The 2018 King Of The Hammers went down in February, on the rocks and open lake beds of Johnson Valley. It could just as easily be Mars, though. And you get a great perspective of what a rock-crawling desert race is like from these drone shots.
The King Of The Hammers, sorry, I mean the 2018 Nitto King Of The Hammers Powered By Optima Batteries, is the biggest race in the series known as “Ultra4”, which pits massive V8-powered 4WD buggies on 40-inch tires against each other over slow, technical rock sections and fast wide-open desert terrain in the same event.
The race itself is a single-day event, but “Hammertown” is in business for a whole week while Johnson Valley hosts motorcycle, ATV, and even RC car events.
The big shows are livestreamed in remarkably impressive quality, so if you still haven’t heard of this madness and want to check it out next year, the Ultra4 website, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram accounts should have lots of fun stuff for you to look at. Those channels will also have you dialed in to watch the 2019 event live next February.
Or, you could always come out to Johnson Valley, eat some dust and see the nastiness for yourself! Dress warm, wear goggles, and you’ll do just fine.