By Mercedes Lilienthal
Celebrating 19 years of incredible off-road racing, King of the Hammers (KOH) roared back to Johnson Valley, California, earlier this year. Often referred to as "the world's hardest single-day off-road race," KOH continues to grow and morph as it entertains thousands of race fans.
A yearly tradition, KOH has become an off-roading paradise for racers and enthusiasts alike. Taking place on Means Dry Lake, the southernmost entrance to the Johnson Valley off-highway vehicle (OHV) area, the KOH venue features big boulders, dry lake beds, rolling hills, steep mountains, silt-ridden areas and everything in between. Elevations range from 4,600 ft. at Hartwell Hills to 2,300 ft. at Melville Dry Lake. Meanwhile, what usually is a dusty, open lakebed transforms into "Hammertown," a place where more than 100,000 racers, spectators, support staff and vendors congregate during the multi-week event.
Today's off-roading extravaganza is a far cry from its humble beginnings. When first conceived, KOH was a simple idea sketched on a napkin by founders Dave Cole and Jeff Knoll. It started with just 13 drivers—known as the "OG 13." The core group started competing against each other to see who could conquer the area's toughest trails—referred to as the Hammers—the fastest.
According to Rory Connell, the sales and marketing manager for Hammerking Productions Inc. and KOH, the competition has grown exponentially ever since. It now has more than 700 drivers competing across multiple classes beyond the legendary 4400 Unlimited "Race of Kings." Stock vehicle classes are attracting major OEM manufacturers like Ford, while Every Man Challenge has made competitive racing more accessible to grassroots groups. Women and men alike vie for class wins or overall titles. In short, KOH has evolved into one of the world's premier off-road racing events—but how exactly did it gain this stature so rapidly?
CHALLENGE, CAMARADERIE AND EVOLUTION
Perhaps the answer can be found in KOH's mix of challenge, camaraderie and evolution—all qualities from the event's outset that continue today. "New UTV classes have not only boosted driver participation," Connell points out, "but strengthened the vendor show and expanded the event's consumer base." For him, it's exciting to see powersports manufacturers, like Can-Am, building vehicles and formulating factory-supported race teams specifically for KOH classes. Connell started as a vendor in 2014, became a volunteer as well as a vendor in 2018, and started his current role in 2023.
Connell spent his career in the automotive aftermarket. "The majority of this time has been in the off-road market, but I did come from the custom-car/hot-rod side of the industry originally."
Johnson Valley has been Connell's consummate local off-roading spot. "All these things combined brought me to KOH along with many others on our team."
Since its inception, King of the Hammers has been owned and operated by Dave Cole. He founded Hammerking Productions Inc. and has always been its principal shareholder. Hammerking Productions is made up of multiple shareholders. Together, Hammerking Productions owns KOH, Ultra4 and all related intellectual property.
"What initially drew me to KOH was that's the world's hardest one-day off-road race," Amber Slawson said, a welder, talented off-road racer and rock crawler. "The challenge itself is what drew me. It's truly the pinnacle of our sport. I've always looked for the 'toughest' things to accomplish."
Slawson's career began when she bought her '88 Suzuki Samurai and wanted to modify it. She took a welding class at her local community college.
"I saw Jessi Combs in an American Welding Society video," Slawson said, "and decided to make welding my career." Combs, of course, was a renowned TV personality on shows like "Xtreme 4×4", "Mythbusters" and "Overhaulin'," and a talented welder, fabricator and racer. She earned the name "Queen of the Hammers," by winning KOH classes in 2014, 2016 and 2018 before she tragically perished while shattering her own land-speed record of 483 mph, beating Kitty O'Neill's 1976 record of 512.7 mph at Oregon's Alvord Desert.
After sweeping floors and working in industrial welding shops, Slawson realized she needed to get back into the off-road industry. Slawson started at Bomber Fabrication, a small, high-end fabrication shop specializing in building, maintaining and repairing off-road race vehicles, in May of 2021.
"I've been attending KOH since 2014. I immediately knew this was the world I had to be a part of," Slawson stated. "My family and I started out volunteering and have continued to do so." For Slawson and her family, being behind the scenes is more exciting. "In 2019, Jessi Combs passed away trying to set a world land-speed record. That event is what spurred me to take on racing KOH."
Slawson started racing her Samurai in 2020 as part of KOH's 4600 Stock Class for Every Man Challenge. After five years of drastically improving her time, she was just outside of finishing within her official time allotment.
In 2024, Slawson raced Randy Slawson's 4800 Legends Class Bomber chassis car in the 4400 unlimited Race of Kings. (He is her boss and now her husband.) After back-to-back race days competing with that car and her Samurai, she nabbed her first official finish in the 4400 Class in 21st place.
This year, Slawson again raced the same Bomber rig in the 4800 Legends Class. She was the first female in history to physically finish first place overall in the Every Man Challenge. However, after penalties, she earned an official second-place overall finish.
"I'm a firm believer Jessi paved the way for my success," Slawson stated. "I've never felt inferior to any of the other male racers. Combs spent years proving the throttle pedal doesn't care who's pushing it, and her 2014 win in the 4700 Spec Class really cemented that."
"I'm just a girl trying to make it in a guy's world," Slawson adds, mentioning how Combs always said, "Be the light you want to see in the world." That stuck with Slawson more than anything.
And in that, Slawson sees the KOH community as open and accepting...
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Photography by Ernesto Araiza, courtesy Hemmer King Productions
