2018 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap: Mitch Guthrie Jr. Wins

By Jon Crowley

Mitch Guthrie Jr. won the 2018 Can-Am King of the Hammers UTV Race Presented by HCR Racing after completing one of the toughest UTV courses ever laid out in Johnson Valley. Guthrie finished in 5:54:43, followed by Branden Sims and Mitch Guthrie Sr. for an all-Polaris RZR podium.

Only 12 racers completed the course within the allotted time. That roughly 10-percent finish rate put the 2018 race alongside the notoriously difficult 2013 and 2015 events.

Ten Years of UTV Racing at King of the Hammers

UTVs had been part of King of the Hammers for 10 years by 2018, and I had attended every one of those races—eight as a racer and two covering the event from the media side.

King of the Hammers takes place each February on public land in the Johnson Valley OHV Area in Southern California. What began as 12 teams racing for bragging rights and a case of beer had grown into a weeklong event with hundreds of race teams and tens of thousands of spectators.

The early UTV courses were primarily high-speed desert runs with only a few relatively minor rock trails. That changed in 2013 when promoter Dave Cole sent the UTV field onto a substantially harder course. Only about 10 percent of the field finished that year. Read the 2013 King of the Hammers UTV race recap for a closer look at that turning point.

As the vehicles and drivers improved, the courses continued to get harder. The 2015 King of the Hammers UTV race produced another finish rate below 10 percent.

I raced in both of those events and was thrilled to land on the podium each time. But preparing for King of the Hammers takes a huge toll on me. I love rock crawling and the challenges found at Johnson Valley, but I could do without the months of preparation and race-week nerves. It is a race I have always loved to hate.

Why I Did Not Race KOH in 2018

I originally planned to race again in 2018 with my good friend Reid Nordin. We had raced together the previous year and earned a podium finish, which you can read about in the 2017 King of the Hammers UTV race recap.

Somewhere along the way, however, we lost our motivation to race. The love-hate side of King of the Hammers kicked in, and we decided to stay involved through pre-running and media coverage without entering the race itself.

Looking back, I slept much better during the months leading up to the event. At the same time, after seeing how the race unfolded, I believe we could have been competitive on the extremely difficult 2018 course.

My ideal King of the Hammers would return to the simplicity of the original event: start on the lakebed, run a list of trails and see who gets back first. No qualifying, trackers or complicated procedures—just a small grudge match across the desert and rocks.

Pre-Running the 2018 King of the Hammers Course

We made an early trip to Johnson Valley in December with several racers to revisit trails that had appeared in previous King of the Hammers courses. Riding in Johnson Valley is always fun, but everything becomes more intense once you know a race course is taking shape.

View the Chocolate Thunder pre-running video on Instagram.

After the King of the Hammers live show, Dave Cole revealed that the UTV course would include Spooners. This difficult rock trail had been used by the 4400-class cars for several years and was commonly paired with Outer Limits.

Reid and I joined Mitch Guthrie, Mitch Guthrie Jr., and Aaron and Maddie Wedeking from PRP Seats to inspect Spooners and Outer Limits firsthand.

Neither trail was easy. With more than 100 racers already registered, it was clear that the 2018 King of the Hammers UTV race was going to be brutal.

A Week of Pre-Running in Johnson Valley

I arrived on Wednesday night, a full week before the UTV race. My plan was to pre-run as much of the course as possible with several of the top teams and share insight into the trails, vehicles and racers.

I joined Dean Bulloch and his new Textron Off Road Wildcat XX on Jack North, Jackhammer, Spooners and Backdoor.

Watch Dean Bulloch pre-running Backdoor on Instagram.

I also ran Outer Limits, Highway 19/20 and Aftershock with Mitch Guthrie and Mitch Guthrie Jr.

Watch the Mitch Guthrie interview on Instagram.

Another trip took me to Cougar Buttes with Ross Pilgreen, where racers would face the Notches early in the course.

Watch Ross Pilgreen at Cougar Buttes on Instagram.

Johnny and CJ Greaves Lead KOH Qualifying

More than 85 UTVs were scheduled to qualify on Saturday. The biggest news was the performance of Johnny and CJ Greaves, who topped the qualifying order in their turbocharged Yamaha YXZ1000Rs.

Later in the week, I joined Phil Blurton and his No Limit Can-Am Maverick X3 on Highway 19/20, Resolution and Backdoor.

Watch Phil Blurton testing at Backdoor on Instagram.

Monday night brought the Shootout, where Cash LeCroy entered his custom single-seat Polaris RZR XP Turbo against full-size rock buggies. Even at that young age, it was easy to see that Cash had a future in off-road racing.

Watch Cash LeCroy compete in the Shootout on Instagram.

Tuesday was devoted primarily to tech inspection and contingency, where I caught up with racers including Sara Price and Jesse Johnson.

Sara Price

Watch Sara Price at tech and contingency on Instagram.

Jesse Johnson

Watch Jesse Johnson at tech and contingency on Instagram.

The 2018 KOH UTV Race Begins

When race day arrived, I skipped the starting line and went directly to race mile 3. CJ Greaves was the first UTV to pass me in his Yamaha YXZ1000R. The top 10 remained largely in starting order at that point, although several racers were already out of the event.

Watch CJ Greaves lead at race mile 3 on Instagram.

I then moved to race mile 57, immediately before the field entered its first major rock sections at Resolution and Backdoor. Once again, Greaves was the first UTV to arrive. Mitch Guthrie Jr., Casey Currie, Johnny Greaves, Branden Sims and Mitch Guthrie Sr. were also running inside the top 10.

Watch CJ Greaves lead at race mile 57 on Instagram.

Jack North Becomes a Critical Test

After watching the first 10 to 15 vehicles pass race mile 57, I headed to Jack North. I had pre-run the trail and knew it could become a bottleneck if damaged UTVs or winching racers blocked the primary lines.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. was the first UTV to reach Jack North at 11:15 a.m. He was followed by Johnny Greaves, CJ Greaves, Casey Currie, Cody Currie, Branden Sims, Marc Burnett and Mitch Guthrie Sr.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. on Jack North

CJ Greaves on Jack North

Watch CJ Greaves climb Jack North on Instagram.

Casey Scherer Winching on Jack North

Watch Casey Scherer winching on Jack North on Instagram.

Aaron and Maddie Wedeking on Jack North

Watch Aaron and Maddie Wedeking climb Jack North on Instagram.

I originally planned to move from Jack North to Outer Limits, the hardest portion of the course. By the time I hiked back to my RZR, however, Guthrie Jr. had already entered the trail. I changed plans and headed to Backdoor in hopes of catching the leaders during the final part of the race.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. Wins the 2018 KOH UTV Race

Mitch Guthrie Jr. had separated himself from the field by the time he descended Backdoor. He completed the course in 5:54:43 to earn the overall victory.

Watch Mitch Guthrie Jr. descend Backdoor on Instagram.

Branden Sims finished second, while six-time winner Mitch Guthrie Sr. completed the podium. All three were racing Polaris RZRs.

CJ Greaves physically crossed the finish line in third after an impressive performance in his Yamaha YXZ1000R. A 15-minute penalty for missing a checkpoint moved him to fifth in the official results. Greaves recorded the fastest opening lap of the race at 1:47:08.

2018 King of the Hammers UTV Race Results

Times shown are elapsed lap times. Final times include assessed penalties.

One of the Toughest KOH UTV Races Ever

Only 12 racers completed the course within the allotted time. Polaris placed six RZRs among the finishers, including all three podium positions. Yamaha and Can-Am each had three finishers.

The roughly 10-percent finish rate matched the punishing races of 2013 and 2015. In my opinion, the 2018 course was the toughest UTV route King of the Hammers had produced to that point.

The major difference was how far the UTVs had progressed. By 2018, the fastest side-by-sides were capable of posting times competitive with some of the unlimited 4400-class cars. The UTV race was also attracting accomplished drivers from outside the traditional UTV racing world, pushing competition to another level.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. put together a nearly flawless run on a course that stopped most of the field. His performance made him a deserving winner of the 2018 King of the Hammers UTV race.

View the 2018 King of the Hammers race post on Instagram.

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More King of the Hammers UTV History

Explore the complete history of the King of the Hammers UTV race, including the vehicles, drivers and courses that transformed the event from an exhibition into one of the most demanding UTV races in the world.

• 2018 King of the Hammers UTV Race Preview
• 2017 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap
• 2016 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap
• 2015 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap
• 2014 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap
• 2013 King of the Hammers UTV Race Recap