SIX ROUNDS THAT BUILT YEAR ONE

There will only ever be one first season. The record books will remember the winners, poles and lap times. We will remember those too, but also the moments that never made the results sheet.

AUSTIN — WHEN IT BECAME REAL

It starts with a draw. The motorcycles, each carrying a woman's name, are randomly assigned to the riders. Then comes the first fire-up. The expressions on their faces when ten Harley-Davidson race bikes come to life together tell us everything we need to know.

But nothing compares with the first start. Before the race, we remind every rider of an old racing truth: you can't win a race at the first corner, but you can certainly lose it there. When the lights go out, everyone holds their breath. Ten motorcycles disappear into Turn 1 and emerge on the other side.

A few laps later, Archie McDonald (Joe Rascal Racing) writes his name into the history books by winning Race 1 and becoming the first-ever Bagger World Cup race winner. Austin also gives us an early indication of just how competitive the championship can be. Across the two races, five different riders fill the six available podium positions: McDonald, Jake Lewis (Saddlemen Race Development), Filippo Rovelli (ParkinGO Team), Oscar Gutiérrez (Niti Racing) and Eric Granado (Joe Rascal Racing), with all four participating teams reaching the podium at least once.

Until Austin, the Bagger World Cup had been a project. Now it is racing. 

MUGELLO — WHEN WE FELT IT

“Al Mugello non si dorme.” At Mugello, nobody sleeps.

We arrive in Tuscany and immediately understand why. The hills around the circuit are alive with motorcycles, music and thousands of passionate fans. This is not simply another race weekend. Mugello has an atmosphere all its own.

Then Andrea Iannone (Niti Racing) arrives, and the temperature rises another few degrees. The Italian fans follow him everywhere, and he gives them exactly what they came for. In only his second Bagger World Cup race, with remarkably little time on the motorcycle, Andrea takes his first victory. It is a powerful demonstration of how quickly a world-class rider can unlock the potential of the race-prepared Road Glide.

And then there is the sound. Ten Harley-Davidsons reverberating through the Mugello valley create one of the defining sensations of the season. You don't just hear them. You feel them.

When the racing stops, Mugello doesn't. With our garages directly in the fan zone, riders, mechanics and fans spend the evening together, enjoying a proper Harley-Davidson-style party.

Mugello is when we realize just how much fun this can be.

SILVERSTONE — WHEN DETERMINATION MADE THE DIFFERENCE

We arrive at Silverstone and another familiar name joins the grid. Bradley Smith, a British rider with a long MotoGP career and a Harley-Davidson Factory Racing rider in the American King of the Baggers series, joins the championship as a wildcard on ParkinGO's second motorcycle.

Bradley arrives with a very clear ambition: he wants to hear the British national anthem played for him at his home race.

In Race 1, he makes it happen.

He takes control of the race and rides to an emotional home victory, showing just how much a rider's determination can make the difference.

There are other signs that the championship is evolving. McDonald ends Granado's perfect run of pole positions after the Brazilian had been unbeatable over a single lap through the first three rounds. In Race 2, Jordi Torres (Joe Rascal Racing), who joined the series at Assen in place of Cody Wyman, becomes the eighth different rider to stand on the podium.

And something is changing away from the track too. More Harley-Davidson T-shirts and vests appear around the circuit. The Bar & Shield is becoming an increasingly familiar sight among the MotoGP crowd. The dedicated grandstand fills with enthusiastic Harley-Davidson fans, and so does the motorcycle parking area.

They come excited, curious and ready to experience something new.

Silverstone is when we start to see the Bagger World Cup creating its own following.

The first season starts in Austin with a draw, ten motorcycles firing into life and a nervous run toward Turn 1.

Six rounds later, we leave Austria with race winners, rivalries, memories and a name that will always stand first in the record books.

Archie McDonald, the first FIM Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup Champion.