Admin Posted February 16, 2023 Posted February 16, 2023 Tyler O’Hara (right) and Jeremy McWilliams (left) beside their Indian Challenger and FTR racebikes. (Indian Motorcycle/) Indian Motorcycle Racing announced today its plans for the 2023 race season, as well as a $405,000 privateer contingency program. The announcement comes on the heels of an incredibly successful 2022 campaign, in which Indian Motorcycle Racing was able to win championships across three different racing series, including King of the Baggers, Super Hooligan National Championship, and American Flat Track. Riders include returning No. 1 plate-holders Tyler O’Hara and Jared Mees, along with veteran MotoGP racer Jeremy McWilliams. Tyler O’Hara enters the 2023 season as the defending King of the Baggers champion. (Indian Motorcycle/) O’Hara and McWilliams are part of a two-man factory team that will focus on King of the Baggers and Super Hooligan classes. This is O’Hara’s fourth year aboard the Indian Challenger and second year with the Indian FTR; his 2022 championship run on the Challenger included five podium finishes. Indian credits McWilliams with playing a large role in helping the team develop the bikes and run up front. Related: Interview With Indian’s Wrecking Crew Indian credits former MotoGP rider Jeremy McWilliams with helping turn the FTR and Challenger into championship-winning racebikes. (Indian Motorcycle/) As part of the announcement, Indian also unveiled a new livery for the bikes, which is a departure from the FTR750 flat-track-inspired paint job that’s been used for the FTR and Challenger roadrace bikes. Picture a lot more red—plus big Indian logos and some blue to promote the team’s partnership with Progressive Insurance. O’Hara’s bikes get the best update: a big No. 1 plate. Jared Mees will be sporting a No. 1 plate of his own as he enters his seventh-consecutive year aboard an Indian FTR750. Big news here is that the AFT SuperTwins champion is looking to match Scotty Parker’s historic record of nine championships this year. Jared Mees enters 2023 with eight AFT Grand National Championships to his name—just one shy of the historic record of nine held by Scotty Parker. (Indian Motorcycle/) Championships and racing are, of course, nothing new to Indian. “Racing and an overriding spirit of competition has been a driving force for Indian Motorcycle for more than a century, and that competitive fire continues to drive us forward to this day,” said Gary Gray, vice president - racing, technology and service for Indian Motorcycle. “We’re incredibly proud of the success we had in 2022 with three different championships, but it’s only going to get tougher in 2023, with our competition gunning for us more than ever. But that challenge is what motivates us and pushes us to get better every day, and we’re chomping at the bit to go racing in 2023.” Cycle World recently spent a full day with the Indian Motorcycle Racing team, and even had the chance to ride Tyler O’Hara’s championship-winning racebikes. Stay tuned for the full story on those bikes. New look for Indian’s King of the Baggers Challenger for 2023. (Indian Motorcycle/) Meanwhile, for those interested in Indian’s privateer contingency program, the details are as follows: 2023 Indian Motorcycle KOTB Privateer Contingency Championship: $20,000 1st: $3,000 2nd: $1,000 3rd: $500 2023 Indian Motorcycle SHNC Privateer Contingency Championship: $5,000 1st: $3,000 2nd: $1,000 3rd: $500 2023 Indian Motorcycle AFT Privateer Contingency Championship: $25,000 1st: $7,500 2nd: $2,500 3rd: $1,500 4th: $1,000 5th: $750 6th: $350 7th: $250 8th: $150 9th: $125 10th: $100 View the full article Quote
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