- Location
- Bakersfield, CA
We had one hell of a time, and exceeded all of our expectations. Finishing in 7th place was awesome. We really didn’t know what to expect ahead of time, I was hoping to make a clean run and finish in the top 20. When we got there and saw all of the well built and bad ass rigs we just hoped to finish the race clean and see where we ended up. To snag a top 10 finish is thrilling. Our whole team is really stoked.
Before I get into some race details, I want to thank our crew. First, thanks to Dave Taylor and Paul Sinclair, and Garry Hall, for getting us into the race. Thanks to Paul for being co-dog and helping with all the pre-race planning and work, and for being willing to be thrown around in the passenger seat for a few hours. Thanks to the guys who helped work on the rig ahead of time, Cal Tuttle, Andy Couch, Matt Strmiska, Eric Geye, Robert Gonzales, Joe, Daniel Fleming, Cliff, Jack, and Randy. Thanks to our crew at the race, Cal, Dave Taylor, Matt Strmiska, Andy Couch, Tony Rojo, Grant Barclay, Chris Johnson, “Jump this” Rick, and to Steve Hamilton and Mike for driving down to be there if we needed them (I hope I didn‘t miss anyone). And thanks to our sponsors, Rigworks fabrication, JE Reel Drivelines,
’s 25th Anniversary Celebration, Maxxis tires, CTM, the Blue 52 gang, Pro Auto Sales, and those of you who sent something to help us out with expenses. All of your help and efforts are very greatly appreciated. Thanks also to Scott Hilton for the use of the helmets and to Barry Hopfe for the firesuits.
The King of the Hammers race is the first ever of it's kind, combining rock crawling and desert racing in one marathon race. The course consisted of about 15 miles of rock trails and 30 some miles of various desert terrain. The Johnson Valley trails that we ran were Aftershock, Sunbonnet/Hell's Gate, Sledgehammer, Jackhammer, Wrecking Ball, Clawhammer, Big Johnson, and Outer Limits.
Before I get into some race details, I want to thank our crew. First, thanks to Dave Taylor and Paul Sinclair, and Garry Hall, for getting us into the race. Thanks to Paul for being co-dog and helping with all the pre-race planning and work, and for being willing to be thrown around in the passenger seat for a few hours. Thanks to the guys who helped work on the rig ahead of time, Cal Tuttle, Andy Couch, Matt Strmiska, Eric Geye, Robert Gonzales, Joe, Daniel Fleming, Cliff, Jack, and Randy. Thanks to our crew at the race, Cal, Dave Taylor, Matt Strmiska, Andy Couch, Tony Rojo, Grant Barclay, Chris Johnson, “Jump this” Rick, and to Steve Hamilton and Mike for driving down to be there if we needed them (I hope I didn‘t miss anyone). And thanks to our sponsors, Rigworks fabrication, JE Reel Drivelines,

The King of the Hammers race is the first ever of it's kind, combining rock crawling and desert racing in one marathon race. The course consisted of about 15 miles of rock trails and 30 some miles of various desert terrain. The Johnson Valley trails that we ran were Aftershock, Sunbonnet/Hell's Gate, Sledgehammer, Jackhammer, Wrecking Ball, Clawhammer, Big Johnson, and Outer Limits.