Aussie demoted to 3rd following late race 2 drama but still leads Bagger World Cup after round 1
Oscar Gutierrez delivered a statement win in Race 2 of the Bagger World Cup’s inaugural round at Circuit of the Americas, converting a hard-fought three-way battle into victory for NITI Racing. After early-weekend issues left him needing a response, the Spaniard produced the pace when it mattered, taking the chequered flag in 15m30s573.
The race began with Archie McDonald launching strongly from the front row to edge ahead of pole-sitter Eric Granado, while Jake Lewis also featured prominently in the early laps. Gutierrez initially had work to do but quickly settled in, finding rhythm and closing the gap with a series of rapid laps before moving into contention with the leading duo.
Gutierrez made his first decisive move by drafting past Granado to take second, then repeated the tactic to seize the lead from McDonald. From there, he managed the closing stages under pressure, ultimately winning by 3.020s over Granado, who completed a solid recovery to second for Joe Rascal Racing. McDonald crossed the line in a photo finish for what looked like second on the road, but a post-race penalty dropped him to third, classified just 0.010s behind his teammate on corrected time.
Behind the podium fight, Lewis brought his Saddlemen Racing Harley-Davidson home in fourth, 12.183s from the winner, with Filippo Rovelli fifth for ParkinGO Team. Saddlemen Racing also placed Cory West sixth, while Dimas Ekky Pratama finished seventh for NITI Racing.
In the standings, Archie McDonald leads the way on 41 points. Oscar Gutierrez Iglesias and Jake Lewis are tied for second on 33 points, while Eric Granado sits close behind in fourth with 30. Filippo Rovelli and Cory West round out the top six on 27 and 23 points respectively, with Travis Wyman, Dimas Ekky Pratama and Cody Wyman completing the order on 11 and nine points apiece.
2026 BAGGER WORLD CUP COTA RACE 2
| POS | RIDER | TEAM | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O. Gutierrez | NITI | — |
| 2 | E. Granado | Joe Rascal | +3.020s |
| 3 | A. McDonald | Joe Rascal | +3.030s |
| 4 | J. Lewis | Saddlemen | +12.183s |
| 5 | F. Rovelli | ParkinGO | +15.739s |
| 6 | C. West | Saddlemen | +23.710s |
| 7 | D. Ekky Pratama | NITI | +37.938s |
| RET | T. Wyman | Saddlemen | Time at ret.: 13m35s056 |
| DNS | C. Wyman | Joe Rascal | DNS |
2026 Bagger World Cup Standings after Round 1
| POS | RIDER | NAT | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A. McDonald | AUS | 41 |
| 2 | O. Gutierrez Iglesias | ESP | 33 |
| 3 | J. Lewis | USA | 33 |
| 4 | E. Granado | BRA | 30 |
| 5 | F. Rovelli | ITA | 27 |
| 6 | C. West | USA | 23 |
| 7 | T. Wyman | USA | 11 |
| 8 | D. Ekky Pratama | INA | 9 |
| 9 | C. Wyman | USA | 9 |
