Hammerking Productions has just announced the dates for King of the Hammers 2026, which will take place from January 22nd to February 7th, 2026, in Johnson Valley, California.

Next year will mark a milestone for this legendary event—widely regarded as the world’s toughest one-day off-road race. Born in 2007 from a friendly challenge over a case of beer, King of the Hammers has evolved under the visionary leadership of its founder, Dave Cole. Over the past two decades, it has grown into a massive spectacle, drawing more than 85,000 spectators to the Lakebed and Hammertown, along with an online audience of approximately 2 million.

In this article, I will take a journey through the key moments in King of the Hammers history, from its unique origins to the present day.

Photography and Story by Paolo Baraldi

Today, King of the Hammers has gained immense recognition among off-road enthusiasts, to the point that it is now considered the toughest one-day off-road race in the world. Every year, more than 85,000 fans gather in Johnson Valley to witness their heroes in action.

The official story of King of the Hammers is well known. The race was founded in 2007 by Dave Cole and Jeff Knoll, both off-roaders but from different disciplines, who wanted to challenge themselves and a group of friends in a race that combined the high-speed desert racing style with the technical obstacles of rock crawling.

The first edition featured just 12 teams—later known as the OG13, and I’ll explain why shortly. The event’s success and the growing interest it generated led to its exponential growth, transforming it into the incredible spectacle we see today.

Having spent a lot of time with the people behind KOH, I’ve always suspected that there was more to the story than the official version. After asking the right questions to the right people, I uncovered fascinating details that I am about to share with you.

The location where everything was born was a bar in San Bernardino, to be precise Chili's bar. Here Dave Cole and Jeff Knoll planned the first King of the Hammers on a paper napkin.

Cole was a Rock-Crawler champion and had good relations with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), Knoll was involved in the Desert Race and had experience in managing motorsport events. After working on logistics and creating a team to run the event, they invited twelve of their friends to the Johnson Valley with the excuse of spending a day together in offroad. To the guys was not told anything that happened until they all arrived. The very first edition of the King of the Hammers was handled in secret: no spectator, no journalist and no sponsor; only the drivers invited and as a prize a case of beer.

The route of this first KOH, 35 miles long, was presented to the participants like that:

"Lakebed to Outer Limits up Outer Limits down Aftershock down Sunbonnet up Devil's Slide down Hell's Gate take a right towards Landers up the Slide Towards the end of Sledge  up Jack (hammer) down Jack North up Wrecking Ball down Claw (hammer) back to the Lakebed ".

Twelve checkpoints were set up along the track where each pilot had to sign a log to ensure that all trails were completed.

JR Reynolds, with the advantage of competing at home won the race with a surprising time of 2 hours and 57 minutes. Tracy Jordan, a "virgin" from the Hammers, arrived about half an hour later. Most of the others took more than five hours to cross the finish line. Some pilots, like Jordan, had never been to Johnson Valley and relied solely on GPS to find their way.

After the "non-event" was disputed, Jeff Knoll posted a simple question on a famous American offroad forum: "How do you think it takes to run 8 Hammers trails consecutively?". Dave Cole, immediately he stimulated even more attention by betting 100 dollars that no one could do it in less than five hours. After receiving the interest of the forum, they published the results of the secret competition and at that point everyone wanted to prove that they were faster. 

And that’s how King of the Hammers was born!

But, why the first KOH participants are called the OG13, the Original 13, if in reality there were only twelve?

A reliable source, JT Taylor, told me: "I was in charge of making the T-Shirts for the drivers, I called Dave and asked him: how many drivers are there? And Dave replied:  13 . So I asked him: Do we call them OG13? He told me yes, so I printed the shirts and only on the day of the race I discovered that we were 12 ... but since then we are known as the OG13."

The OG13 are:

- Bart Dixon

- Brett Porte

- Chris Gieger

- Hobie Smith

- Jack Graef

- Jeremy Toney

- John James

- John Reynolds

- JT Taylor

- Scott Ellinger

- Scott Porter

- Tracy Jordan 

The 13th person didn't race was Steve Parker, Hammer Hog. He was invited to race but opted not and was the CB Radio relay to make sure everyone made it back.

In 2008, the first official King of the Hammers took place—still without a public audience, but already setting the stage for what would become an off-road phenomenon. The course covered 50 miles, combining desert tracks with seven infamous Hammers that drivers had to conquer. Around 50 top competitors from both Desert Racing and Rock Crawling took on the challenge, each determined to prove their skill.

That year, Shannon Campbell was crowned King, delivering a legendary performance. Starting from last place, he fought his way to the front in an epic comeback that further cemented the race’s reputation as the ultimate off-road test.

Not long after, Hammerking Productions was founded, spectators were invited to witness the action firsthand, the first sponsors came on board, and the Ultra4 Racing category was officially defined—paving the way for what is now a full-fledged championship.

Since 2008, King of the Hammers has grown and evolved year after year, transforming into the incredible, one-of-a-kind spectacle it is today.

Johnson Valley is a small unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, nestled between Victor Valley and the Morongo Basin within California's High Desert region. It is situated north of Highway 247 in the Mojave Desert and north-northwest of Yucca Valley. The area is bordered by the San Bernardino Mountains to the south, Lucerne Valley to the west, and Landers to the east.

Geographically, Johnson Valley forms the eastern part of Lucerne Valley—the term referring to the natural valley formation rather than the unincorporated town—and opens up to the Homestead Valley in the southeast, which includes communities like Flamingo Heights, Landers, and Yucca Valley.

Hammertown is a unique, temporary city that springs to life in the heart of the desert. It’s fully equipped with street signs, a power grid, water services, and bathrooms, all built to support two weeks of intense off-road racing. Serving as the starting point for every race, it also transforms into the entertainment epicenter, featuring a live concert stage and a host of festivities that keep the energy high day and night.

At its core lies the iconic Hammertown Square, home to a massive firepit that provides a welcoming gathering spot for fans and participants alike. Here, spectators can relax, cheer on racers as they cross the finish line, or catch every thrilling moment on the big screen. More than just a base camp, Hammertown is a vibrant community that embodies the spirit of King of the Hammers—a place where racing excitement and camaraderie converge.

“W.E.ROCK Events in coordination with Hammer King Productions and Side X Side Super Jam, brings a UTV Class race to the 2009 King of the Hammers (KOH) race week. The UTV Class race will be a limited entry, and shortened version of the buggy race. Top UTV racers will race across the rugged terrain of Johnson Valley, known as the Hammers. The race course will include 2 of the infamous Hammers rock crawling trails and miles of desert sections, which will include lakebeds, whoop sections, gravel and rock washes, and deep sand areas”.

What you just read was the official announcement of the first UTV race at the KOH Week. Since then, UTVs have been a major presence at King of the Hammers.

UTV technology since the first edition is improving by leaps and bounds every year, just like the Ultra4 cars. This is to face the challenge that brings these vehicles to compete on the same race track as the big and powerful cars of the 4400 class.

The winners of all editions of this race:

2009: Mitch Guthrie

2010: Mitch Guthrie

2011: Brandon Schueler

2012: Mitch Guthrie

2013: Mitch Guthrie

2014: Mitch Guthrie

2015: Mitch Guthrie

2016: Blake Van De Loo

2017: Shannon Campbell

2018: Mitch Guthrie Jr.

2019: Mitch Guthrie Jr.

2020: Hunter Miller

2021: Kyle Chaney

2022: Kyle Chaney

2023: Kyle Chaney

2024: Kyle Chaney

2025: Brock Heger

Shannon Campbell is one of the most famous and best performing Ultra4 Racing drivers. Shannon won the King of the Hammers three times, 2008 - 2011 - 2017, and was the first to win the toughest one-day off-road race in the world with an IFS vehicle.

Here my list of the King of the Hammers winners from 2007 where, next to the name of the driver, I reported if the car is IFS or Solid.

2007: JR Reynolds (Solid)

2008: Shannon Campbell (Solid)

2009: Jason Scherer (Solid)

2010: Loren Healy (Solid)

2011: Shannon Campbell (IFS) First time Independent

2012: Erik Miller and Robert Ruggiero (Solid)

2013: Randy Slawson (Solid)

2014: Loren Healy (Solid)

2015: Randy Slawson (Solid)

2016: Erik Miller (Solid)

2017: Shannon Campbell (IFS)

2018: Jason Scherer (IFS)

2019: Jason Scherer (IFS)

2020: Josh Byler (Solid)

2021: Randy Slawson (Solid)

2022: Raul Gomez (IFS)

2023: Raul Gomez (IFS)

2024: JP Gomez (IFS)

2025: Kyle Chaney (UTV IFS)

To date, 11 wins for solid against 8 wins for IFS. And when will a victory of an IFS-IRS vehicle?

In the middle of 2011, Ultra4 announced that a new event would take place the Monday before the 2012 King of the Hammers: the Every Man Challenge (EMC).

This was the opportunity for non-professional drivers to race on the same course as the big event but slightly modified (4500) for the smaller tire restrictions.

It was originally open to only 100 vehicles and the list was filled before the start of 2012. The entry list has increased over the years along with the addition of 2 more classes in 2014: the Legends (4800) Class for older 4400 cars that were not as competitive and a Stock Class (4600).

What’s great about the Every Man Challenge, it gives those who aspire to race in the King of the Hammers a place to run and prepare themselves for that big race. Even though it may be shorter than most open desert races, it’s far more brutal than the mileage indicates. What’s even better, anyone can enter.

If you’ve got a stock, leaf-spring truck that you drive on the road but want to race it, you have a place in the EMC and the 4600 Stock Class. Even though it is the slowest class, it is the one where you’ll learn the most about Johnson Valley and the rock features they race on. At the very least, you get a chance to race on a compact version of the course that makes up the King of the Hammers. While having a huge budget is nice, the King of the Hammers and EMC is quite possibly the last race where you can drive your vehicle to the event, race in it, and possibly drive back home if you haven’t completely torn your vehicle to shreds. However, you might want to bring a trailer just in case.

EMC Past Winners:

- Overall:

2012: John Currie

2013: John Currie

2014: John Currie

2015: Brandon Currie

2016: Brad Lovell

2017: Brad Lovell

2018: Dan Fresh

2019: Casey Gilbert

2020: Brad Lovell

2021: Chayse Caprara

2022: Dan Fresh

2023: Jeremy Jones

2024: Randy Slawson

2025: Cody Young

- 4500 Past Winners:

2013: John Currie

2014: John Currie

2015: Brandon Currie

2016: Jessi Combs

2017: Marty Mann

2018: Dan Fresh

2019: Jimmy Jack

2020: Dan Fresh

2021: Dan Fresh

2022: John Matthews

2023: Duane Garretson

2024: Duane Garretson

2025: Dan Wyrick

- 4600 Past Winners:

2012: John Currie

2013: Matthew Peterson

2014: Erik Miller

2015: Matthew Peterson

2016: Brian Behrend

2017: Ben Varozza

2018: Jessi Combs

2019: Justin Reece

2020: Jesse Haines

2021: Justin Reece

2022: Vaughn Gittin Jr./ c

2023: Loren Healy

2024: Bailey Cole

2025: Brad Lowell

- 4800 Past Winners:

2014: Brad Lovell

2015: Ben Napier

2016: Brad Lovell

2017: Brad Lovell

2018: Casey Gilbert

2019: Casey Gilbert

2020: Brad Lovell

2021: Chayse Caprara

2022: Dan Fresh

2023: Jeremy Jones

2024: Randy Slawson

2025: Cody Young

Jessi Combs was a trailblazer in the world of off-road racing, earning her rightful title as the "Queen of King of the Hammers." She made history by winning the Spec class, becoming the first woman ever to place in an Ultra4 event.

At King of the Hammers, Jessi’s relentless determination and innovative spirit were on full display. She didn’t just compete—she redefined the role of women in extreme motorsports, proving that skill, grit, and passion know no gender. Her legacy remains a powerful symbol of courage and excellence, inspiring future generations of racers.

In 2025, Amber Slawson followed in Jessi’s footsteps, writing another remarkable chapter in the Every Man Challenge (EMC). Starting from 30th position, she fought her way to the front, crossing the finish line first in physical time. While an official review and time adjustments ultimately placed her second overall and in the 4800 Legends class, her performance was nothing short of extraordinary.

Amber’s drive and talent exemplify the growing presence and recognition of women in the toughest motorsport disciplines. Taking on the same brutal terrain as the best drivers in the field, she proved that the spirit of the Queen of King of the Hammers lives on.

I think this reimagining of a famous movie title fits perfectly with King of the Motos.  The first edition of this brutal race took place in 2012 and was born from an idea of the famous biker Jimmy Lewis.

"When you come out to King of the Hammers you are always amazed at what the 4400 cars can do and the terrain they can conquer. Then in 2012 Ultra 4 Racing brought motorcycles into the mix and threw them on the same rock trails the cars do. Seeing the worlds top riders navigate the rock trails with ease is something to see in person. A trail that is hard to walk up, riders at the top level make it look easy to climb on a motorcycle. Will challenge riders physically and emotionally. Riders will be faced with the option to rise to the challenge and continue, or fall to defeat. Every event within King of the Hammers is about pushing your limits".

King of the Motos Past winners:

2012: Graham Jarvis

2013: Cody Webb

2014: Cody Webb

2015: Colton Haaker

2016: Cody Webb

2017: Colton Haaker

2018: Cody Webb

2019: No race

2020: Cody Webb

2021: Trystan Hart

2022: no race

2023: Trystan Hart

2024: Cody Webb

2025: Trystan Hart

In 2014, fifty teams from across the US have signed up to compete in the first ever SRRS ULTRA4 King Shocks East vs. West Showdown at Back Door. This shootout will feature both ULTRA4 vehicles and Rock Bouncers in a shootout style competition at the infamous Back Door trail.  The shootout will pit drivers from East of the Mississippi against drivers from the West Coast to see whose vehicle has what it takes to climb Back Door the fastest.

In recent years it has also been held at Chocolate Thunder, Idle Issues and the Waterfall and the original challenge between pilots from the two coasts has been eliminated.

The big news of 2019 was the introduction in the KOH Week of the race of the big, powerful and fast Desert Trucks.

Since then, the Desert Challenge has become a big part of the KOH Week and what started out as a one-day invitational race is now an all-weekend event with all categories in this specialty.

The Desert Challenge Race at King of the Hammers (KOH) is a high-speed off-road race that takes place on the desert terrain surrounding Johnson Valley, California. It is one of the many competitions during the KOH week, and it features Trick Trucks—specially designed, high-performance vehicles built for extreme desert racing.

The race typically spans a rugged course that includes a mix of sand trails, rocky terrain, and open desert, challenging drivers with both speed and technical precision. Unlike the rock crawling events, where vehicles navigate difficult obstacles, the Desert Truck Race focuses on endurance and speed, with vehicles reaching high velocities as they tackle the harsh desert landscape.

The Desert Truck Race is a key part of the KOH festival, offering thrilling action and attracting top-tier off-road racers from around the world.

Last years podiums:

(T1) 2022 Winner Kyle Jergensen, Luke McMillin 2nd, Tim Herbst 3rd.

(T2) 2022 Winner Christopher Polvoorde, Dustin Grabowski 2nd, Chad Dohrman 3rd.

(B1) 2022 Winner Adam Lunn, Brad Etter 2nd, Kevin Smith 3rd."

2023 Desert Unlimited: Adam Householder

2023 Desert Limited: Ezra Ebberts

2024 Desert Unlimited: Christopher Polvoorde

2024 Desert Limited: Kyle Jergensen

2025 Desert Unlimited: Christopher Polvoorde

2025 Desert Limited: Kyle Jergensen

There's nothing like watching these near-stock VW Bugs – one of the original off-road race car types – go at it like Roman gladiators.

Past Winners:

2021: Blake Wilkey

2022: Blake Wilkey

2023: Alex Gonzales

2024: Blake Wilkey

2025: Blake Wilkey

Of the 19 winners...

3 are two-time Kings: Loren Healy in 2010 and 2014, Erik Miller in 2012 and 2016 and Roul Gomez in 2022 and 2023.

3 are three-time Kings: Shannon Campbell in 2008, 2011 and 2017. Shannon was the first to become twice King and the first to become three-time King.  Jason Scherer in 2009, 2018 and 2019. Randy Slawson in 2013, 2015 and 2021. Randy raced and won as JR Raynolds's co-pilot in the first ever King of the Hammers in 2007.

Jason Scherer and Raul Gomez are the only two to have won two consecutive years.

The 2024 Race of Kings set a new record. With JP Gomez's victory, it was the first time two brothers had become "Kings"; in fact in 2022 and 2023 Raul Gomez (JP's brother) won the Race of Kings.

Shannon Campbell is the only King to win the UTV race. He did it in 2017.

In 2024, Randy Slawson became the first King to win the Every Man Challenge overall.

Erik Miller and Loren Healy, in 2014 and 2023 respectively, are the only Kings to win the 4600 Stock Class in the EMC race.

In 2025, Kyle Chaney wrote a major chapter in the history of the King of the Hammers by becoming the first driver to win the Race of Kings driving a UTV; a Can-Am Maverick R modified by CT Race Worx. Terry Madden was Chaney's co-driver on this unforgettable experience. Can-Am partnered with CT Race Worx to modify the Chaney's 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.

Now that we have explored the entire history of King of the Hammers, from its origins to the present day, it’s time to look ahead to 2026.

Next January, we will gather once again on the legendary Means Dry Lakebed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this one-of-a-kind event. Two decades of adrenaline-fueled competition, groundbreaking innovation, and an unbreakable community spirit have made KOH a true icon in the off-road world. As we prepare for this milestone edition, anticipation runs high—what new challenges, stories, and unforgettable moments will the next chapter bring?

Over the years, as the number of races during KOH Week increased, the signature event originally known as King of the Hammers, in 2024 was rebranded as Race of Kings. Today, King of the Hammers refers to the entire event organized by Hammerking Productions.

In 2026 the most legendary off-road racing event in the world returns for the 20th year. Mark your calendars for the 2026 King of the Hammers happening January 22nd through February 7th.

Will it be a new one King or one of the already crowned in the past years?

2007: JR Reynolds

2008: Shannon Campbell

2009: Jason Scherer

2010: Loren Healy

2011: Shannon Campbell

2012: Erik Miller

2013: Randy Slawson

2014: Loren Healy

2015: Randy Slawson

2016: Erik Miller

2017: Shannon Campbell

2018: Jason Scherer

2019: Jason Scherer

2020: Josh Blyler

2021: Randy Slawson

2022: Raul Gomez

2023: Raul Gomez

2024: JP Gomez

2025: Kyle Chaney (UTV)