Kyle Wyman entered the 2014 season expecting to be a top competitor in the Vance & Hines Harley Davidson series. After two rounds of racing, he has not only notched a win in that series, but also holds the sixth spot in the GoPro Daytona Sportbike series’ championship points.
Heading into the 2014 season, Wyman was set to run for a championship aboard his Kyle Wyman Racing XR1200 in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series. In February, when he was offered to ride the No. 33 KWR/Millennium Technologies Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Daytona 200, he jumped on the opportunity. His performance that weekend established him as both a dominant and versatile rider, grabbing the win (temporarily) in the Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson series and a strong sixth place effort in the Sportbike series. His Harley win was revoked after the race when officials deemed his engine “non-compliant.”
Still, Wisconsin-based Millennium Technologies must have been impressed with his riding, signing Wyman to a full Sportbike season before heading to its home track at Road America, just a few miles from the company’s Plymouth, Wisconsin headquarters.
“We had such a good result and the sponsors were so happy that they jumped in,” Wyman told Speedway Media. “We’re going to do the whole season, so I’m really excited for that.”
At Road America, Wyman brought a strong bike to the Vance & Hines race, and won a battle of five bikes opting for the lead throughout the race. This performance, though, is expected of the experienced Harley rider. What may have been more impressive was when Wyman grabbed eighth place in Saturday’s Sportbike race, and then repeated the effort on Sunday. In a field of 27 bikes, Wyman ran at the front of the middle pack each race; not quite on point with top contenders such as the seemingly unstoppable Jake Gagne, but certainly far ahead of any weak bikes.
After pulling into Road America’s pit lane following his second straight eighth place Sportbike finish, Wyman was pleased with his performance.
“I’m super happy to do it here at Elkhart Lake because my title sponsor Millennium Technologies is based in Plymouth so now we’ve got all the employees out here watching,” the visibly worn but pleased 24-year-old said. “It’s just good to come out here and have a solid weekend like that in both classes, and to get the win on the Harley was huge.”
“It’s been a lot of fun, and as of yesterday we were sitting fifth in points,” Wyman said. “I think today will probably put us in pretty good shape, too, so I’m really happy.”
While he sits sixth in the Harley points due to his Daytona disqualification, his proven capability to win suggests that he will climb closer to the top of the standings in the coming races. His sixth place points position in the Sportbike class places him in contention to actually compete with the top riders, especially if he and his KWR/Millennium Technologies team continue to figure out bike setups.
Overall, Wyman has a positive outlook on the remainder of the season. He said he looks forward to all of the upcoming tracks on the schedule.
“If any of them, I have the least knowledge at Laguna (Seca). I’ve done a few laps there,” Wyman said. “But all the other tracks I’m familiar with and really looking forward to.”
If only one track is a concern to the young and promising rider, expect more solid finishes in the future.
