Latest news with #KingoftheHammers
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Here Are The Automotive Events On Jalopnik Readers' Bucket Lists
What car event have you always wanted to attend but just haven't managed to make it for one reason or another? There are so many incredible car gatherings around the world, from Mille Miglia to King of the Hammers, there's something for just about everyone. I've been lucky enough to see almost every event my little gearhead heart could ever dream of, bar one, the Goodwood Festival of Speed. One day I'll have to make the trip over and see it in person, but for now it remains the biggest event still on my list of things to do before I kick the proverbial bucket. Earlier this week we asked all of you to tell us about the event still on your bucket list, and you did not disappoint. With dozens of great suggestions to choose from, we picked ten of our favorite answers and included them below. If you think there's something missing from this list, or your bucket list has a more unique answer, feel free to sound off in the comments below. Read more: These Are The Best Engines Of All Time, According To You I'd love to attend the Pebble Beach Concours. I enjoy car shows of all kinds and that seems like the ultimate event to attend. Hope to get to it one day. Suggested by Dan60 The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, OK Sage Net Center, two weeks after Christmas. I'm not all that big of a fan of Tulsa, but the racing is supposedly incredible. An international cast of the baddest midget drivers, sprinkled with NASCAR and Indycar stars slumming for the week. A week of cut-and-thrust midget heats, sub-features and last-chance qualifiers capped with a Saturday night A-Main. Suggested by jrhmobile The Lane Museum's 'Rally for the Lane' I participated in the first one and it was a blast. Unfortunately, trying to convince a group of friends to shell out a grand apiece to spend a weekend driving a weird foreign car through rural Tennessee is more challenging than one would expect. Suggested by Earthbound Misfit I Spa. I have not been as in to F1 as I used to be, 10-, 20-, 30- years ago, but I'd still love to see F1 cars go through Eau Rouge at speed once in my life. Suggested by WeryPert1 This might seem like an odd choice, but as someone not from the States, I would really like to attend RADwood some day. It is much smaller in scale than a lot of the major automotive events around the world, but it happens to represent my favorite automotive era. Suggested by epep- I lived and worked out there but never had the chance to see it in person - the Africa Eco Race. It's kind of a pared down Paris - Dakar when it was still run in Africa. But this course snakes through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, through Mauritania, and into Senegal. It's stunning country out there. Downside, while staying/eating there won't destroy the budget, flights will cause the credit card to wince. And personal security is always an issue in some of the areas where the route passes through. Stateside, I'm still kicking myself for not getting my MX-5 up and down the Pikes Peak route. But it's still on my bucket list. Suggested by Xavier96 Any WRC event in Europe. Rallying is amazing, European fans are out of their minds. The settings and courses are beautiful. Suggested by JohnnyWasASchoolBoy Sure it is riddled with issues but after visiting Monaco during spring break more than 20 years ago, I still want to attend the Grand Prix before I get too old to travel. The city is beautiful and I got chills just walking through the famous tunnel under the Fairmont Hotel, imagining the cars wailing and transitioning as they exit. There are so many elevation changes and turns and the concept of turning a small coastal city into a race course ticks so many boxes on my happy list. Like my previous trip, I will most likely stay in much more reasonably priced Nice and take the train over. Or, I could rent a scooter, lose my riding buddy within 10 minutes, and accidentally wind up in Monaco (this was before Google maps). Back in 2003, a dirty martini at the Casino Monte Carlo set me back €20, so I can't imagine how expensive things are nowadays. It might be five figures alone just to get tickets for two people for the race weekend. As a runner up, I want a chance to drive a fun car (most likely an M Car), at the Nürburgring on a tourist day. It's not a proper motorsports event but would certainly be the highlight of my amateur weekend warrior track day career. Suggested by ODDseth Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. Nothing more to add, really. Suggested by Pete I grew up in Indianapolis and my dad took me to the Indy 500 when I was probably 9 or 10 and it was... boring as hell. We even had fantastic tickets- across from the pits and under the big roof so we didn't get baked by the sun. Jim Neighbors sang, a really old lady said "gentlemen start your engines," There was a pit fire where one of the pit crew spilled fuel and the car caught on fire, that super weird clear fire you can't see except for the effects it has on anything near it, it was objectively a cool experience but I was 9 and it was 4 hours of watching cars blur past in a straight line over the bricks. So, I'd love to go back. I'd love to go to the 500 as an adult who has patience and some understanding of what was going on. As a hoosier, even a former hoosier who'll never move back, I feel like this is a thing I need to do. Maybe I can take my own kiddo and help her see why the 500 is the greatest spectacle in racing. Suggested by Buckfiddious Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Motor Trend
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Unbridled: We Drive A 1,000-HP Ford Bronco and King of Hammers-Winning Truck
It's amazing how capable a Ford Bronco is. Capable of billy-goating up rutted hills, fording streams, rock crawling, and mudding, there are few obstacles a base Bronco can't tackle. But that pesky human desire for more—coupled with the need to be the masters of our domains—exists. For consumers, Ford hopes the Bronco Black Diamond or Bronco Raptor can scratch that itch. But for adrenaline junkies like racer Loren Healy, built Broncos like the King of the Hammers–winning Bronco 4600 and the one-off 1,000-hp Bronco 'El Bandito' might suffice. Ford brought us out to its Las Vegas Off-Roadeo location to get a taste of what, exactly, that 'more' from a Bronco feels like. Located about 25 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, Ford's Nevada Bronco Off-Roadeo (one of five; Ford also has locations in New Hampshire, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah) is nestled up into Potosi Mountain's slopes, the site of a famous World War II–era plane wreck and various lead mining concerns dating back to New Spain. Surrounded by centuries-old desert two-tracks, Joshua trees, slot canyons, and rocks, it's the perfect place to get acquainted with two seriously impressive—but very different—breeds of Broncos. What's Bigger Than a Sasquatch? The Bronco 4600 has much in common with the two-door Bronco Black Diamond Sasquatch you can buy from your local Ford dealers. Named for the King of the Hammers' 'stock' 4600 class, the Bronco 4600 retains the frame, body, engine (in this case the optional 330-hp, 415-lb-ft 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6), 10-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive transfer case, and 35-inch tires of civilian Bronco Sasquatches. Its main modifications include a roll cage, upgraded brakes, a front portal axle, rear air-locking differential, and Fox coilover shocks with remote reservoirs and pneumatic bumpstops at all four corners for both rock crawling and high-speed desert running (though there are far more changes, which you can read about here). This Bronco 4600 was driven by King of the Hammers legend Healy, who piloted it to a first-place finish in 2023. Strapped in with Healy riding shotgun, we were let loose in the Off-Roadeo's high speed Raptor and technical Baja courses. Our route was a great reminder of what helps make King of the Hammers such a challenging race, varying from tight, technical washes and off-camber climbs up boulders, tabletop jumps, and moguls. Vehicle traits that make an off-roader good at more technical elements—such as a short wheelbase and high-riding body—make it a more challenging drive on faster, more dynamic terrain and vice versa. The fact that racers such as Healy can process that duality at race pace is wildly impressive, especially considering how unforgiving deserts can be. Those compromises certainly arise during our spin in the Bronco 4600—chiefly in high-speed bowls or hairpins when the quick hydraulic steering, short wheelbase, and high center of gravity conspire against unexpecting drivers, or on the tabletop jumps where we tended to land nose first, yet that same duality makes the 4600 such a thrilling drive—like a two-door Bronco Raptor. Set up with a prominently placed brake pedal for left-foot braking and with the twin-turbo V-6 locked into the Bronco's Baja mode, the Ford feels surprisingly responsive once you're aware of its quirks, with near instantaneous throttle response, easy-to-modulate brakes with plenty of stopping power, and reactive steering. It's a thrill to rotate it on throttle through hairpins, weasel through narrow crevices, and pick our way among boulder-strewn fields—so much so that'd we'd have been content to keep finding faster and more technical terrain to drive through if we didn't have El Bandito waiting. Meeting the Bandit Unlike the Bronco 4600, 'El Bandito'—named for 'the outlaws of yesteryear that would roam Mexico and the American Southwest'— wasn't built to meet any racing body's rule book. Instead, it was meant to live up to the name of Healy's and partner Vaughn Gittin Jr.'s Fun-Haver Off-Road brand. This Baja-inspired Bronco started life as a pre-production two-door Bronco destined for the crusher, but was stripped down to its cab; mated to a tube frame; fitted with a Baja Bronco's front- and rear end; and then stuffed with the same axles, diffs, transfer case, 42-inch wheel and tire package, and suspension package (Fox Shox coilovers, bypasses, and bumpstops with 20-inch front and 25-inch rear travel) as the pair's Utra4 4400 Unlimited race trucks. Unlike the race trucks, however, the Bronco El Bandito is powered by an engine you won't find in your neighbor's Bronco—a 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 courtesy of the Mustang GT500 paired with a four-speed manually shifted automatic. Not content with the factory's 760-hp tune, the Fun-Haver team swapped out the factory's supercharger in favor of a 3.8-liter Whipple unit, boosting power to about 1,000 tire-roasting horsepower. The results are intoxicating, overwhelming, psychotic, and fantastic all at once. El Bandito's sheer size, lack of visibility, and outright power make it intimidating to drive at first. It's quicker than you think it'd be, more responsive to braking and steering inputs than the Bronco 4600, and has so much suspension travel and tire that it floats over obstacles that look impassible. After a few laps around our makeshift Baja course, we found ourselves getting more comfortable with El Bandito. Pretty soon we could string together a few clean laps as we got into the rhythm of things: pinning the throttle on the straights, dabbing the brakes to load the nose before turning in, powering out, and ensuring the suspension is unloaded by throttle or brake input before hitting an obstacle—or jump. It was amazing how softly El Bandito landed after repeated launches from the tabletop. Having jumped just about every factory high-speed off-roader in existence, it was jarring—or, should we say, the opposite—the way this custom Bronco returned to Earth, especially considering it felt like El Bandito's nariz was pointed straight down after every leap. A braver driver might've been able to land El Bandito square with more speed, but that wasn't this author. What El Bandito Is Really Capable Of Luckily, Healy was on hand to give us a taste of what El Bandito could really do—and in that two laps it was abundantly clear that we were nowhere near even scratching the surface of what this Baja-bred Bronco is really capable of with a racer behind the wheel. And, rather than working up to race pace, Healy just went for it. We pulled out of the paddock on the quarry's rim, and Healy firewalled the throttle as we dropped down into the bowl. Waiting at the bottom was a berm we'd previously gingerly crawled over before lining up with the tabletop; Healy simply plowed through it like it didn't exist, relying on the Bronco's child-sized tires and suspension to sort it out. He then yanked the hand brake (oh, did we not mention the hydraulic drift brake?), pointed El Bandito's nose toward the tabletop as we spat sand out of our mouth, and sent El Bandito skyward over the jump—the sounds of rock and gravel clanging off its underside replaced by wind and a supercharged V-8 exiting via a single exhaust pipe behind our head. The landing was surprisingly gentle. As suspected, Healy brought the Bronco down square on all fours and raced off through the rest of the course. It was impressive watching him work from up close. Despite El Bandito's size, he knew how to make it feel like it like a smaller car, relying on the suspension to eat up washes and banks, brakes to load the nose, and the throttle to get it spun around corners. We got lulled into a false sense of comfort as he tore through the track in likely a third of the time it took us to tackle it. The second time through, Healy drifted El Bandito sideways along sweeping left-hand bend carved into a dune, pointed to the next straight, and then instead of proceeding as expected, grabbed the handbrake for a quick 180-degree turn, and went full throttle up the 65-degree or so embankment. We have no idea how fast we hit that incline—El Bandito doesn't have a speedo—but once we launched off that ridge, it didn't feel like we'd ever come down. We just floated there, weightless, the supercharged monster spinning freely in front of us, as loose objects in the cab floated up and away from us waiting for that inevitable reunion with the ground. We landed hard, rear wheels first, the massive hydraulic jounce bumpers turning what would be a totaling event in a stock Bronco Raptor into one that felt like we were rear-ended in a parking lot. It was terrifying and thrilling, all at once. As we set off again, all we could do was laugh—which at the heart of that is the entire point of El Bandito. The Bronco, in general, too. There are more sensible and efficient (space and otherwise) SUVs on the road—like Ford's own Bronco Sport—but the regular Bronco is one of the few SUVs on the road that provide its drivers with a tangible sense of fun, whether it be getting dusty in the desert or just driving over parking curbs for fun. While El Bandito is likely a bit much for your commute, you and I can scratch that same itch in any Bronco Sasquatch or Raptor.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Kawasaki Enters the Electric UTV Market with This Neighborhood Cruiser
Electric power is now showing up in the UTV/SxS market, with segment-leader Polaris having introduced a new model two years ago, followed by several other makers. Now Kawasaki is into it with its new NAV 4e. Called a Neighborhood Activity Vehicle, the NAV 4e seats four and has a range of up to 40 miles, Kawasaki claims. Prices start at $12,999. On sale this month. The UTV industry may be going through what the car industry has already done: figuring out exactly how big the market is for electric vehicles. You know what a UTV is: Utility Terrain Vehicles, or Side-by-Sides, SXS. They are small, light, and cheap, and they can be a lot of fun. A UTV just won the King of the Hammers off-road race, using its light weight and a highly modified suspension to clear rocks that tripped up competitors. SxSs are traditionally internal combustion vehicles, using small-displacement gasoline engines to get around. But recently, UTV makers have been slowly dipping their tire treads in the electric-vehicle market. Two years ago the segment-leader Polaris came out with its Ranger Pro XD Full-Size Kinetic pickup, which its consumer website lists at $30,394. Tractor Supply Co. will sell you something called a Bighorn Wildcat E5 for $7,499. Camping World has something called a Kandi Kruiser on its website that starts at $7,999. Even John Deere has an electric version of its popular Gator UTV, the GS Electric Utility Vehicle. Now, Kawasaki, maker of the Mule, the Ridge, and the Teryx SxSs, enters the fray with a new all-electric lineup called the NAV 4e. 'Kawasaki's first-ever electric four-wheeled vehicle is more than just a way to cruise the neighborhood or run errands, it is a new way of life,' Big Green says. 'You will no longer be going to your neighbors, or the local pickleball court, you will NAV to your desired location.' NAV seems to stand for Neighborhood Activity Vehicle, and it's not unlike those GEM NEVs we saw 20-something years ago, wherein NEV stood for Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. Kawasaki says the NAV is a Personal Transportation Vehicle, or PTV (more acronyms!) and not a golf cart. It's powered by an AC motor mounted in the back that produces a maximum of 10.7 kW of power (14.3 hp), good for a top speed of 19 mph. It sports a single reduction gear, with the motor and transmission integrated into the rear axle. There are two battery packs: on the LE and Limited models, there is a pair of 3.2-kWh lithium-ion batteries that offer a range of up to 40 miles and are 'ideal for carrying passengers on longer trips;' the standard NAV 4e model has a set of six lead-acid batteries with a range of up to 17.5 miles. Regenerative braking helps extend those range figures. The NAV 4e features four forward-facing seats, the back two of which can fold flat for cargo. It's not just a crude conveyance, either. The top-of-the-line NAV 4e Limited features a large 7-inch full-color TFT LCD screen compatible with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The Limited is also equipped with four 6.5-inch roof-mounted speakers that can blast The Stars and Stripes Forever when you enter the neighborhood 4th of July Parade. There's even a subwoofer available as a Kawasaki Genuine Accessory that fits in the under-hood storage compartment to really let everyone know you're coming. Prices range from $12,999 to $19,999 and they'll be available this month. Would you buy one of these? Let us know below.
Associated Press
10-02-2025
- Automotive
- Associated Press
Can-Am Factory Racer Kyle Chaney Earns Historic Win at the 2025 King of the Hammers
VALCOURT, QC, Feb. 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Can-Am, iconic brand of BRP Inc. (TSX: DOO) (NASDAQ: DOOO), made history at the 2025 King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California, as Kyle Chaney became the first driver to win the 4400 Unlimited class in a modified UTV. Chaney and his co-driver Terry Madden navigated the unforgiving terrain with precision and perseverance in their Can-Am Maverick R, crossing the finish line over 30 minutes ahead of their closest competitor. This win represents a milestone in Can-Am's history, as the 4400 Unlimited class has historically been won only by custom-built trucks and buggies with high-horsepower engines. 'We are immensely proud of Kyle's achievement and the effort our team put into this race,' said Jean-Francois Leclerc, BRP Race Manager. 'King of the Hammers is unlike any other race with the mix of high-speed desert terrain and technical, rocky canyons. We knew it would be difficult, but we put some of our best racers in the pack to go for the win. To see the Maverick R prevail against vehicles from major automotive manufacturers with three times the horsepower is very gratifying to say the least.' Widely considered the crown jewel of the King of the Hammers week of races, the 4400 Unlimited race consisted of three different laps, each presenting its own unique challenge to test the driver's skills and the capabilities of their machines. After qualifying fourth, Chaney started on the second row. He remained in the top six throughout the first lap before working his way into the lead on lap two. Lap three required immense navigational skill, as this portion of the course was not made public until the day before the race and the drivers could not pre-run it. Chaney's co-driver Terry Madden kept them on track, playing a crucial role in their success. Proving the potential of the Maverick R platform, Chaney and Madden emerged victorious with a time of 7 hours, 53 minutes and 45 seconds. 'We drove our best and my crew put everything they had into this. I have to thank Can-Am and CT Race Worx for building this car for us to battle against all the top guys in the 4400 race. We picked some good lines and Terry was awesome with the navigation. The third lap was crazy, we had no idea where we were going. There were no trails, we just had to pick our lines as we went and stay close to the checkpoints. We did our best to take care of the car all day, but you know, it's a Can-Am, it never quits!' Kyle Chaney, Cody Miller and Hunter Miller were the only drivers to contest the 4400 Unlimited race in UTVs. Can-Am partnered with CT Race Worx to modify the Maverick R to meet the specifications of the 4400 Unlimited race. The vehicles maintained the powertrain and geometry of a stock Maverick R, except for the chassis adjustments needed to fit 37-inch tires. Cody and Hunter Miller also showed promising pace, with Cody running in second place until the late stages of the race. Unfortunately, both of their races were cut short due to technical issues. In addition to Chaney's success in the 4400 Unlimited race, Can-Am drivers swept the podium in the Pro Mod class of the UTV Hammers Championship race. Cody Miller secured the Pro Mod win and second overall, while Nathan Parker finished second in Pro Mod and third overall, and Paul Wolf rounded out the podium with third in Pro Mod. All three racers showcased the performance, reliability and toughness of the Can-Am Maverick R. Can-Am Racers will be back in action at the 2025 San Felipe 250 on Saturday, April 5. About BRP BRP Inc. is a global leader in the world of powersports products, propulsion systems and boats built on over 80 years of ingenuity and intensive consumer focus. Through its portfolio of industry-leading and distinctive brands featuring Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and pontoons, Can-Am on and off-road vehicles, Alumacraft and Quintrex boats, Manitou pontoons and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts and recreational aircraft, BRP unlocks exhilarating adventures and provides access to experiences across different playgrounds. The Company completes its lines of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and apparel portfolio to fully optimize the riding experience. Committed to growing responsibly, BRP is developing electric models for its existing product lines. Headquartered in Quebec, Canada, BRP has annual sales of CA$10.4 billion from over 130 countries and employs close to 20,000 driven, resourceful people as of January 31, 2024.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
You Won't Believe What Just Won King of the Hammers!
They say racing improves the breed. Well then, get ready for a whole new breed. For the first time in the 18-year history of the event, a SxS has won King of the Hammers. Kyle Chaney's Can-Am not only won the massive, day-long suffer- and dirt-fest out in the Mojave Desert's Johnson Valley, he beat the next-closest guy by a full half hour, and the guy after that, off-road and NASCAR racing great Robby Gordon, by over two hours. The race wasn't without its unique challenges. Navigation was a problem, for instance. Just knowing where you are in all the dust and trackless desert was Chaney's biggest challenge. 'The course was crazy, we didn't even know where we were going as there was just nothing there. We had to pick where we were going. There is definitely a lot of luck involved in this, but we picked some good lines. Terry (Madden) was an awesome navigator, and the car stayed together. We just took care of the car all day. Guys were passing us and I just let them go because we had to keep the car together.' Previous KoH winner JP Gomez, of the Gomez racing family that has won KoH before, finished second this year. 'Oh man, this is part of racing right,' said Gomez at the finish. 'You go fast, you get flats. You go slow, you get passed by Josh Blyler.' But Blyer wasn't on the podium. That went to a famous name. Robby Gordon rolled into Hammertown two hours and 22 minutes behind Chaney, Gordon was a last-minute entry in the race and drove one of the Gomez family's pre-runners. 'Thank you to all of you fans who come out and support us,' Gordon said to the crowd. 'Mike Jams (ceo of Hammerkings Productions, the company that runs the King of the Hammers), thank you, and Dave Cole (co-founder of the race), thank you for having this crazy dream and building King of the Hammers. It is insane. Everybody comes out here and has a great time.' King of the Hammers is surely the hardest single-day beat-down in racing. It started 18 years ago by a group of friends who used to drive their 4x4s up and down the crazed, boulder-strewn madness carved into the hills around Johnson Valley, Calif., a dystopian hellscape in a land that appreciates dystopian hellscapes. The runs went up seemingly impossible canyons with boulders the size of washing machines and Volkswagons, some the size of single-car garages. These pre-running pioneers from two decades ago named each canyon trail: Jackhammer, Sledgehammer, Clawhammer… They were all Hammers. Then one of the wheelers made the audacious claim that he could run all of the Hammers in a single day. 'No way,' the bros said. 'Way,' he replied. Or words to that effect. Thus, The King of the Hammers was born. Now, close to 100,000 spectators gather each year in a temporary fiberglass paradise of motorhomes and fifth-wheels called Hammertown, eating dust and cheering on the maniacs who come to race. KoH now stretches over two weeks, motorcycle races first, followed by four-wheeled competitions. The biggest and most prestigious of them all is The King of the Hammers. Until now, it had always been won by purpose-built, vaguely Jeep-looking contraptions with four-wheel drive and tremendous jounce and rebound that could not only crawl over big boulders but bomb flat out across the hardened desert in between the Hammers. Your rig has to be able to do both to win. And this year, to everyone's surprise, it was a Can-Am UTV that won it.
