Yearly, tens of hundreds of individuals collect right here within the Mojave Desert with two targets: to see some unbelievable off-road racing and to lose their minds within the type of unbridled debauchery their moms all the time warned them about.
King of the Hammers is usually described as “Burning Man for rednecks,” and whereas the drug of alternative is normally Coors Mild and the automobiles are valued for efficiency moderately than inventive sensibilities, the outline works. This 12 months, practically 80,000 individuals got here to the tenting space on Means Dry Lake, drawn by the promise of pals, gasoline, and two weeks of dirt-slinging, rock-spewing, mind-blowing racing.
Whereas some of us are aware of off-road races just like the Baja 1000 or the Dakar Rally, King of the Hammers is totally totally different. The rigs have to have the ability to conquer a high-speed desert part — normally meaning unbiased entrance suspension and loads of horsepower — however in addition they have to defy physics within the rock-crawling sections. A stable axle within the entrance and loads of torque is a necessity.
The problem of the rock sections is known. Boulders the dimensions of a Mini Cooper are scattered all through a slim valley. Some are embedded within the floor, and others transfer whenever you put weight on them, which occurs usually. King of the Hammers opponents relish these rocks. They stay for them. The rocks are their motive for being.
Race automobiles can’t simply change their front-end suspension for every part, so it’s as much as the MacGyver-like minds of the fabricators to both make unbiased entrance suspension work properly within the rocks or engineer a stable entrance axle that may velocity by the desert.
I’ve been to King of the Hammers at the least 5 instances — as a spectator, employees member, and this 12 months, as a competitor — however the thrill by no means diminishes. What began as a bunch of friends who put a case of beer on the road for the one who may run all of the extremely tough rock-crawler trails in someday has morphed right into a two-week off-road racing extravaganza with bikes, desert automobiles, UTVs, and limitless rock crawlers with 40-inch tires and an abundance of horsepower.
Drawn by the promise of pals, gasoline, and two weeks of dirt-slinging, rock-spewing, mind-blowing racing
Over 1,000 opponents take the inexperienced flag to battle among the hardest terrain in North America. Most will fail, however there may be honor to those who end and glory to those who win.
Nevertheless it’s not simply the racing, and admittedly, it’s not simply the extracurricular occasions that occur across the Hammers. Yearly, I take away some key classes from KOH that I can apply in my on a regular basis life. It is likely to be hokey, discovering inspiration in a two-week racing get together, however what can I say? I’m a sentimental gal.
The races
The primary four-wheeled race occurred on the only-on-the-desert sections, and I’m proud to say that your humble creator took the inexperienced beginning flag in her lifted Miata named Buddy. I’ve raced loads out right here however all the time in a automobile that was constructed for the desert, not in a freaking Miata. Amid a sea of vehicles 3 times my measurement, I piloted Buddy by tough and sandy sections alike. Did I believe I used to be going to die? Sure, a number of instances. However I obtained Buddy across the observe in a single piece to the slack-jawed amazement of multiple spectator.
It was Christopher Polvoorde in a 1,000-horsepower Mason Motorsports AWD truck who finally ran the quickest race, ending about two hours quicker than I did. Whereas I didn’t win any trophies, Buddy the Off-Highway Miata actually received the hearts of loads of off-road followers that day.
Did I believe I used to be going to die? Sure, a number of instances
Count on the surprising. That’s Hammers.
After a couple of days of qualifying classes, the UTVs set off across the course, encountering each high-speed desert working and rock crawling. They usually needed to do it within the rain because of the atmospheric river that attacked California in February. Though Kyle Chaney made brief work of Johnson Valley, incomes his fourth first-place end within the occasion, third-place finisher Phil Blurton actually had fun.
“A mile into the race, I had my visor up, and we barrel-rolled the automobile, and I obtained a face filled with grime. We landed on all fours and by no means let off and saved going,” stated Blurton.
Persevere. That’s Hammers.
Picture by Royce Rumsey / Optima Batteries
Subsequent up, the Each Man Problem, the place the self-funded grassroots groups get their likelihood to shine. This 12 months, Keith and Melissa Silva defied conference of their garage-built electrical rock crawler, a mixture of Chevrolet S-10 and Tesla Mannequin S. Final 12 months, they weren’t in a position to full a full lap, however this 12 months, because of a greater battery administration system, they earned first place within the EV class.
Certain, they have been a category of 1, and their lap was shorter than different courses, however bringing a completely electrical rock crawler with 37-inch tires throughout the end line is an accomplishment, particularly when you think about that over 100 opponents weren’t in a position to full the race.
After I requested them why they torture themselves with the additional complexity of working an EV, Melissa replied, “How straightforward is it to place an LS motor in and do what everybody else is doing? No person is pushing the boundaries. Any person has to do it and I might moderately it’s a single staff.”
Whereas it was Randy Slawson who took prime spot on the rostrum within the Each Man Problem, regardless of having to drive 10 miles on two flat tires to succeed in his staff in his pits for assist, the Silvas took the crown for not taking the straightforward method out.
Do it the arduous method. That’s Hammers.
Lastly, the Race of Kings introduced the entire occasion to an in depth. That is the most well-liked race, with autos utterly limitless by way of energy, suspension, and tire measurement. In the event you can construct it, you possibly can race it. Whereas it runs the identical course as the opposite races, these opponents must race the rock part twice.
“A mile into the race, I had my visor up, and we barrel-rolled the automobile, and I obtained a face filled with grime.”
Out of 105 starters, solely 40 completed. One competitor misplaced their steering rack a mere 0.7 miles into the race. Two racers obtained tangled collectively when one tried to drive over the opposite. One other staff was all set to win however misplaced their transmission mere miles earlier than the end line. In a feat of terrific driving and only a small quantity of luck, JP Gomez, who had began 99th, took the win.
Gomez took the trophy from his brother Raul, who received in 2022 and 2023. The brand new king teared up when speaking about his brothers on the end line. “We labored our asses off. Everybody within the Gomez Brothers Racing staff and household — all of them earned this as a lot as I did.”
Household first. That’s Hammers.
The nightlife
Because the course is closed to racers, it’s opened to spectators. A lot of the racecourse is on public land, which suggests everybody has the proper to entry it. And these spectators go arduous.
The largest get together goes down on Chocolate Thunder. Sure, that’s the title of the path. I do know it seems like one thing a 12-year-old boy would say, however the fact is, the primary particular person to efficiently full a brand new path will get to call it. Some trails have been round for years and have names that make obscure sense like Outer Limits, Sledgehammer, or Wrecking Ball. These are phrases that conjure up photographs of actually tough rock trails. However then we get names like Chocolate Thunder. Or Her Drawback. Could I curiosity you in a experience on Backdoor?
The largest get together goes down on Chocolate Thunder — sure, that’s the title of the path
At any fee, each evening at Chocolate Thunder, lots of of spectators present as much as check their garage-built rigs towards the rocks. It’s a veritable visitors jam with drivers making an attempt each driving line doable and a few which can be unattainable. Drivelines are destroyed, hubs are sheared off, and engines routinely go increase. People set off fireworks, placed on laser exhibits, and sure, have a fistfight or two. In the event you flip your rig, you’ll get chastised by the gang, however of us will all the time show you how to recuperate. Whereas racers have to run absolutely caged autos with five-point harnesses and put on the suitable security gear, nighttime at King of the Hammers is a free-for-all. It’s unbridled chaos.
My pal Michael Teo Van Runkle skilled the spectacle that’s Chocolate Thunder at evening for the primary time this 12 months. “It’s gnarly,” he instructed me. “Everyone seems to be wasted, everybody’s screaming. There are a number of side-by-sides with large speaker programs blasting early 2000s rap music and trendy pop nation. Tires are blasting rocks into the gang and tearing up what will be the race course the following day.”
“In the meantime, the wind is blasting and there may be sand and smoke all over the place,” he continued. “The vehicles are spewing exhaust so that you’re hacking the entire time. My eyeballs have been coughing up grit and grime for 2 days nevertheless it was so price it…only a hard-core ragefest on the mountain with Mad Max apocalypse shit occurring. It was superior.”
Get together like there’s no tomorrow. That’s Hammers.
Picture by Royce Rumsey / Optima Batteries
The EVs
Whereas the get together rages on each evening on the path, these wanting one thing a bit extra staid, — and rather more techy — can try the two-day Optima Unplugged occasion. For the second 12 months in a row, Optima Batteries had 67 electrified autos out to King of the Hammers for enjoyable path rides by Johnson Valley. Most contributors have been in Rivians, each the truck and SUV, however there have been additionally a couple of Ford F-150 Lightnings, Toyota Tundra hybrids, and a Tesla Mannequin Y. To cost all of those EVs in the midst of the desert, Renewable Improvements was alongside for the experience with its inexperienced hydrogen and solar-powered Cellular Vitality Command items, offering the free use of 4 Stage 3 chargers and 10 Stage 2 chargers.
“Only a hard-core ragefest on the mountain with Mad Max apocalypse shit occurring”
Beginner Dennis Wang got here out along with his red-wrapped Cybertruck for a superb introduction to wheeling within the grime.
“This was my first time off-roading, my first time at King of the Hammers– first time at every thing,” he stated. “I didn’t know KOH was so huge and this EV factor was solely like a sliver of what was occurring. I used to be a bit anxious about off-roading however I realized rather a lot within the driver’s assembly and after the primary hour I used to be actually snug. At first I used to be anxious about charging however having Renewable Improvements there with its off-grid system was fairly cool. My CCS adapter didn’t work, so I ran the entire day on one cost. I made it dwelling, although!”
Picture by Royce Rumsey / Optima Batteries
There have been really two Cybertrucks on the occasion, as Tesla aftermarket provider Unplugged Efficiency introduced out its personal Cybertruck with the intent to seek out its limits — which finally took the type of a damaged rear tie rod. I used to be fortunate sufficient to get a fast drive in Elon Musk’s dream automobile and was shocked by the composed air suspension within the undulating whoops. I anticipated the entrance finish to get overwhelmed at speeds of 30 miles per hour or so, nevertheless it soaked up the hits no downside.
Ford Efficiency even introduced out its one-off Switchgear idea. The staff took an F-150 Lightning and added longer-travel Fox shocks, beefier management arms, and 37-inch tires, after which let driver {and professional} fun-haver Vaughn Gittin Jr. free behind the wheel. I used to be relegated to the passenger seat, however man, what a thrill experience. We drifted throughout the dry lake mattress, threw up rooster tails within the delicate sand, and customarily hooned like irresponsible kids. If you wish to get most vary out of your EV when on the grime, don’t let the fun-haver behind the wheel. Throughout our drive, we solely managed 0.5 miles / kWh, and it was price each minute of additional time at Renewable Improvements.
Be totally different. That’s Hammers.
The drones
Even in case you’re not at King of the Hammers, you possibly can watch all of the motion on the streaming stay present. For 2 weeks, among the greatest off-road racing content material on the earth is streamed from a distant lake mattress onto YouTube. There are three jumbotrons, two distant reporters, dozens of static cameras, and no fewer than 20 drones capturing all of the motion on the ultimate day of racing.
“At first we used a DJI Encourage 1 drone,” stated operator Daniel Mayfield. “Now we have now these first-person view drones and we have now drone racers coming into cinematography. So we get flips and turns. We take the video feed out of their goggles and that’s what goes into the stay present.”
No fewer than 20 drones capturing all of the motion on the ultimate day of racing
These first-person drones present an , moving into some shut quarters with 6,000-pound race automobiles as they arrive into the end. The fliers can spin, flip, and in any other case carry out spectacular acrobatics, offering a view to these at dwelling like no different.
Whereas it’s fairly straightforward to ship the end line footage to the manufacturing trailer a couple of toes away, the manufacturing crew makes use of drones out on the course, too, usually miles away. Up to now, microwave dishes have been used to relay footage again to the manufacturing trailer. This 12 months, it was all executed with Starlink. The video stream goes from the controller to a LiveU transmitter to a hardwired Starlink unit, though in addition they preserve a secondary Starlink on Wi-Fi as backup. The feed will get despatched to the manufacturing trailer the place the technical director can deliver the drone feed out and in of the stay present as essential.
A number of static cameras courageous the terrain, driving their very own rigs over tough desert terrain to taking pictures spots, establishing their Starlinks, and ready all day for the automobiles to come back by. They courageous the weather whereas the course is sizzling, enduring every thing from bitter winds and rain to the pounding solar. They usually do all of it for the shot.
The result’s 12 hours of uninterrupted protection, beamed out to the lots of of hundreds of race followers world wide. Followers appear to love it as properly, with one Perry P commenting on YouTube, “It’s fairly superb that the KOH protection lately is best high quality than Baja (1000) protection.”
At all times innovate. That’s Hammers.
The cleanup
Whereas all the King of the Hammers group is dedicated to packing out what it packs in, some spectators will not be fairly so respectful of our public lands. Each morning, volunteers head as much as Chocolate Thunder and Backdoor for a cleanup. They’re led by Tread Flippantly, a nationwide group that promotes accountable off-roading, and the Sons of Smokey, a ragtag group of friends dedicated to the gathering and disposal of trash from public lands, and sponsored partly by Bronco Wild Fund.
These devoted volunteers are the true heroes of King of the Hammers. Over the 2 weeks of occasions, the morning cleanups netted 7,600 kilos of trash cleared off our public lands.
Including their very own twist to land stewardship was Unhealthy Traces, Good Occasions and its King of the Canners effort. Armed with 21 empty 55-gallon gasoline drums with hooked up can crushers, the canners entered King of the Hammers on a mission: to gather and recycle as many aluminum cans as doable. The contraptions have been scattered round in style viewing spots in addition to the seller space often called Hammertown and emptied a couple of times a day. Ultimately, they hauled 267 kilos of aluminum off the lake mattress.
The group misplaced cash on the enterprise, as most cleanups normally do, however staff member Elliot Strickler summed it up completely, “Doing nothing is just not an choice.”
Do the proper factor. That’s Hammers.
The end line
In fact, there are such a lot of extra tales to inform from the lake mattress. There was an invasion of old-school three-wheelers, a motorbike race the place bikes obtained flipped and riders went flying, a contest to check the mettle of groups’ pit crews, 33 inventory Volkswagen bugs began their race aspect by aspect and all of it went horribly incorrect, a man whose automobile caught on fireplace in the midst of the evening whereas he slept subsequent to it, and numerous different debacles and victories that I don’t even find out about.
The racing at King of the Hammers is like no different. The place F1 cancels a race due to a manhole cowl and NASCAR throws a warning flag for an errant pebble on the observe, the opponents at King of the Hammers are stopped by nothing. It’s the one occasion the place a part of your race technique would possibly simply be .
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but
your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to
come back later. All the best