I am sitting here at my desk tonight thinking of all the fun everyone is having on Means Dry Lakebed tonight in anticipation of tomorrow’s 2010 King of the Hammers race.  So many people have called to ask if I am in Johnson Valley on the lakebed in the makeshift town called “Hammertown”.  Hammertown is not an actual town it is a gathering of like minded individuals with a common goal.  The goal at KOH is to have a good time either watching the race or for those prepared to get behind the wheel and let it all hang out in the worlds toughest one day race.

King of the Hammers for those who do not know is the ultimate in offroad racing.  It takes some of the most difficult rock crawling trails in the world and combines them with harsh flat out desert racing.  I have been involved with the offroad industry for many years.  I have watched and participated in the evolution of this sport.  I sit back in awe tonight as I read all of the comments on the internet about tomorrow’s 2010 King of the Hammers race wishing I would have made the trip out to the be more involved.  Just think a class 1 desert buggy could not win KOH, but at the same time a cone dodging world class rock crawler could not win either.  Someone in the middle is what a KOH style race vehicle is evolving to.  It is truly awesome to see the birth of a new sport developing.

The actual race may be a one day event but I can tell you from a first hand point of view it is a year round endeavor. KOH is not something you wake up and decide to do a month before the race.  It is something you have to live for and prepare for.  The race concept started about 4 years ago as an idea discussed between Jeff Noel and Dave Cole.  Today the KOH race is shaping the offroad industry.  KOH is pushing fabricators to think outside of the box and reach for new ideas.  KOH is also pushing people within rock sports to reach out to professionals in the desert racing community for their experience in the go fast department.  As I typed the last sentence I can not help smiling.  A desert racer with no experience rock crawling is going to have a difficult time on the technical rock sections which can eat up a car and destroy it before you know what happened.  On the other hand KOH is not all rocks, the desert racers entered in this year’s event have more experience than any other past driver in the desert which can also destroy a car in the matter of minutes.  So, the big question is who will win tomorrow’s 2010 King of the Hammers race?  Will it be the ever popular and favorite to win Shannon Campbell, last years winner Jason Scherer, or a champion of desert racing like BJ Baldwin? Tomorrow morning the race will begin.  The cars will line up and leave Hammertown two by two with a cheering crowd looking on from around the world.

I have to be completely honest here.  Some have asked this week if I regret selling the shop and not going to KOH this year.  My answer is absolutely not.  I could have made the trip out to the lakebed this year but decided to give myself a break.  I am back home in Alabama hanging out with my wife and kids.  I missed Valentines day to be in the desert last year.  This year I am going to take my wife out on the town to show her off for a change. Next year she may need a set of dirt bike goggles to keep the dust out of her eyes.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow.  I hope the race goes well and everyone comes home safe.

If you would like to watch live coverage of the 2010 King of the Hammers be sure to visit Pirate4x4.

For more information on KOH you can also visit www.kingofthehammers.com