Vance & Hines to build Indian’s 2026 Challenger race bikes
Indian Motorcycle enters a bold new era with a Vance & Hines-powered factory team for the 2026 King of the Baggers championship.
Indian Motorcycle has fired the first shot of its new era, announcing a multi-year partnership with Vance & Hines Motorsports that will see the two American heavyweights join forces for a full-factory campaign in the 2026 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers series.
And they’re not messing about. The all-new Indian Motorcycle–Vance & Hines race team will field a stacked line-up: 2024 champion Troy Herfoss, 2023 title winner Hayden Gillim, and rising talent Rocco Landers — all piloting new Vance & Hines-built Challenger race bikes, powered by the liquid-cooled PowerPlus V-Twin.
Indian says this is the start of a “new era” and it plans to prove it the hard way — on track. The first outing for the factory effort will come at the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, March 5–7, 2026.
The partnership will see Vance & Hines take the reins of the race programme, bringing almost five decades of race craft and tuning expertise to the iconic American brand. It’s a heavyweight collaboration, combining almost 150 years of combined racing history.
Indian’s CEO, Mike Kennedy, said:
“Indian Motorcycle is entering a new era in its historic journey in 2026, and the first place we plan to prove it is on the racetrack. This partnership is a reminder of what American performance looks like when you refuse to back down.”
Vance & Hines co-founder Terry Vance added:
“Right out of the box, the Indian Challenger and its PowerPlus engine bring a high-performance, reliable machine that’s capable of winning every time it lines up on the grid. We’re thrilled to continue its development as we push for another King of the Baggers championship in 2026.”
The Indian Challenger has already made its mark in the Baggers paddock, reshaping expectations of what a 300+kg touring bike can do when it’s built with intent. Powered by the 112ci PowerPlus engine, it’s claimed three titles in six years and boasts the torque, chassis and precision to take on larger-displacement rivals head-on.
Since the inaugural race back in 2020, Indian and Vance & Hines have already accounted for four of six championships in the class. Now that they’re combining efforts officially, the chance of more wins in 2026 seems inevitable.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
