2010 King of the Hammers

The King Of the Hammers (KOH)  may be the toughest single day race in the world. Combining desert, rock (and I mean BIG and LOTS), endurance, fabrication, prep, logistics – this event will test you to your core. Motive Gear / TEN Factory rose to the occasion assisting Ralf Kueller from K&S Car Tuning in Germany. Ralf is an accomplished European off road racer, but had never been to the deserts of the southwest prior to accepting his invitation to KOH.

Ralf speaks little English and was bringing a crew of 20 Germans, Swiss and Austrians. His brother Josef lives in the states, and flew out from Florida for translating and managing the crew. Eric Filar knows his way around this desert, and had finished the last two KOH events. He would ride with Ralf, while Jeff Belknap and myself would run the pits and strategy. To make things even more interesting, a brand new race car would be delivered to the event. No testing, Ralf would fly in and drive. The list of drivers competing was a testimony to the stature of this young race – Rob MacCacheren, Shannon Campbell, Casey Currie, Greg Adler, Brad and Roger Lovell and more. The odds were certainly against us.

The start went well, and at race mile 55 of 135 Ralf and Eric were running in the top 10! However, a rock in the radiator put an end to the surprising run. We would now be in survival mode, trying to finish within the time limit. Great mechanics from Europe and the states put the car back together, with Ryan Filar and Rene (Psycho) from Germany heading the repairs. We cannibalized another competitors car that blew an engine for a radiator and lights as ours were destroyed in the early rocks. Now driving trails he’d never seen – and in the dark, somehow Ralf and Eric kept moving and finished the epic event in 36th position.

Motive Gear and TEN Factory came in second as well, with Brad Lovell missing the winners circle by 28 seconds! We also kept several teams in competition by bringing gears, axles and bearing kits to the event. Ray and Casey Currie were busy every day performing repairs.

Congratulations to Ralf, Eric and the entire German / American Team on a well deserved hard fought finish!

And to anyone that thinks this is just a fun day in the desert – please click on the link below. Dr. Ken Mercer from Atlanta came out to compete. It’s a story worth reading.