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Tag: King of the Hammers (KOH)

  • 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier Order and Course

    JOHNSON VALLEY, CA, JANUARY 29, 2010: The 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers has 21 additional spots available for the 42 competitors of the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier on Tuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th.

    The 2010 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier order has been determined by random draw. Larry Gipson will be first off the line Tuesday morning to test his talents and attempt at qualifying. “I am used to all the pressure and know what needs to be done,” said Gipson. “I need to drive as hard as I can and be as smart as can be. I just need to finish it to get into the race on Friday.”

    By Wednesday afternoon the 42nd and final driver will be Tim Emick, who some argue will have the best opportunity after watching the 41 drivers before him complete the course. “I think this is the first time I am happy to go last,” said Tim Emick, whose brother Dustin Emick will be co-driving. “Only time will tell if we are really lucky though, it all depends on what the tracks are like after the 41 people before me.”

    The Last Chance Qualifier has a lot of names that are familiar with King of the Hammers. Ian McGlynn, Cottin Rodd and Larry Gipson all raced in the 2009 Griffin King of the Hammers main race last year and are still trying to qualify for this years race. There is also a group of seven that competed in last years LCQ who are trying their luck again including Brandon Johnson, Troy Bailey, James Andrus, Brandon Davis, Loren Healey, Jose Ponce and Josh Patt.

    There are 33 names on the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier list that have never competed in the event before. Trophy Truck driver Curt Leduc and NHRA Pro Sportsman Drag Racer Les Figueroa are included among them. Les comments, “This is a huge challenge not knowing what to expect, it’s the most homework I have ever done for a race, it’s a lot different than going really fast, and trying to stay straight! Luckily, we will be going in the first day and if we do well that will give us an extra day to prepare for Friday’s race and be successful.”

    There is quite a bit of strategy that will go into the qualifying process. Drivers will not only want to be in the qualifying group, but will be conscious of what position within the 21 they end up. As part of the Main Race starting draw, the LCQ starting positions were determined as well. For example, the Last Chance Qualifier that finishes in the 8th place, will take the 3rd position on the Main Race starting grid. Whereas, the driver that gets a better time in the LCQ and finishes 4th has a Main Race starting position of 94th! David Smiley who will race on day two said, “we will watch for times and try to position us the best as possible, although we know there are still a lot of drivers behind us that could throw it off. We will watch on Tuesday and change and firm up our strategy depending on what we see during Day 1 Qualifying.”

    The course this year is a grueling 6 miles. It starts by zig zagging up and around Means Butte and then increases speed through some fast desert to the Back Door obstacle that was the center of attention last year. Once the driver clears Back Door, they have a stretch of fast yet large whoops to handle and then go down Trap Door. As Back Door is a vertical climb, Trap Door is a vertical fall. Competitors will finish off the course with a very fast and fun desert section that has some serious potential for overdriving. As a spectator, it is good that there are two days of qualifying so you can move to different locations to see all the action. See the entire course rolled out at http://vimeo.com/9059027.

    Every spot in the Griffin King of the Hammers has been earned, but those that qualify through this final process could be called Knights of Armor. They are attempting to race two of the most challenging races back to back with only a day in between.

    A section by section presentation of the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier can be watched at: http://vimeo.com/9059027

    2010 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier Starting Positions

    1 Larry Gipson

    2 Clay Eagan

    3 Michael Feagins

    4 Carl Nielson

    5 Jonathon Terhune

    6 John Goodby

    7 Robert Foster

    8 Willie Gray Roberson II

    9 Jack Childers

    10 Ian McGlynn

    11 Brian Tilton

    12 Mark Weel

    13 Ritchie Keller

    14 Brandon Johnson

    15 Chad Burchik

    16 Bill Kreisel

    17 Michael Colville

    18 Troy Bailey

    19 Matt Burkett/Curt Leduc

    20 Cottin Rodd

    21 Les Figueroa

    22 Jason Feuilly

    23 Josh Patt

    24 Shawn Fisher

    25 Matt Enochs

    26 Chad Wheeler

    27 Andy Gladen

    28 Brandon Davis

    29 Aaron Beckstead

    30 Gary Ferravonti

    31 James Andrus

    32 Jason Conover

    33 Rob Klinger

    34 David Smiley

    35 Scott Morris

    36 Damian Layer

    37 Joel Withers

    38 Joey Weber

    39 John Bennett

    40 Loren Healy

    41 Chris Garrison

    42 AJ Condon

    43 Matt Peterson

    44 Jose Ponce

    45 Tim Emick

    2010 Griffin King of the Hammers Starting Grid for LCQ Finishers

    3 LCQ 8

    5 LCQ 1

    9 LCQ 10

    10 LCQ 2

    14 LCQ 18

    18 LCQ 16

    19 LCQ 9

    25 LCQ 14

    26 LCQ 19

    34 LCQ 11

    53 LCQ 5

    58 LCQ 3

    60 LCQ 6

    64 LCQ 21

    75 LCQ 20

    77 LCQ 17

    82 LCQ 13

    83 LCQ 15

    84 LCQ 7

    94 LCQ 4

    99 LCQ 12

    • 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers
    • 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier
    • Pit Bull Tires UTV King of the Hammers
    • Official Tire: BFGoodrich
    • Official Wheel: RaceLine
    • Official Light: Vision X
    • Official Shock: FOA
    • Official Suspension System: GenRight
    • Official Toyota Rock Crawling Parts Supplier: Trail Gear
    • Official Steering: PSC Motorsports
    • Official Oil: Royal Purple
    • Official RC Car: Traxxas

  • FOA Shocks Rise to be King of the Hammers Official Shock Absorber

    JOHNSON VALLEY, CA, NOVEMBER 23, 2009: It is with great excitement that Hammerking Productions, promoters of 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers announce FOA Shock Absorbers as the Official Shock Absorber.

    Dave Cole, Co-founder of Hammerking Productions, remarked ”FOA is a perfect fit for us. They cut their teeth in Desert Racing and immediately found a following in the Rock Crawling crowd. That type of cross over functionality typifies our style of racing.”

    “We think King of the Hammers is the ideal series to step up our involvement in rock racing and the rock crawling sport in general.” stated FOA leader Chris Farrell. “Our customer base is primarily the rock/Jeep crowd and with our knowledge of off-road racing, we couldn’t ask for a better fit. We are honored to be a part of the King of the Hammers family and look forward to growing with them.”

    FOA Shocks will use their race entry to host well known driver Jeff Mello and his FOA shock outfitted rig. Mello started on the pole position in the 2009 Griffin King of the Hammers but “not having good suspension was defiantly a contributor to the demise of last years race. I cannot think of a any single piece of equipment that would make a greater difference to this teams performance,” said Jeff Mello. “We have been looking forward all year to go to the King of the Hammers with some good shocks under us and can’t be happier to be hooked up with the Official Shock FOA.”

    FOA Shock Absorbers is based in Las Vegas NV. and specializes in a full line of off-road racing shocks and bumpstops from 2.0 remote reservoir models, to large 2.5 coilovers and 2.5 to 3.5 bypasses shocks for the serious competitor. Using a combination of proprietary design and American ingenuity, FOA Shocks offer quality products at a substantial savings over their competition.

    For More Information on FOA Shocks go to: www.F-O-A.com

    Hammerking Productions, Inc. created the “King of the Hammers” off-road race in 2007 (www.kingofthehammers.com) and released its first full-length film in 2008. The 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers will be held on Friday February 12th, 2010 where over 15,000 drivers and fans from around the globe will descend on the desert of Johnson Valley for over a week of off-road related activities. The 2009 running of the King of the Hammers was featured on Spike TV and in the film “Second Crusade.” In 2009, Hammerking expanded race action to include three additional regional qualifiers for the 2010 race. More information can be found at www.kingofthehammers.com.

  • PSC is Official Steering of 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers

    JOHNSON VALLEY, CA, OCTOBER 23, 2009: Performance Steering Components, more commonly known as PSC Motorsports, and Hammerking Productions, Inc. are excited about announcing PSC as the Official Steering of the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers. “PSC has always been a strong supporter of this race, and we are proud to have them as the Official Steering company,” said Jeff Knoll of Hammerking Productions.

    “This is the ultimate product development lab and proving ground. With the Ultra 4 vehicle rules basically leaving car design wide open, it has bread innovation. There is no pre-determined car design that dominates, which has fabricators scrambling to build what they vision as the perfect car,” said PSC owner Tom Allen. “It has definitely created what we refer to as “the better mousetrap syndrome.”’ Tom has been producing quality steering components for racing and offroad for over 26 years and PSC is now in its ninth year of business.

    PSC will be bringing a complete mobile steering shop with them and plenty of parts to Hammertown, USA in February. “We will have a complete staff that will do whatever it takes to get your vehicle turning,” explains Allen.

    PSC is also announcing the “Jokers Wild Last Chance Qualifier” opportunity to LCQ participants. Racers that did not obtain a starting position through LCQ will be given the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for the last starting position. The drawing will take place after the LCQ races are completed on Wednesday February 10th 2010. A container will be filled with playing cards plus one Joker. Total number of cards will equal the total number of entrants. Drivers will each draw one card, and the driver with the Joker will be awarded the final starting position. This position must be used by the drawing winner. If this team is unable to compete, an additional drawing may be held. To qualify for the PSC Jokers Wild Last Chance Qualifier, pre-registration is required. In addition, PSC product must be used on the race car and the car must display three PSC 4.5”x12” contingency decals – one on the roof, and one on each side of the car.

    For More Information on PSC Motorsports go to: www.pscmotorsports.com