Dynomax Sponsors 2011 King of The Hammers Race

Recommended Reading: DynoMax® Sponsors 2011 King Of The Hammers Desert Racing Series

Rock crawling – which is commonly known as “driving a vehicle over things that no one thought possible” – is one of the most hard-core automotive endeavors. Desert racing – which is commonly known as “if we break down out here we just might die” – is also one of the most hard-core automotive endeavors. King of the Hammers is a racing event that combines the two –  here’s what you need to know:

This Suzuki Samurai is tackling a warm-up trail - image copyright TurnDriverSide. Click for original.

First, let’s talk about vehicles that are capable of crawling over rocks. If you want to build one, you need:

• A good off-road platform, like a Jeep Wrangler or Toyota 4Runner, etc.
• An engine that can generate a lot of low-end torque and a transmission that can manage it
• Big tires and a long-travel suspension
• Rock sliders and skid plates
• Tough-as-nails driveshafts and transfer cases
• Really tall front and rear heavy-duty Dana axles
• Upgrades to nearly every suspension and powertrain component

The funny thing is, a lot of the items on the list above are needed to make a great desert racer too. The only difference – desert racers – like this Camburg Racing Baja Toyota Tundra –

Camburg Racing stock Tundra - image copyright HowDeeDooDat, click for original.

are built for speed first and rocks second. Rock crawlers aren’t really fast – some of them can’t break 40mph safely – but they’re great at climbing trails.

Building a rock crawler or a desert racer is a lot like building an deep ocean sub – it’s got to be able to go places no one ever thought it could go, and it’s got to be able to bring you home too.

The deal with the King of The Hammers race is that they’re pitting rock crawlers against desert racers…and then they’re running them over a course that contains both large expanses of desert AND technical trails. The best racer has to be durable enough to complete the race + capable of climbing rocks + fast enough to hang in the desert “straightaways.”

Sounds cool, eh? How smart is DynoMax to become a sponsor?

From DynoMax.com

MONROE, MI., Jan. 6, 2011 – DynoMax® Performance Exhaust – a leading innovator in performance exhaust technologies – has announced the sponsorship of the ultimate desert racing series, King of the Hammers. DynoMax also will sponsor the Shannon Campbell and Team Campbell racing program, including their races in the Ultra4 series and Best in the… Read the full article…