In 2007, a group of friends put on a little race. The place was Johnson Valley, CA, home to some of the toughest rock crawling trails in the United States.
From that group of 12 has launched a completely crazy racing class, Ultra4. The rigs all have one thing in common: they are all 4-wheel drive. Other than that, the class is open. Solid axle and IRS compete against each other, any engine is legal, any transmission is legal, but they are all able to maintain speeds of over 100 mph but still contain incredibly low gear ratios, as low as 100 to 1, for rock crawling.
The Ultra4 racing series culminates in the King of the Hammers a week-long extravaganza in the desert complete with international racers, a town built from scratch, a live stream, and some of the roughest, toughest, craziest, nastiest terrain you can imagine.
KOH week draws thousands of spectators to the lakebed in Johnson Valley for the 6 days of racing festivities. Organizers build Hammertown, an off-road Burning Man kind of city in the desert. Hammertown has its own street addresses, vendors, big screen TVs, and internet system.
Racing started on Sunday, February 1st, with the Klim King of the Motos Presented by Trail Tech race. Monday night saw the Vision X Backdoor Shootout Presented by Sway-A-Away, pitting east coast rock bouncers against west coast ultra-4 racers. Wednesday arrives with the Polaris RZR KOH UTV race, Presented by HCR.
But when it comes to trucks and drivers that defy the laws of physics, the best races are on Thursday and Friday.
The big race goes off at 7:30am PST on Friday February 7th: The Nitto King of the Hammers Presented by 4 Wheel Parts.
When KOH says their rigs can be unlimited, they truly mean it. Totally open. Any engine, drive shaft, tranny, transfer case, and suspension set up, including hydraulics, are legal. Drivers can run any tire of any size, they can have as many shocks per wheel with no limits on size or travel. You’ll see both solid axle and IRS, some even have rear steering. Only your brain and your wallet can hinder you.
The result is some ridiculous rigs that make the impossible possible. They go over sheer rock faces, over boulders the size of cars….last year Eric Miller, winner of the 2012 King of the Hammers, actually drove OVER a competitor who found himself stuck.
Drivers are allowed to have a co-driver, which can be helpful if he or she finds themselves needing to winch up a section. However, the best drivers are able to climb to the top of each section without winching.
KOH so special because it’s not a desert race and it’s not a rock crawling race. It’s both. Competitors have to scratch their way over passes called Wrecking Ball, Chocolate Thunder, and Aftershock, only to have to disengage 4wd and take a screaming pass through the desert, with speeds reaching up to and over 100 mph. The rigs must be proficient at both types of racing if they want to win, or even finish.
The 2014 King of the Hammers was Loren Healy, with a time of 8:03:25. The last finisher came in at 13:48:19.
Drivers to look out for in the main race are last year’s winner Healy #67, Bill Baird #5252, the oldest competitor who could outrun you in the dirt AND the pavement, and the Campbell family, dad Shannon in #5, son Wayland in #3, and daughter Bailey in #35.
International competitors hail from as close as Canada to as far off as the UK, Belgium, Australia, and Indonesia.
The attrition rate is high. 2014 saw only 32 finishers out of 157 starters. If that math is too difficult for you, that’s 125 DNFs, or 80% of the field. This year the race will be 215 miles, the first time it has exceeded 200 miles, so expect even more carnage.
But if you can’t wait until Friday, the 4th annual Smittybilt Every Man Challenge goes down Thursday at 7:45am PST.
The Smittybilt Every Man Challenge features the Rubicon Express Modified Class, the Pro Comp Stock Class, the Spec Class, and the Legends Class.
Stock Class vehicles are structurally close to what you see on the street every day, allowing OEM vendors the chance to show just what their products can do.
The frame and body must remain stock. The engine and transmission must be retained, but modifications are allowed. Any driveshaft, transfer case, and axle set up can be utilized. The wheelbase must remain within 3″ of stock and suspension must remain stock as originally manufactured. In other words, a truck originally manufactured with leaf springs may not be modified to coil springs or torsion-bars. No secondary suspension, like airbags, is allowed.
Only one shock per wheel is allowed. The diameter of the shock can’t be more than 2.65” with no more than 14” of stroke. Bypass shocks are not allowed.
Tires must be DOT approved, “readily available to the public from any local distributor,” and not more than 35”.
Competitors can step it up a bit into the Modified Class. Aftermarket and custom frames are allowed, but the body should retain the original OEM look. Any engine, transmission, driveshaft, transfer case, and axle assembly is allowed. Suspension is open as well.
The Modified Class allows two shock absorbers per wheel, but they may be no larger than 2.65” in diameter with a 14” stroke.
The wheel rule is the same, except the maximum tire size is 37”
Legends Class consists of trucks with a front mounted engine, 2 seats side-by-side, 1 shock per wheel, a solid axle, and DOT, non-sticky compound tires no greater than 37”. All else is up for grabs. These are essentially older KOH trucks.
You can even buy or rent a KOH Spec Class rig. These vehicles are all exactly the same with a Mopar HEMI 5.7L V8, knocking out nearly 400 horsepower and 400 lb/ft of torque. They are also equipped with Fox coilover shocks, Dynomax exhaust, Spidertrax solid axles and housings, Yukon lockers, and a host of other goodies from the best of the offroad industry.
It goes without saying that all these classes are 4 wheel drive.
The Smittybuilt Every Man Chanllenge takes racers through a modified King of the Hammers course, and it really is an opportunity for every day guys and gals to take their trucks out and see if they can best the desert. With runs like Boulderdash, Upper Big Johnson, and Jackhammer, these every day trucks have their work cut out for them.
Driver’s to look out for include TV personality and fabricator Jessi Combs, defending her win in the Spec Class in 2014, the 2012 Dirt Sports Driver of the Year Brad Lovell #232, Lindsay Gilstrap in #4505 who has co-driven for her husband Clay and liked it so much she put her own rig together, and her sister-in-law Shelby Gilstrap #6.
In 2014 the winner, John Currie, won the EMC with a time of 4:24:28 in his Modified rig. The slowest official finisher came in at over twice that time, at 9:28:57.
Expect a large attrition rate, though not as much as the main race. 2014 saw 77 entries, 43 DNFs, or 56% or the field.
But when they cross the hard earned finish line, and the entire team, from pit parents to tire changers, run to the podium to watch their driver and co-driver get interviewed for the live feed, it’s all worth it.
And speaking of the live feed, you can watch all this go down from the middle of the desert. KOH is able to do what other races only dream of doing. They have a live feed from the pits and various parts of the course. Expect to see driver and co-driver interviews from the start and finish lines, play-by-play action and analysis, and general hilarity, all coming to you live from the middle of the desert.
Schedule (all times PST)
Wednesday February 4th 7:45AM: Polaris RZR KOH UTV Race presented by HCR
Thursday February 5th 7:45AM: Smittybilt Every Man Challenge
Friday February 8th 7:30 AM : 2014 Nitto King of The Hammers Presented by 4 Wheel Parts
Do you think TFL Truck should turn our 1968 Ford Bronco Half Cab into a King of the Hammers rig? Let us know in the comments!
Emme is a driver, reviewer, rabble rouser, and Gazelle who can be found online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and either one of her blogs.
