We’ve often talked about King of the Hammers here at BANGshift. I’m a huge fan of the event and disappointed that we had to miss it this year. I’ve been lucky enough to go the past few years and can tell you that this is one of those events that has you wide eyed and blown away each and every year. The action, the performances, the machines themselves, continue to grow and evolve and that is something special to watch. At the same time there is something completely pure about this kind of racing as the teams look to climb the rocks, climb the hills, and fly across the desert with the hope of being dubbed King of the Hammers with a win. How these teams climb the rocks and hills, and fly across the desert, is up to personal preference, budget, and skills, but the variety is one of the things that makes this racing ultra cool still. We especially love the Independent vs Solid Axle suspension debates, the single driver vs driver and navigator teams, and the slow and steady vs to the wood rock climbing styles. And because the course is changing with each truck or buggy that goes through, the challenges become even bigger as the race goes on. As a spectator you find yourself sitting at a particular obstacle on the course and will yell and encourage and discourage drivers from taking a particular line or tact on the obstacle. Why? Well after sitting and watching 20 others try a pile of rocks and either failing or succeeding, the crowd sometimes knows more than the teams themselves.
Watch this video, and you’ll get to see just how King of the Hammers has come to be where it is today. The evolution of a race this big and famous is surely fun to watch.
