King of the Hammers Feb 5, 2016

[masson74]

So who is going to KOH this year? I will be there again spectating. 4 years straight for me. If you haven't been you need to go it is AWESOME. Well worth taking off a Friday and driving up to Johnson Valley. Here are some pics from last year.

 

[85straight]

I really want to go but ive never been to J.v. so i have no idea where to go ( specifically the best sections of the course to spectate)

 

[Quatre Coureur]

^Exactly! Maybe we can meet up n follow u..? :noidea:

 

[masson74]

So the best way to get there is through Yucca Valley and then take Old Woman Springs Road to Boone Road. I shoot to get there by 7am and then head to the HammerTown for the pre start line up. You can see the rigs up close and talk to the crews and drivers. then I watch the start for about 20 minutes and then head out to back door. Here you want to wait until they drop the tape and let you cross over the course and walk up into the valley to watch the close up action. Last year we saw 6 rollovers in an hour and half. It was amazing. After that we headed out into the desert to watch some high speed action and then over to Chocolate Thunder to watch more carnage. Another thing to know is to follow the helicopters as they typically track the leaders. I don't know how we could officially do a meet up as it is literally in the middle of nowhere with 40,000 other people and total chaos. That is part of the experience.

 

[masson74]

I guess we could meet up at the Gas station (Valero) that is 8.2miles down Old Woman Springs Road. 1145 Old Woman Springs Road at around 6:45am?? Any takers?

http://www.bing.com/mapspreview?&cp...122803&style=x&mo=z.1.28&v=2&sV=1&form=S00027

Here is a pic of the place we will meet at at 6:45 am. If you aren't there by 7am we will try to find you amongst the other 40,000 people at the event . Things to bring. $20 cash to get in. Motocross Goggles to wear if the wind kicks up. Lots to drink and a snack. Layers of clothing. One year I froze and one year I was hot. Last year was just right.

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

I've never been neither (to see KOH) Johnson Valley yes, and I told myself I would be going this year, so I'm down.
You could also meet at my house if you wanted since I live literally right off the 62 fwy at the base of the grade as you go up morongo valley to yucca valley which only takes like 30 mins to get to Johnson Valley from there. Or the gas station but I'm in either way. [MENTION=23862]masson74[/MENTION] When you say follow the helicopter are you driving around or walking around to each of the areas? I have no idea how it works.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

I'm out...

 

[Dirtybird333]

You would be driving from location to location not walking with a few cold beers in between some good photo opportunities and nothin but good times!!!

 

[masson74]

dress warm as it looks to be pretty cool this year

 

[Dirtybird333]

Leaving early Friday morning hope the wind dies down

 

[4Running Daily]

I'll be there Wednesday night

 

[Oneluv13T4R]

I'll be there Wednesday night

Wednesday? How long does KOH go on for...You camping out there? I guess I need to look more up about this..lol

 

[Dirtybird333]

Its all week long started Sunday or Monday but there are people there the week before and usually after too

 

[masson74]

also be sure to bring a chair to sit in.

 

[ToyRunner4Me]

I was there last Sunday to watch King of Moto. It was cold, wet and windy. It's already pack.

 

[masson74]

Ok so who all is showing up tomorrow at the Valero near Landers? See coordinates above. 6:45am Low should be 40 degrees with a high of 58 degrees with a 10mph wind. Be sure to bring warm clothes, food, water, goggles, chair and CASH. It is $20 bucks to get in as well as none of the vendors in Hammertown deal in credit. CASH ONLY.

 

[Int]

I'll swing by unless something catastrophic happens. Always wanted to go to KOH!

 

[2ndGenFlip]

Will there be anyting going on still tomorrow.?
Thanks.

 

[masson74]

Not really. Just awards ceremony.

 

[Piggy14]

I was there from Tuesday night to Friday midday helping out with number 88 which was in the Every Man Challenge on Thursday. KOH is a great event to attend, but unless you know where to go it can be a PITA. They had 120+ entrants in the main race and 107 or so in the Every Man Challenge. Plenty of fun wheeling too, but definitely a good number of idiots. Here's some pics:

Parking at Chocolate Thunder for the UTV race on Wednesday. The UTV's are fun to watch because it takes a lot of effort to get past obstacles the big boys easily brush off.


Spectators for the Power Hour on Wednesday. The Power Hour is qualifying for the bigger names in the race. It takes about 2 minutes to complete. a few IFS setups came in under 2 minutes while the quickest straight axle was around 2 minutes:


Coming back from Power Hour. There wasn't much wind on Wednesday or Thursday so dust hung in the air. On Friday there was a slight breeze which helped clear the air:


The race rig is powered by an LS motor with Currie axles in the front and rear. It's won the EMC race at KOH at least 3 times now:


We started out at remote pit 1. Competitors passed through here once at mile 12 and then a second around mile 44. It's actually a decent spectator area. There's a fair amount of action in the pits. Plenty of teams had to change tires among other things (including us, we had to replace two flats the second time through). Also exiting the pits it gets dicey. Speed limit is 25 mph, but it's very loosely regulated so there are some good races to get on the single track leading up the hill:


Because of the tire situation at pit 1, we drove about 1.5 hrs to pit 2B to bring extra tires. At pit 2B we had to change an additional 2 tires, and a serpentine belt. Somewhere along the line the power steering pump started spewing fluid all over the engine causing the belt to slip and nearly caused a fire. We ended up removing the hood because it was being held on with zip ties at that point. I didn't take any pics along the way.

Jessi Combs celebrating 1st in class, 3rd overall. I'm pretty stoked, my little brother was the co-driver. 1st overall was easily within reach, as they came in only a few minutes behind:


Chocolate Thunder on Friday around 11 am. We were only there for about an hour, but there was plenty of action. Passing coming down the hill before the entrance and then passing through the rocks. There are a couple ways through, the ease of which changed throughout the week:


The main event is definitely cool to watch, but I always get a kick out of the rigs in the Every Man Challenge. There are 3 classes that race, one of which is a "stock" class. These rigs are beat to hell and have to really work to make it through the rock crawling sections of the track.