One of the most grueling off-road races on the calendar, the King of the Hammers combines an 80-mile desert racing course with several rock crawl sections. A test of both man and machine, both racer and UTV have to be perfect to win.

Guthrie, Jr. spent a good deal of his young life co-driving for his father in the storied event and was a big part of the elder Guthrie’s record six victories in the UTV class. For the Guthries, racing is a family sport. They wrench together and they race together.

“I co-drove for three years with my dad and that was huge,” said Guthrie, Jr. “It was really fun getting a lot of wins with him. I have to give it to my dad. He helps me on my car and it’s a whole family thing. It was really cool to get the win and have my dad finish third. It goes to show how much work we put in. We put a lot of preparation into our cars and it paid off.”

After qualifying fifth, Guthrie, Jr. made quick work getting to the front, finally taking the lead for good in the Sledgehammer section. The car held up perfectly and expert driving made sure they didn’t have to get out and winch.

“It was a pretty crazy race and we had a lot of battles,” said Guthrie, Jr. “We ended up getting by a couple of people by Jackhammer. In Sledgehammer CJ was rolled over so we had to make a sketchy move to get around him. From there, it was our race.”

The Guthries have been running Polaris RZRs pretty much from the beginning. Guthrie, Jr. said the RZR Turbo combines the best of everything for the KOH course.

“The car has the perfect setup,” said Guthrie, Jr. “It’s narrow to help you get through the rocks and it’s nimble with all of the power and suspension you need.”

A lot of people shrugged when Guthrie, Jr. showed up to the race with a set of ITP Blackwaters on KMC wheels. The tires, designed as a mud tire, showed up the naysayers as provided great traction in both the desert and the rocks.

“The ITP Blackwaters were awesome for climbing the rocks and they had a ton of traction,” said Guthrie, Jr. “We never really wrenched, so that just shows how good the tires were. People have been telling us that these are mud tires, but they were perfect in the rocks. You just have to try them. They are awesome tires.”

Guthrie, Jr. was also running a new set of KMC wheels here. Narrower in profile and super durable, the KMCs carried the day through the race with no failures.

“They are a little narrower, so they really helped us get through the rocks,” said Guthrie, Jr. “There were a lot of broken wheels out here, and the KMCs held up great. Getting through without a flat or a broken wheel is what wins races.”

Lonestar Suspension and Walker Evans Shocks combined to make sure his ride stayed together and handled the varied terrain. Shock testing prior to the event gave Guthrie, Jr. the perfect setup

“We run all of Lonestar’s suspension and cage; they are an awesome sponsor that have great products,” said Guthrie, Jr. “This course had a lot of whooped-out stuff, so we did a lot of testing with Walker Evans prior to the race. It paid off. We were able to hit a lot of stuff that other people couldn’t and that made a huge difference for us.”

Factory UTV provided half-inch UHMW skid plates and Super ATVs axles never gave up. Though they didn’t need it, Guthrie, Jr. was glad to know he had a WARN winch.

“We were running over giant boulders and the car doesn’t even know it because of the skid plates,” said Guthrie, Jr. “We had no issues with our Super ATV axles. That’s a big thing because we put so much stress on these axles and they held up perfectly. Fortunately we didn’t need our winch much this year, but Warn makes the best winches out there. When we needed it, we knew it was there.”

Guthrie, Jr. will return to the Best in the Desert Series for the Mint 400. That race is scheduled for March 8-11 in Las Vegas.

Mitch Guthrie, Jr. 2018 Sponsors:
Polaris RZR, ITP Tires, KMC Wheels, Walker Evans Racing, Lonestar Racing, WARN Winches, Super ATV, Factory UTV, UTVUnderground.com. Rugged Radios, Cooper Standard, Baja Designs, IMS Metal, Tire Balls, PRP Seats, SSI Decals, JE Reel, Concept Powdercoating

Words by: Harlen Foley | Photos by: Harlen Foley, Jason Zindroski, Ernesto Araiza, Daniel Schenkelberg

 
The Trail Hero (noun): A person who exemplifies giving back to the off-highway vehicle community, donates their time, effort and sometimes money to keep our trails open for OHV access, and promotes our sport as a whole as an ambassador.
 
Trail Hero Presented by CargoGlide will have 80 trails to choose from over 4 days of the event, all guided by the Desert Roads and Trails Society, PLUS each afternoon will feature a rock sports event that highlights what extreme 4×4 vehicles are capable of handling: a rock race, a rock crawl, breaking open a new trail during the Trail Breaker, and attempts at “Bounty Hill” which is open for anyone to try.
 
“With our second year, Trail Hero presented by CargoGlide is focused on Veterans Access and Special Needs Access on public lands. Veterans are why this great country is free, and our Active Militaryare why we remain free, because of their bravery. As a token of our thanks, Thursday is Veterans Access and Active Military day. Show us your Military ID at Sign In and your trail is free for Thursday.  Trail Hero is also working with Wheelers for the Wounded of California to bring in some very special veterans to enjoy Sand Mountain.  Special Needs access, from physical to mental, are a group that Trail Hero helps facilitate their experience on public lands. Special Needs Access day will give the opportunity for someone that would never get to enjoy the outdoors on a 4-Wheel Drive trail the experience of a lifetime.” Explains Rich Klein, owner of Trail Hero.
 
The inaugural year of Trail Hero Presented by CargoGlide (2016) celebrated all things 4×4 and rock sports, and participants loved the new event and its energy. The second annual event has upped the ante and added a beach party with a DJ at Sand Hollow State Park. The Off-Road show has changed to only being held on Saturday followed up by closing ceremonies and a raffle benefiting Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA).
 
Valerie Douglas, Media Director of Trail Hero explains why this event is important for all user groups within the off-road industry, “We ‘knocked it out of the park’ last year with the inaugural Trail Hero event. The second annual event will be even bigger, better, more adventure, and fun while learning about our land use issues. We are striving to keep Sand Mountain open to recreational access and OHV use of all forms from 4-Wheel Drives toUTVs,ATVs and dirtbikes. Trail Hero Presented by Cargo Glide helps keep this area open for our off-road lifestyle, that is why it is important to attend Trail Hero Presented by CargoGlide: To keep Sand Mountain out of the hands of developers.”
 
For those wanting to donate to UPLA to keep public lands public, Trail Hero has created a special badge for your vehicle for a $250 donation. There is a limited number of stainless steel badges available at the event.
 
To find out more about the Trail Hero event, visit www.TheTrailHero.com. Registration for trails, the All-Pro Off-Road Trail Breaker, LaserNut rock race, Maxxis Tire Rock Crawl, and merchandise are also available online.
 

The Ultra4 series uniquely combines endurance racing, short course racing and desert racing to find racers that excel at all disciplines.  Scherer has proven to be such a racer taking wins in all categories among a strong field of contenders driving his #76 Rubicon Express Nitto Tire car.

“We started the year on the pole position for King of the Hammers and have maintained our consistency all year.  We had a fast car, but it was also reliable for the first time since we built it over a year ago.  I have clearly teamed up with the best partners in the industry to get the reliability that is needed for these extremely challenging races,” said Scherer.  “Our partners called to see how their parts performed after each race, taking the input to make their products better for the everyday consumer.  I really appreciate not only their attention to detail for our race program, but their commitment to building the best product available on the market.”

Scherer’s 2016 partners include: Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires, FOX Shox, Spidertrax, Method Wheels, Dynomax Exhaust, Rugged Radios, Tilden Motorsports, Red Line Oil, Wild West Off-Road, Fishmouth Fab Works, RCV Performance Products, Advance Adapters, High Angle Drivelines, Pac Springs, Reid Racing, Jamar Brakes, PowerTank, ARB USA, Power Steering Solutions, Rigid Industries, Motive Gear, WARN Industries and Elrod’s Performance Straps.

The Nitto National Championship race in Reno, NV last weekend concluded the season.  “I went into this points racing all the way.  I was being smart, and all about business.  There was a whole group of racers within striking distance to take the championship so I kept them all within my range while pushing, but maintaining the car.  I knew I didn’t need to win, but I needed to finish.  I am extremely happy with the 3^rd place finish needed to win the National Championship,” reflected Scherer.

Jason, the Rage4th Team and the #76 Rubicon Express Nitto Tire car are already prepping for the 2017 season.  The car is getting cut apart as they add a passenger seat for his co-driver, Jason Berger.  Historically just a one-person vehicle, Scherer is opting to have the assistance of a co-driver in 2017.  Testing will begin in December with the focus of King of the Hammers on the near horizon.  “I am very appreciative of a new partnership with Safecraft Safety Equipment who is opening up shop space for our team as my kids toys have helped us grow out of my 3-car garage!” said Scherer.

The Rage 4th Crew: Ole Stogesburg, Ben Ratto, Chad & Brett Lujan, Greg Hussey, John Webb, Brian Farris, Steve Headen, Dan Trout, Ben Bower, Gary & Gordon Uffins, Jason Willis and Doug Kennedy, Jonathan Haniger and his brother Casey Scherer.

Special Thanks to all the Marketing Partners that Make this Success Possible: Rubicon Express, Nitto Tires, FOX Shox, Spidertrax, Method Wheels, Dynomax Exhaust, Rugged Radios, Tilden Motorsports, Red Line Oil, Wild West Off-Road, Fishmouth Fab Works, RCV Performance Products, Advance Adapters, High Angle Drivelines, Pac Springs, Reid Racing, Jamar Brakes, PowerTank, ARB USA, Power Steering Solutions, Rigid Industries, Motive Gear, WARN Industries and Elrod’s Performance Straps

More about Jason Scherer: Jason Scherer has been racing for over 18 years and has stood on the podium at many events winning one of the most prestigious events: The 2009 King of the Hammers.  He also has a top 25 finish in 7 King of the Hammers races since 2008 and won the 2012 and 2013 Ultra4 Nitto National Championship Race, 2013 Metalcloak Stampede and 2016 Fallon 250.  His consistency and race car set-up is proven winning the 2016 Ultra4 National Points and Pro-Rock Championship in 2006, repeating in 2007.  Jason’s growing list of high profile finishes have earned him the honor of being nominated for Dirt Sports “Driver of the Year” award two years in a row.  Scherer embraces his racing career with a very supportive wife and children who join him on the trails of Northern California in their 1972 Jeep CJ-6.

October 11, 2016 – Hurricane, UT – Trail Hero wrapped up Saturday with a full day of trail rides, plus Bounty Hill and the Lasernut Rock Race followed by Closing Ceremonies in downtown Hurricane.

The Lasernut Rock Race consisted of two heat races and a final main race. Heat races consisted of eight vehicles per race with the top four advancing to the main.  The course was set at two miles in length within walking distance of the vendor show at Sand Hollow State Park so spectators could easily view the event. The course consisted of sand washes, rock obstacles and switchbacks. The first heat race Cody Waggoner and Rawlin McGhie dominated the race and lapped almost the entire field until Rawlin’s buggy lost the lower link mount taking him out of the race. Capt Rob Flandro and Greg Lundeen also had issues with their vehicles taking them out of the race. Cody Waggoner in his independent front and rear suspension buggy dominated heat one. Along with Cody advancing to the main, so did Chad Schoonover, Paul Kroger, and Greg Lundeen, however Greg’s computer was having issues and not allowing the buggy to run correctly and forfeited his position in the main. Chad Shoonover and Greg Lundeen working to stay ahead of Cody Waggoner in the first heat race. The heat two race contained great racing action between Dustin Sexton, Quinn Pultz, Ryan Miller and Wayne Hartwig. Several passes were made through out the race, with Dustin being chased by the rest of the pack. Racing was so tight between Dustin and Quinn that Quinn actually went for a pass in the rocks and drove over Dustin’s right rear tire. Unfortunately he wasn’t successful with the pass and continued to chase Dustin’s dust for the rest of the race. A Toyota truggy driven by Tyler Roundy was the only DNF in heat two racing as he came off an obstacle hard and pushed the engine through the radiator. The main race included top four finishers from each heat race and the remaining three vehicles that finished the most laps, as there were not enough competitors with running race vehicles to warrant a last chance qualifier into the main race. Racers in the main race were, in starting order, Cody Waggoner, Dustin Sexton, Chad Schoonover, Quinn Pultz, Paul Kroger, Ryan Miller, Wayne Hartwig, and Paul Tyler. Dustin Sexton tried to chase down Cody Waggoner for the lead and managed to snap the right front tie rod off at the steering arm on lap two through the rocks.   Wayne Hartwig had a flat tire on lap three which slowed him to the point of being lap traffic. The flat tire took its toll on the buggy by lap five and he snapped his high steer arm in the same location that Dustin broke the tie rod.  Paul Tyler pulled off course shortly after Wayne’s breakage. Quinn Pultz, Ryan Miller, Chad Schoonover and Paul Kroger continued to chase Cody around the track but nobody could catch him.  Cody lapped all but Quinn and Ryan during the main race and took the checkered flag.  Cody Waggoner wins the inaugural Lasernut Rock Race at Trail Hero with Quinn Pultz in second, Ryan Miller in third, Chad Schoonover in third, and Paul Kroger in fourth. DNF racers were Dustin Sexton, Wayne Hartwig and Paul Tyler. Cody Waggoner clubs out of the sand wash during the Lasernut Rock Race. Closing ceremonies for Trail Hero were Friday evening at the Hurricane Recreation Center in downtown Hurricane, 8 miles from Sand Hollow State Park. Awards were given out to the Maxxis Tire Night Rock Crawl winners, Lasernut Rock Race winners and thank you to our voulnteers and attendees of the inaugural Trail Hero event. Following the awards ceremony, the Utah Public Lands Alliance raffle was held and several people walked away with big prizes like Maxxis tires, a winch, and a Jimmy’s 4×4 chassis. The Lasernut Rock Race was within walking distance of the vendor show and drew a large crowd.

Shelly and George Leyner won the Jimmy’s 4×4 chassis in the Utah Public Lands Alliance raffle.

The event takes place on the natural terrain overlooking the race track at the phenomenal Wild West Motorsports Park, just 10 minutes from downtown Reno.  Spectators will be able to watch all the action up close and root on their favorite teams in five different classes.  Food and drink vendors will be on site with delicious food at realistic prices, but spectators are welcome to bring their own food and drinks to SuperCrawl as well.  There is even camping available on site for competitors and spectators from out of town who want to enjoy a fun filled family weekend.  Looking for a little more comfort?  The Nugget Hotel and Casino is located just minutes from Wild West Motorsports Park and has special room rates available with group code GSSRC.  For more details and directions head to supercrawl.rocks.

Schedule of Events

Competition: 10:00am – 4:00pm

Gates open:  9:00am

Tickets

One day pass:

$15 for adults

$5 for children (aged 8-15) when accompanied by an adult

Free for children under 8 when accompanied by an adult

Two day pass:

$25 for adults

$10 for children (aged 8-15) when accompanied by an adult

Free for children under 8 when accompanied by an adult

Moab, UT, – For years it was rumored that there were multiple owners that bought the half-section of land we call AreaBFE south of Moab, UT, which was true, until recently. Robert Lucero is now the sole owner of AreaBFE. Lucero was majority owner of the property since it was purchased in 2004, and has acquired 100% ownership.  Lucero is a long time enthusiast of extreme rock crawling and used to compete in XRRA (Xtreme Rock Racing Association).

With this change also comes a change of management at the park. Lucero has brought on Stage V Media to cover all marketing aspects and manage the park. Valerie Douglas, owner of Stage V Media, is known in 4-Wheel drive industry not only as an avid rock crawler, but a writer, photographer, racer, and trail advocate. She understands what AreaBFE is as she uses the park in her Twisted Customs buggy. Christian Brunner, Ralph Randolph and Detail Dan will all remain involved in making the park what it is and will grow to be in the future.

“The change has been a long time coming to AreaBFE ownership as there were four people involved in the original purchase of the property. With this change comes a lot of potential to the park and it future growth over the next few years. I’m excited to be working with Val as she is well known in the industry and it helps that she is actively using the park and knows the area well.” explained Lucero.

AreaBFE will remain open to public as it has in the past, however donations are much appreciated to help keep the park open and maintained. In the future, look forward to new trails and improvements to the park, as well as an updated website and a lot more activity from our social media accounts.

About AreaBFE
AreaBFE is a 320 acre recreational park that is open to a variety of outdoor activities. It was purchased in 2004 during a SITLA land auction in order to preserve a place where OHV enthusiasts could go without the threat of getting kicked off and people would always have a place to recreate.  AreaBFE currently has 9 extreme rock crawling trails, a test zone, camping, and parking.  The property is surrounded by BLM lands on three sides and private property to the west.

About Stage V Media
Stage V Media is an all-encompassing media firm that specializes in the off-road industry. Owner, Valerie Douglas, has been heavily involved in the 4-wheel drive community since 2001, and the off-road racing community since the early 1980s. She is a long time OHV trails advocate having served on the Board of Directors for COHVCO and the Responsible Recreation Foundation/Stay The Trail. Stage V Media specializes in marketing, photography, websites, public relations, social media, and sales.

Hurricane, Utah, September 21, 2016 – The inaugural Trail Hero event will take place at Sand Hollow State Park near Hurricane, UT on October 5^th – 8^th. Trail Hero is the first time in rock sports history that multiple genres of rock sports will take place at one location with proceeds going to Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) and Utah 4-Wheel Drive Association to keep our public lands open to the public.

The Trail Hero (noun): A person who exemplifies giving back to the off-highway vehicle community, donates their time, effort and sometimes money to keep our trails open for OHV access, and promotes our sport as a whole as an ambassador.

With a focus on rock sports, The Trail Hero event is 4 days with over 80 trails offered, and a trail for every level of wheeling enthusiast including rock crawling and options for our UTV counterparts. The Trail Hero event is not just trails and trail rides. This is the first time in rock sports history that all forms of rock sports will converge in one area, be able to give a state of the trails and state of the sport report. Trail Hero is offering, free to spectators, daily events which include the All-Pro Offroad Trail Breaker Challenge on Thursday, where 10 of the top competitors from around the world will attempt to complete a never before driven canyon at Sand Hollow. Friday night under the lights is the Maxxis Tires Night Crawl with 20 of the best competitors across the country competing on four courses for an $8000 purse. Saturday is the LaserNut Rock Race that will bring top rock racing competitors to battle in door to door racing action around a two mile course. On both Friday and Saturday the Low Range and Red Desert Off-Road Bounty Hill will be open for anyone to run. There is a 10-minute time limit to complete the hill challenge and a $2000 purse up for grabs. Most spectator friendly events and are within walking distance of the parking lot at Sand Hollow State Park, or from the water towers at Sand Hollow.

There will also be a vendor show with over 70 vendors in attendance, at Sand Hollow throughout the week, and on Saturday we are moving the vendor show to downtown Hurricane for Closing Ceremonies and a free concert!

The Trail Hero event for Wednesday and Thursday will focus on being an ambassador to our sport and recognizes the need for Special Needs Access. Special Needs Access day will give the opportunity for someone that would never get to enjoy the outdoors on a 4-Wheel Drive trail the experience of a lifetime. Thursday is Veterans Access Day, but its not limited to veterans, its open to active military too.  Sign up for a trail on Thursday and bring your military ID or proof of service and your will receive a refund for the day’s registration. Trail Hero is also working with Wheelers for the Wounded of California to bring in some very special veterans to enjoy Sand Hollow.

For those wanting to donate to UPLA to keep public lands public, Trail Hero has created a special badge for your vehicle for a $250 donation. There is a limited number of badges available at the event, and the badges were custom cut from stainless steel.

To find out more about the Trail Hero event, visit TheTrailHero.com. Registration for trails, the LaserNut rock race, Maxxis Tire Night Crawl, and merchandise are also available online.

• UTV
• Stock
• JK
• Formula Toyota
• Legend
• Pro Mod
• Unlimited

www.oldschoolrockcrawl.com

Known as an extremely smooth and disciplined driver, Rob has won nearly every major race in short course and desert off-road racing, including The Baja 1000 and Crandon.  Rob is the racer to beat, with more than 280 race wins on BFGoodrich Tires. Come meet Rob at his race shop in Hemet, CA. Listen to how he got involved in off-road racing and what motivates him to continue battling for every race win.

Photography by Vincent Knakal of Mad Media

About BFGoodrich® Tires 
With more than 100 years of heritage, BFGoodrich® Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 40 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich® Tires delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street, to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at www.BFGoodrichTires.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BFGoodrichTires or on Twitter at @BFGoodrichTires.

About Race-Dezert.com
Race-Dezert.com was created by off-road enthusiasts, giving off-roaders a place online to share information about the sport and culture of off-road racing.  Based in Southern California, Race-Dezert.com highlights the off-road disciplines of desert racing, short course off-road, stadium truck racing, rally raid, rally racing and rock crawling.

Our goal is to connect the world of off-road racing globally, bringing people together through the common denominator of off-road culture.  Whether you are a racer, a promoter, a chase team member, a casual fan, or just interested in learning about off-road, Race-Dezert.com is a place where you can learn about the sport and culture of off-road racing.