4	O. Gutierrez	HD	1m57.309	+0.605	274.1
5	F. Rovelli	HD	1m58.529	+1.825	271.3
6	D. Ekky Pratama	HD	1m59.180	+2.476	274.1
7	J. Lewis	HD	2m00.249	+3.545	267.9
8	C. Wyman	HD	2m00.733	+4.029	267.9
9	T. Wyman	HD	2m01.169	+4.465	263.4
10	C. West	HD	2m01.415	+4.711	268.6

About the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup

The Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup will be the world’s first global racing series dedicated exclusively to high-performance Harley-Davidson bagger motorcycles, competing as a premier support championship on select MotoGP weekends across North America and Europe.

Bagger World Cup race bikes are built on Harley-Davidson’s Grand American Touring platform, transformed by Harley-Davidson Factory Racing into purpose-built competition machines.

Each race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide features:

• A Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin 131R race-modified motor
• Purpose-built chassis, suspension, braking, and electronics packages
• Extensive weight reduction and aerodynamic development
• Performance levels exceeding 200 horsepower, with top speeds up to 300 km/h (186 mph)

Bagger World Cup Technical Regulations Here

Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Calendar

1. Austin, USA: March 27–29
2. Mugello, Italy: May 29–31
3. Assen, Netherlands: June 26–28
4. Silverstone, Great Britain: August 7–9
5. Aragon, Spain: August 28–30
6. Red Bull Ring, Austria: September 18–20