Guthrie Racing's Father and Son Team Win the 2013 King of the Hammers UTV Title
- 9 Mar 2013
"This year was a lot more challenging," confirmed Guthrie Sr. "Last year a lot of competitors complained the course was too easy and that there was too much desert and not enough rocks. So this year they made a 115 mile race with 10 rock canyons that are some of the hardest rock canyons in Southern California."
The King of the Hammers off-road race was founded by Jeff Knoll and Dave Cole in 2007, with the intention of combining the most challenging aspects of desert racing and rock crawling. The vehicles used in the event are known as Ultra 4 vehicles, and some are capable of reaching speeds over 100 mph for the desert sections, but still contain gear ratios of 100-to-1 or lower for rock crawling. The torturous nature of King of the Hammers becomes more obvious after identifying some of the more infamous trails along the course, with names like Wrecking ball, Jackhammer, Chocolate thunder and Aftershock, you get the picture that this is no leisurely Sunday cruise. "This year there was also a time limit of eight hours and only three UTVs out of 35 finished the course," continues Guthrie. "This year was one of the most rewarding races due to the difficulty; I also could have never won this race without my son Mitch Jr. There was a lot winching up the rocks which takes a lot of running back and forth and being 16-years-old he is in great shape and recovers quickly. We won this race with eight minutes left on the clock, and by only 16 seconds over the course of an eight hour race. It was a good day!"
Guthrie Racing had an hour lead on their competition at one point, until a ball joint broke, which they had to fix on the trail, but not before Matt Enochs and his UTV passed them. "With about 10 miles left we retook the lead when they had a flat," Guthrie adds. "This put us first and the UTV behind us driven by Jon Crowley into second. Big thanks go out to K&N for keeping my engine running perfect through eight hours of the worst desert and rocks in Southern California!" Guthrie credits his familiarity with the Johnson Valley area for much of his ongoing success at the King of the Hammers race. "I know this area very well and have been rock crawling here since 1999 when I used to compete in the unlimited classes. I also won a championship in 2004. I feel this gives me an advantage in the rocks. I am also very comfortable in the fast desert sections. I also know how to setup a UTV for this type of event, to make it strong and last." After the King of the Hammers event Guthrie Racing continued on to the second round of the WORCS series without touching home base first. "Mitch Jr. won the Production 1000 class so the second round went great, we drove straight from the King of the Hammers the next day, to Primm, Nevada. We practiced Friday and raced Saturday. It was a very rough course and Mitch Jr. had a pretty uneventful day, though he only won by 3.5 seconds." Is there one overriding goal for Guthrie Racing in 2013? "To have Mitch Jr. win the production 1000 class in WORCS," says dad. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
