October 24, 2011 – Glen Helen, CA: Historic Glen Helen Raceway recently played host to the 4Wheel Parts Ultra4 Grand Prix. Over 40 worthy competitors showed up for the fifth and final event of the 2011 Ultra4 series in beautiful San Bernardino, California. The Grand Prix format required drivers to circumnavigate a punishing five mile course for a total of four hours in an effort to find the toughest competitor on the planet. In the end, 2010 King of the Hammers winner Loren Healy took home the gold in his familiar ATX-sponsored Jimmy’s 4×4 buggy, but it was anything but an easy victory.
Healy had to beat out tough competition from fellow King of the Hammers winners Jason Scherer and Shannon Campbell on a course that was packed full of jumps, banked turns, and loose hill climbs that wreaked havoc on man and machine alike. Beautiful weather made for pleasant spectating and pitting, but the 80 degree temperatures conspired against the fluids trapped within overtaxed transmissions and shocks. By the end of four hours, only ten vehicles were still running under their own power, but every driver had a huge grin on their face and vowed to return next year for a race that has quickly become a favorite with fans and competitors alike. Below is the complete list of competitors, the laps they completed and who qualified for the 2012 King of The Hammers this weekend.
The 2012 Ultra4 season starts off with an action-packed week of festivities in Johnson Valley on February 3rd. Thirty thousand enthusiasts are expected to make the annual pilgrimage to Means Dry Lake Bed to witness the returning 4Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) and Pit Bull Tires UTV Race, as well as the all new Smittybilt Every Man Challenge. The week culminates with the sixth running of the now famous Griffin King of the Hammers on Friday, February 10th. Save the date, this is one race you will not want to miss.
About Ultra4 Racing: Due to the incredible success of the Griffin King of the Hammers, Hammerking Productions created the Ultra4 racing series. The defining characteristic of this class is that all cars must be possess 4-wheel drive. Beyond that, the class is unlimited and combines multiple off-road disciplines such as desert racing, rockcrawling, and short course racing. The Griffin King of The Hammers takes place each year in February, on public lands in Johnson Valley, CA. The race has evolved from 12 teams racing for bragging rights and a case of beer, to more than 150 teams competing before tens of thousands of live spectators and hundreds of thousands of online fans.
Finish |
First Name | Last Name | Car # | Hometown |
State |
total laps |
Qualified |
1 |
Loren | Healy |
4428 |
Farmington |
NM |
28 |
|
2 |
Jason | Picket |
4444 |
Ft. Collins |
CO |
28 |
* |
3 |
JT | Taylor |
13 |
Fountain |
CO |
28 |
|
4 |
Nick | Nelson |
4404 |
Cortez |
CO |
28 |
* |
5 |
Brad | Falin |
457 |
Frenley |
NV |
27 |
* |
6 |
Tony | Pellegrino |
4485 |
Simi Valley |
CA |
27 |
|
7 |
Shannon | Campbell |
5 |
Gilbert |
AZ |
26 |
|
8 |
Cottin | Rodd |
4407 |
Cortez |
CO |
26 |
* |
9 |
JR | Van Ortwick |
4466 |
Rowland Heights |
CA |
26 |
* |
10 |
Brian | Shirley |
18 |
Dodge City |
KS |
26 |
|
11 |
Jason | Scherer |
76 |
Danville |
CA |
25 |
|
12 |
Levi | Shirley |
81 |
Dodge City |
KS |
25 |
|
13 |
Brandon | Watson |
4488 |
Glenwood Springs |
CO |
25 |
* |
14 |
Scott | Ward |
4438 |
Lake Havasu City |
AZ |
25 |
* |
15 |
Mike | McClure |
733 |
Ness City |
KS |
25 |
* |
16 |
Alex | Hardaway |
4481 |
Santa Rosa |
CA |
25 |
|
17 |
Darren | Henke |
4441 |
Golden |
CO |
25 |
* |
18 |
Gary | Ferravanti Jr | 4475 | Paso Robles |
CA |
25 |
|
19 |
Casey | Currie |
2 |
Anaheim |
CA |
25 |
* |
20 |
Richie | Carter |
4474 |
Simi Valley |
CA |
24 |
|
21 |
Bill | Phillips |
4480 |
Whittier |
CA |
24 |
|
22 |
Warren | Thomas |
257 |
Morro Bay |
CA |
24 |
* |
23 |
Dave | Bovich |
50 |
Shasta Lake |
CA |
22 |
|
24 |
Ben | Napier |
4461 |
Sydney |
AUS |
22 |
|
25 |
Mike | Nappi |
4490 |
Idaho Springs |
CO |
20 |
|
26 |
Travis | Carpenter |
4405 |
Orangevale |
CA |
19 |
* |
27 |
Randy | Avery |
348 |
Sonora |
CA |
19 |
|
28 |
Brent | Goegebuer |
4473 |
Corona |
CA |
19 |
|
29 |
Chris | Hoyt |
53 |
Castle Rock |
CO |
18 |
|
30 |
Gregory | Lundeen |
701 |
Broomfield |
CO |
18 |
|
31 |
Bill | Baird |
5252 |
Sturgis |
KY |
18 |
|
32 |
Jeremy | Hengl |
85 |
Orangevale |
CA |
17 |
|
33 |
Paul | Hoffman |
4483 |
Victorville |
CA |
16 |
|
34 |
Greg | Adler |
210 |
Manhattan Beach |
CA |
12 |
|
35 |
Kevin | Sacalas |
4435 |
Riverside |
CA |
12 |
|
36 |
Gary | Ferravanti Sr. |
4446 |
Paso Robles |
CA |
10 |
|
37 |
Rob | Lynch |
4463 |
Spokane |
WA |
10 |
|
38 |
Dean | Bulloch |
4411 |
Cedar City |
UT |
9 |
|
39 |
Eric | Brown |
502 |
Las Vegas |
NV |
9 |
|
40 |
Billy | Briney |
4439 |
Ness City |
KS |
7 |
|
41 |
JT | Stephens |
4454 |
Little Rock |
AR |
1 |
* |
42 |
Jeremy | Dickinson | 3 |
0 |
|||
43 |
Nathan | Unruh |
63 |
Clovis |
CA |
0 |
Drivers qualified either finishing in the top 10 unqualified drivers or by being the top 5 unqualified drivers to have completed at least 4 races this season.