The King of the Hammers (KoH) is an off-road race that takes place annually in Johnson Valley, California. It is considered one of the toughest off-road races in the world, combining high-speed desert racing with extremely challenging rock-crawling sections. Thousands of people flock to the desert every year to witness it. The event typically spans over two weeks, including qualifying races and various off-road competitions.
King of the Hammers is open to various classes of off-road vehicles, including modified and stock 4×4 vehicles, buggies, and UTVs (utility terrain vehicles). This year KoH took place from January 26 to February 11. The most challenging race of the event — the Race of Kings — took place on the last day.
An Off-Road Extravaganza
The King of the Hammers race is a 200+ mile race that takes place on a course with some of the toughest and most challenging terrain in the Johnson Valley OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) area. Known for its demanding rock-crawling sections and high-speed desert runs, KoH tests the endurance and skill of both the driver and the vehicle. The high attrition rate proves the extreme nature of the event. The skill and preparation required by drivers and their vehicles to complete it are what draw enthusiasts from across the globe.
Thousands of off-road fans and spectators come to witness the action while cheering on their favorite drivers and teams. During the Wednesday evening driver’s meeting this year, Event Director Dave Cole announced that spectator attendance was already 40% higher than in 2022, breaking the record set that year. And there were still three days left to go!
KoH is a testament to the growing off-road community since the pandemic. Not only was the number of spectators up but so was the number of participants. For 2023, there were 1042 registered vehicles between all the different race classes — the largest KoH event ever. As an example of how grueling the race is, only about 30% actually finished the race.
KoH Classes
KoH has several different classes of competition with unique rules and regulations for each. The classes are divided based on vehicle weight, engine size, tire size, and levels of modification. Here are the main classes that typically compete at KoH and a little bit about each:
- Ultra4: This is the premier class of the King of the Hammers race. It features highly modified, purpose-built 4×4 vehicles with unlimited horsepower, 40+ inch tires, and advanced suspension systems.
- UTV: This class includes side-by-side vehicles (UTVs) with a maximum engine size of 1000cc and a maximum tire size of 32 inches.
- Stock: This class is open to stock or minimally modified 4×4 vehicles with a maximum tire size of 35 inches.
- Legends: This class is reserved for retired Ultra4 vehicles that no longer meet the current Ultra4 rules but still want to compete.
- EMC: The Every Man Challenge (EMC) is a separate race that takes place during the King of the Hammers week and includes three classes: Stock, Modified, and Legends. The EMC race is designed to allow amateur and professional racers to compete on a course similar to the Ultra4 vehicles but with less demanding requirements.
EG KoH Competitors
The Edelbrock Group family of brands had a number of partners participating in the event, and we thought we would take a moment to spotlight them and their races. We’d like to give a special thank you to Edelbrock Group Sales Associate Mark Donnelly, who caught some of the action for us while he was out there supporting some of his customers. So, without further ado, here are some of the EG partners who participated in KoH.
Race of Kings (107 start/35 finish)
Jordan Pellegrino #98 — GenRight Off Road, Ultra 4 (4400 Class)
Driver: Jordan grew up in Simi Valley, CA, and started riding dirt bikes at just three years old. In 2014, at the age of 15, he raced in the EMC class, finishing Fourth. In 2018, he stepped up to the Ultra 4 class. This year at KoH, he ran the #98 GenRight Off Road Ultra 4 machine. Out of 107 cars in the field, only 35 finished the race. Jordan qualified 15th and finished 31st overall in the Nitto Race of Kings.
Edelbrock Group Parts: RHS Tall-Deck LS7 Block, FAST LSXr Intake Manifold, COMP Cams Camshaft
Every Man Challenge (155 start/42 finish)
Jay Schwab #4881 — Otto Offroad, 4800 Legends Class, KoH Rookie
Driver: Jay Schwab is based in the Pacific Northwest, where off-roading consists of forest service roads and rock crawling. In 2020, Jay sold off his Jeep to acquire an Ultra 4 Bomber to go racing and learn the ropes. He and co-driver David Rochan are former Marines who are looking to build a successful and competitive program. Jay was the Rookie of the Year in 2022 and had another strong showing in the EMC race this year, qualifying 25th overall and 21st in class. He finished 11th overall and 7th in the 4800 Legends class.
Edelbrock Group Parts: RHS Block, COMP Cams Custom Grind CBMLS3 Ultra Camshaft
Dusty Sexton #4437 — Sexton Offroad Racing, 4800 Legends Class
Driver: Dusty Sexton is a KoH veteran who started racing the event in 2009 along with the Ultra4 Series, Dirt Riot, and BITD. He also competes in the Baja1000 as a driver in a Class 7 Ranger. The retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sergeant now serves as a Captain with the Park City Fire Department in Utah and is the owner of Sexton Offroad. Dustin qualified 30th overall and 26th in class. He finished the EMC race in 23rd overall and 17th in the 4800 Legends class.
Edelbrock Group Parts: COMP Cams Camshaft, FAST Intake & Throttle Body, FAST XFI 2.0 & XIM
Rob Boardway #1331 — Stainless Brain Racing, 4800 Legends Class
Driver: Rob Boardway is from Gig Harbor, Washington. This year was the team’s second year at KoH, but they already have two podium finishes at North Idaho Mud and Crawl race venue in Naples, Idaho. He helps organize a couple of races there each year. Rob owns a fabrication shop called Stainless Brain Fabrication and is also a big supporter of drag racing. Rob qualified 61st overall but finished 67th overall and 52nd in the 4800 Legends class after he timed out from a flat tire that sidelined him for quite a while during the race.
Edelbrock Group Parts: COMP Cams Valve Train, Edelbrock Pro-Flo 4
Eddy Oliver #4583 — Fueled Offroad Racing, 4500 Modified Class, KoH Rookie
Driver: Eddy Oliver is a rookie this year at KoH, hailing from the Pacific Northwest, but he’s no stranger to building off-road vehicles. Since attending his first KoH in 2019, he set a goal to build his own rig to compete and made it happen. Fueled Offroad Racing qualified 59th overall and 13th in class. During the race, the team fought brake issue, a flat tire, and a power steering belt that didn’t want to cooperate and ended up timing out in 85th position overall and 14th in the 4500 Modified class during the EMC race.
Edelbrock Group Parts: COMP Cams Camshaft, Valve Springs, Retainers, Timing Set, and Pushrods; TCI TH400 Transmission and Torque Converter
John Mathews #4580 — Off Track Motorsports & Auburn Car Repair, 4500 Modified Class
Driver: John Mathews has been racing Ultra4 since 2017 and won the 4500 Modified class last year at KoH. He owns an auto repair business and offroad shop. This year, his hopes were high, qualifying 18th overall and 4th in class. Unfortunately, a catastrophic transfer case failure ended his day early at mile 57, resulting in a finish of 119th overall and 22nd in the 4500 Modified class.
Edelbrock Group Parts: COMP Cams Camshafts, Springs, Retainers, Timing Set, and Pushrods; FAST LSXr Intake Manifold, 102mm Throttle Body, Billet Fuel Rails, Injectors, and Fuel Pressure Regulator; TCI Billet Flexplate
Thank You, KoH Drivers and Teams
King of the Hammers is no doubt one of the toughest races in the world. Just showing up to compete takes a lot of time, energy, and money. We’d like to thank our partners who met the challenge of taking on the grueling event. Congratulations to those who finished, and better luck next time to those who didn’t. If there is one thing we know, chances are they will be back bigger and stronger next year, and we’ll be there to support them again!
