HAMMERTOWN, Calif. – The annual running of the King of the Hammers continued Friday with the 4WP Every Man Challenge.
What is now known as King of the Hammers began with 13 friends racing in the desert, with the winner earning a case of beer.
Since then, King of the Hammers has become an iconic event that hosts an abundance of festivities and events featuring hundreds of racers and 100,000 spectators.
As the event blossomed and grew, the creators of King of the Hammers wanted to return it to its roots, when a few friends could race a car from their driveway against one another. That led to the birth of the Every Man Challenge, which incorporates three vehicle classes for the everyday man who craves the adrenaline only the King of the Hammers can provide.
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The event was broken into three classes, modified, stock and a legends class.
The spirit of the stock class was to allow OEM vehicles that closely relate to street versions, providing a venue for teams to compete in a true drivers’ class. The stock class sticks as close to the stock street car model as possible and teams are meant to utilize 35 inch DOT-approved tires.
Following suit with stock, the modified class adheres to similar rules to preserve the appearance of the stock manufactured body, but allows for modifications to the engine, driveshaft and suspension. Modified entries may run up to a 37 inch DOT-approved tire.
The final class is named the legends class as it is fairly open in terms of modifications and typically consists of older Ultra4 cars. Teams may enter this class as long as they meet the requirements of a front mounted engine, single shock per corner, max of a 37 inch DOT-approved non-sticky tire and only have a solid axle suspension system.
The electric vehicle class was recently added to the Every Man Challenge lineup for King of the Hammers.
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All classes race against another, with one overall champion emerging from the chaos. That honor went to Dan Fresh, who topped the charts as part of the legends class. Toby Stacy came in second in his King of the Hammers debut while Chayse Caprara rounded out the podium in his Bomber Fabrication car, which he rolled during qualifying. Caprara was forced to a rear start and had to pass 102 competitors to finish out the podium, two minutes behind second and 32 minutes behind first.
The stock class was riveting as Ford swept the podium with a trio of Broncos. Team Fun Haver, led by Ultra4 Racing champion Vaughn Gittin Jr., drove the first lap through the desert while two-time King of the Hammers winner Loren Healy drove the second lap through the rocks. Brad and Roger Lovell lost their lead after a punctured turbo hose cost them on the first lap, forcing them to settle for second. Bailey Cole and Jason Scherer completed the Bronco podium sweep, with Cole saying, “We just used the Bronco’s GOAT mode to get through whatever was in front of us.”
In the modified class, John Mathews emerged as the winner by roughly two minutes ahead of Joe Gatlin. Kenneth Goodall was third.
The Dana-Spicer Holley EFI EV Class had just one entry, Kyle Seggelin, who was unable to reach the finish line within the given time limit.
Those on course had to endure 151 miles of deeply rutted out roads and high speed lakebeds on the first lap while the second lap provided 18 boulder strewn canyons to challenge the drivers. Upon the closing of the finish line, after 10 hours, 34 of the starting 135 vehicles were able to finish.
For more in-depth coverage on King of the Hammers, visit www.dirtsportsworld.com.
