Skip to main content

The Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew is back with the King of the Baggers team

Indian Motorcycle signs Loris Baz for the KotB Wrecking Crew

By Bruce Brown Feb 17, 2025 2:15 PM

Indian Motorcycle SS Cycle King of the Baggers factory team. — Courtesy of Indian Motorcycle

Indian Motorcycles‘s racing history starts a new chapter with the latest incarnation of the Wrecking Crew. Indian announced a new member of the Indian Motorcycle S&S Cycle factory team for the 2025 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Championship.

French MotoGP SuperBike rider Loris Baz joins 2024 King of the Baggers Champion Troy Herfoss and two-time King of the Baggers Champion Tyler O’Hara. The drivers will race the Indian Challenger PowerPlus with its liquid-cooled PowerPlus engine in the 2025 Championship.

Recommended Videos

A history of Wrecking Crews

Indian <a href= Motorcycle Wrecking Crew in the 1940s.” width=”800″ height=”480″>
After World War II, the three-rider Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew made up of Bobby Hill, Bill Tuman, and Ernie Beckman began racing in the late 1940s and by the 1950s they dominated dirt and road races.

Jared Mees in the lead with the Indian Motorcycle Flat Track Racing team.
Jared Mees was the front runner of the second Wrecking Crew when the Indian FTR motorcycle commanded American Flat Track racing from 2017 to 2024. The original team members were Mees, Brad Baker, and Bryan Smith. New team members joined in the following years, but Mees remained the top driver in the competition.

The newest Wrecking Crew

Loris Baz joins the Indian Motorcycle - SS Cycle KotB Wrecking Crew.
Indian Motorcycle is focusing on the King of the Baggers Championship for 2025. Adding Baz to the powerful team of previous KotB Champions Herloss and O’Hara creates the next generation Wrecking Crew.

Gary Gray, Vice President of Product Technology, Racing, and Service for Indian Motorcycle spoke highly of Baz, “Loris Baz is a proven winner, with experience at the highest levels of global road racing, but with critical experience in MotoAmerica and the tracks we run throughout the season.

“The Wrecking Crew has long been a cornerstone of our brand, synonymous with the racing DNA that has been a part of our company since it was founded by two racers back in 1901, and we’re thrilled to continue that historic legacy with our factory team in the King of the Baggers series.“

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce… Read Full Bio

Topics

Porsche just proved the Cayenne Electric is the most impressive performance vehicle you can drive

Car, Transportation, Vehicle

I have seen the movies. I know there is no way that a car can survive in the jet blast of a plane. I remember the scene from Casino Royale. And for me, that is science. But the engineers at Porsche and Stratolaunch aren’t so sure. They operate in the real world of science, and they came together to see if the Porsche Cayenne Electric could withstand the take-off power of one of the largest and most powerful aircraft in the world. Why? Because they can and because curiosity oftentimes leads to something awesome. Spoiler alert…the car holds up. But don’t take my word for it.

The car is its own beast. It’s got the ability to keep up and play in this space. – Orlando Bloom, Porsche ambassador

Indian commits to American artistry with Signature Series

Machine, Spoke, Helmet

There is something about sitting on the back of a motorcycle that you can’t feel anywhere else. Road trips feel different on the back of a bike versus in a car. Maybe it is the solo aspect of it. Maybe there is the feeling of the wind. Who knows? What I do know is that there is nothing like a bike ride through the countryside. The winding roads, the sunsets through the visor of the helmet, all of it is unrivaled. Indian Motorcycle understands this, and they have since they became the first American motorcycle company. Now, they have dropped a new Signature Series of four motorcycles echoing their commitment to American artistry and craftsmanship.

Since 1901, Indian Motorcycle has pursued the ultimate intersection of form and function – motorcycles that are as beautiful in design as they are sophisticated in performance – Mike Kennedy, CEO of Indian Motorcycle

Is the BMW XM a perfect blend of practicality and performance

Car, Transportation, Vehicle

The BMW XM has received a bit of a mixed response, but there’s a strong argument that it’s a logical next step on from the BMW M5. Think about it, the M5 is special because it combines practicality with exceptional performance. The BMW XM does the same thing, though you’re trading a little handling quality for far more practicality.

On a recent venture in BMW’s performance SUV, I weighed up the pros and cons of BMW’s most divisive vehicle. And it may be a better choice than BMW’s flagship.