4 Wheel Parts, the global leader in off-road performance product sales, is returning to the 2019 Ultra4 King of the Hammers™ for the 10th consecutive year with defending champions in the Ultra4 and UTV classes and title sponsorship of the 4WP Every Man Challenge Race.
Compton, CA (February 1, 2019) – 4 Wheel Parts (4WP) is proud to announce its participation and official partnership with the toughest one-day off-road race on the planet: King of The Hammers. Dubbed the “Ultimate Desert Race,” the 2019 Nitto King of the Hammers Powered by OPTIMA Batteries combines breakneck racing speeds with extreme rock crawling and will be held February 1-8 in Johnson Valley, California.
“King Of The Hammers is a truly unique opportunity to spectate and participate in one of the world’s most challenging off-road events,” said Joey DiGiovanni, 4WP Director of Creative Marketing & Partnerships. “This year is especially exciting as we have built up the best roster of 4WP athletes to ever represent us in competition, as well as being the title sponsor the always-exciting Every Man Challenge race.”
At the beginning of each February, a pop-up city called “Hammertown” rises from the desert as tens of thousands of off-road enthusiasts descend on the area, an off-road shopping market emerges and hundreds of professional teams arrive to vie for qualifying positions. In a little more than a decade the race has evolved from 12 teams racing for bragging rights to more than 300 sponsored teams competing in front of 35,000 fans in person and nearly 500,000 watching online. The UTV Race, the 4WP Every Man Challenge (EMC) and the Toyo Desert Invitational (truck race) all lead up to the Ultra4 Championship Race held on Sunday, February 8. The vehicles in the Ultra4 class reach speeds in excess of 100 MPH and sport gear ratios as low as 100:1 for technical rock crawling, while the drivers’ endurance is tested to beat the grueling 14-hour cutoff time.
4WP will lead off with their UTV team, featuring Mitch Guthrie Sr., Mitch Guthrie Jr., Sara Price and Craig Scanlon. Guthrie Jr. won the UTV race last year on a Polaris RZR, defeating teammate and father Guthrie Sr., a UTV legend and six-time King of the Hammers UTV champion. Jason Scherer, Raul Gomez, Tom Wayes and Brent Goegebuer will represent 4WP in the signature King of the Hammers Ultra4 race. Scherer is among the most decorated drivers in KOH history, winning in 2009 and 2018 and reaching the podium on three other occasions.
In 2012, the 4WP Every Man Challenge (EMC) was established in an effort to bring core fans back into the race. King of the Hammers was created by grassroots enthusiasts but the event’s rapid ascent in popularity brought with it formidable professional teams backed by cutting edge technology and hefty bankrolls, leaving many of its original supporters in the dust. The race is a testament to DIYers and diehard fans, who come in droves from around the country with their garage-built rigs and volunteer chase crews to populate Hammertown and seek glory on the podium.
4 Wheel Parts will once again have a significant retail presence in the Hammertown marketplace as they roll in with their “Showroom on Wheels” and $100,000.00 worth of off-road inventory. In addition to supplying parts and services for racing teams, 4WP representatives will be offering products at substantial discounts to the countless fans in attendance and giving away free Illumicraze phone accessories. Customers who stop by can also find out how to enter to win a brand new Polaris SXS UTV with a retail value of over $18,000.
“We encourage fans, racers and enthusiasts alike to come visit our massive Showroom on Wheels booth located directly next to the Tribe 16 firepit inside Hammertown,” added DiGiovanni. “They can take advantage of our massive on-site inventory with exclusive KOH specials or pick up some of our newly released 4WP merchandise, such as t-shirts, hoodies, hats and beanies.”
