Former MotoGP race winner creates history with Harley-Davidson
Andrea Iannone made history with Harley-Davidson at Aragon, becoming the first rider to complete a clean sweep since the series was formed earlier this year.
Former MotoGP and WorldSBK star Andrea Iannone made history in Aragon by becoming the first rider to win both races at a Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup event.
Iannone’s double has catapulted him into title contention with just one round to go, although the Italian will more than likely need to win both races if he’s to claim the title.
That’s because Iannone is currently 27 points behind Archie McDonald, who leads the standings heading into the season-finale in Austria.
Iannone made his debut in the series from the second round of the season in Mugello, and immediately became a race winner.
Iannone was unable to add to his tally over the next two rounds at Assen and Silverstone, before clinching his Aragon double last time out.
Speaking after last weekend’s double, Iannone said:
“If I want to achieve my goal of winning the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup, the only option I have is to try to win every race, so I’m really happy to leave Aragon with both victories and the maximum 50 points. The bike was working really well this weekend.
“In Race 1, Oscar [Gutierrez] and I had a great battle, very clean and respectful but still incredibly intense, while in Race 2 I was able to manage the race exactly the way I wanted. I stayed in front without pushing too hard at the beginning, and with four laps to go I started to increase the pace. It proved to be the right strategy.”
While Iannone has previously competed against the likes of Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, and Jorge Lorenzo in MotoGP, and more recently Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jonathan Rea in WorldSBK, the demands of racing in the Bagger World Cup present a unique set of challenges, according the 37-year-old:
“People shouldn’t think this category is easy. Nobody gives you anything for free, and everyone wants to be at the front. Eight laps here can be very demanding because you have to manage everything yourself, without electronic controls or rider aids.
“But I’m having a lot of fun. I love the bike and the championship, and I feel truly free and very close to the Harley-Davidson family.”
The 2026 Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup debuted after the King of the Baggers series flourished as part of the MotoAmerica series in the United States.
The series is also part of a wider push to bring more fans to both Bagger-style racing and MotoGP.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
