For 50 weeks of the year, the dry lake desert of Johnson Valley, Calif., is mostly uninhabited. Well, except for rattlesnakes, jackrabbits, and a few brave hikers.
But when February rolls around, an entire town magically pops up on the lakebed. That’s when about 30,000 off-road enthusiasts descend into the valley for King of the Hammers, the legendary desert-racing and rock-crawling event.
Driver Sara Price in her Polaris RZR during the UTV race.
Last week, we were there to experience Hammertown, the small makeshift town complete with street names. It’s a feast of UTVs, buggies, off-road motorcycles, and near-stock 4×4 vehicles—the classes of vehicles assembled for competition.
Wylie racing putting the pedal down after jumping his OBS Chevy Silverado in the desert portion of the race.
Want to get close to the action? Then drive across the lakebed to obstacles such as Backdoor, an uphill climb over what used to be waterfalls. Or check out Chocolate Thunder, a steep trail full of boulders.
Courses such as Jackhammer, Sledgehammer, and the aptly named Kings Graveyard, are canyons filled with massive stones, vertical rock walls, and sandy silt beds. We joined other spectators who climbed surrounding rocks for the best view of the action.
Race traffic is no joke. The leader, Gomez #83, couldn’t pass while #13 was also winched off the boulder.
Back in Hammertown, you can walk among the pit areas for behind-the-scenes action. Racers each have dedicated pit addresses, such as 123 Holley EFI Drive. An excellent spot to soak it in is Tribe 16 Fire Pit, where you can watch all the races on a Jumbotron.
Boulder Action and Winch Mobs
Competing vehicles follow race-course lines through open desert to reach canyon areas. The off-road machines have ample horsepower and loads of torque. But it’s often still not enough to get through inclines and over boulders.
So co-drivers hop out of racers to pull winch lines and attach them to large rocks. The so-called Winch Mob vehicles that line the courses help pull out stuck race cars.
Co-driver Terry Madden pulls the winch line so the RockJock Ultra4 car can through the Sledgehammer course.
Terry Madden of HiRôAD’s racing team participates in nearly every class. He was spotted assisting numerous competitors out of difficult situations. That’s the spirit of Hammers. Everybody helps each other—lending spare parts or winching a fellow racer from an obstacle. Racers and spectators become fast friends.
The UTV class has a different route to avoid the wildest sections. But quite a few of the side-by-sides joined the big race on Saturday, Feb. 6. The three Can-Am Maverick X3s who swept the podium in the UTV class participated in the King of the Hammers race. They performed well despite a huge disparity in vehicle size, ability, and horsepower.
Get Your Own Off-Road Racer Ready
Off-road vendors also bring their semis with the latest vehicles. This year, we saw the new Bronco, Ranger Tremor, and the new Raptor Tremor from Ford. The Kawasaki booth showed off its latest dirt bike and UTV models. Aftermarket companies sold bits and pieces to accessorize off-road machines in every imaginable way.
The vendors and racers are now gone. And the pop-up Hammertown was returned to local wildlife. But it’s never too early to start preparing for next year.
eBay Motors has what you need for off-road hijinks. There are countless vehicles, from UTVs to Jeeps. And tons of boulder-climbing essentials—including 4×4 tires, shocks and struts, and especially electric winches.
Also: Read about the Hunt The Wolf ATV race in Romania.
