AZHIAZIAM TEAM TRUCK AT KING OF THE HAMMERS
NICK and JOHN HALL of Hallstyle Racing at the 2019 King Of the Hammers event in Landers California. Above Photos by Evan Walsh
The 13th annual King of the Hammers event went down over this last couple weeks at Means Dry Lake in Johnson Valley, CA. Normally held throughout the first couple weeks of February each year, King of the Hammers (KOH) is a series of races that combine desert racing and rock crawling and is the largest off-road race event in North America. This year’s races included in the event: The Every Man Challenge, KOH UTV Race, the Shootout, and the all-new Toyo Tires Desert Invitational. There are more than 400 teams competing in the event, with vehicles ranging from dirt bikes, quads, UTVs, 4WD vehicles, and Ultra4.
Ultra 4, one class of vehicle used at King of the Hammers, are custom fabricated by each team and have specific mechanical requirements that qualify them for both racing and rock crawling. These creations must be capable of speeds over 100 miles per hour for racing, but still contain gear ratios of 100 to 1 or lower for the technical rock crawling.
Longtime Azhiaziam supporters Nick and John Hall of Hallstyle Racing participated in the Ultra4 (unlimited 4400 class), finishing 2 of the 3 laps, but suffering a broken front inner IFS (independent front suspension) axle. But parts failures happen sometimes when you’re doing stuff like this.
The brothers came out of the race with lots of support from sponsors and friends, and are looking forward to the next race March 22nd in Folsom, California.
Mike Jones
PHOTOS BY EVAN WALSH