History of the King of the Hammers UTV Race: 2009–Today

By Jon Crowley

The King of the Hammers UTV race began in 2009 as a relatively short desert race with a few Johnson Valley rock trails mixed into the course. It eventually evolved into the UTV Hammers Championship—a full-scale test of desert speed, rock-crawling ability, vehicle durability, navigation and teamwork.

I have attended every King of the Hammers involving UTVs since that first race in 2009. Over the years, I have competed as the driver of record, ridden as a co-driver, built race UTVs, covered the event for UTVGuide.net and worked as a technical commentator for the Ultra4 live broadcast.

This history follows the UTV race from its modest beginning through the brutally difficult races of 2013 and 2015, the rise of factory-backed teams, Kyle Chaney’s four consecutive championships, Brock Heger’s 2025 victory and Jeff Martin’s dramatic win in 2026.

King of the Hammers UTV Race History at a Glance

• What is the UTV Hammers Championship?
• King of the Hammers UTV race winners
• 2009–2012: The early UTV races
• 2013: The race becomes worthy of the Hammers name
• 2015: One of the hardest UTV races ever
• 2016–2019: Faster UTVs and deeper competition
• 2020–2024: Can-Am and Kyle Chaney take control
• 2025–2026: A new era of UTV Hammers racing
• UTVs take on the Race of Kings
• My King of the Hammers racing history
• UTVGuide.net’s year-by-year race coverage

What Is the UTV Hammers Championship?

The UTV Hammers Championship is the primary rock-and-desert UTV race held during King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California. The course combines high-speed desert terrain with some of the area’s famous rock-crawling trails.

Depending on the year, competitors may encounter trails such as Jackhammer, Chocolate Thunder, Aftershock, Highway 19/20, Elvis, Upper and Lower Big Johnson and Outer Limits. Course selection changes from year to year, so the mileage and level of difficulty are not consistent.

Winning requires much more than raw speed. A competitive team needs a durable UTV, effective cooling, properly selected tires, strong suspension and drivetrain components, a functional winch and two people capable of making good decisions under pressure. Traffic jams, punctures, broken axles and recovery situations can completely change the race.

The UTV Hammers Championship should not be confused with the separate King of the Hammers Desert Challenge. The Desert Challenge primarily rewards high-speed desert performance. The UTV Hammers Championship combines that speed with Johnson Valley’s technical rock trails.

King of the Hammers UTV Race Winners

Note: Race names, class structures and presenting sponsors have changed over the years. This table follows the overall winner of the principal King of the Hammers rock-and-desert UTV race.

2009–2012: The Early King of the Hammers UTV Races

UTVs joined King of the Hammers in 2009. Compared with the modern UTV Hammers Championship, the first races were relatively short. Most were approximately 60 miles or less and combined desert terrain with one or two of Johnson Valley’s easier rock trails.

Sand Hill and Elvis were common early obstacles. Even so, the race was a major challenge for the UTVs of the period. The original Polaris RZR had far less suspension travel, tire size, cooling capacity and drivetrain strength than today’s purpose-built race vehicles.

Mitch Guthrie Sr. quickly became the racer to beat. He won the inaugural event in 2009, repeated in 2010 and returned to the top in 2012. Brandon Schueler and Jagged X interrupted that early run by winning the 2011 race in a Polaris RZR XP 900.

The RZR XP 900 represented a major step forward. Its rear-engine platform, increased power and improved suspension helped establish the basic layout that would dominate sport UTV racing for years.

2013: The UTV Race Becomes Worthy of the Hammers Name

The 2013 race marked the most important turning point in the history of the King of the Hammers UTV race.

Promoter Dave Cole wanted a UTV course that lived up to King of the Hammers’ reputation as the toughest one-day off-road race. The course grew to more than 100 miles and included Aftershock, Highway 19/20, Jackhammer, Chocolate Thunder, Upper and Lower Big Johnson and Elvis.

It was not simply a slightly harder version of the earlier race. The difficulty increased dramatically.

Only three of the 35 starters finished within the eight-hour time limit. Mitch Guthrie Sr. won, but only after an exceptionally close fight. I finished second, just 16 seconds behind him after nearly eight hours on course. Blake Van de Loo completed the podium.

Read the complete 2013 King of the Hammers UTV race recap.

2015: One of the Hardest UTV Hammers Races Ever

The 2015 course delivered another exceptionally difficult race. Only five of approximately 50 starters reached the finish, and most of those teams needed close to the full eight-hour limit.

The course revisited many of the obstacles that made 2013 so difficult, but it also sent UTVs up Jackhammer. Competitors faced major ledges and multiple winching situations. Traffic, broken vehicles and limited passing opportunities made the trail even harder.

Mitch Guthrie Sr. earned his sixth UTV Hammers victory. Dean Bulloch finished second, and I finished third.

Read the complete 2015 King of the Hammers UTV race recap.

2016–2019: Faster UTVs and Deeper Competition

The 2016 and 2017 courses were less punishing than the 2015 route, while the vehicles and teams had also become considerably more capable. Finish times dropped and a higher percentage of the field completed the race.

Blake Van de Loo won in 2016, ending Mitch Guthrie Sr.’s four-year streak. In 2017, accomplished Ultra4 racer Shannon Campbell won the UTV race, followed by Wayland Campbell. Reid Nordin and I finished third.

Drivers from the unlimited 4400 class were increasingly entering the UTV race. Their experience reading terrain, managing traffic and solving problems on the rock trails raised the competitive level.

Mitch Guthrie Jr. then carried the family name back to the top with consecutive wins in 2018 and 2019. The 2019 race covered approximately 160 miles, and only 28 of 93 entries finished within the time limit. Guthrie Jr. won in 4:52:33, ahead of Wayland Campbell and Branden Sims.

Read UTVGuide.net’s 2019 King of the Hammers race recap and complete results.

2020–2024: Can-Am and Kyle Chaney Take Control

For the race’s first decade, Polaris RZR-based vehicles dominated the overall winner list. That changed as the Can-Am Maverick X3 matured into a proven rock-and-desert racing platform.

Hunter Miller won in 2020, beginning five consecutive overall victories for Can-Am. Kyle Chaney followed with wins in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Chaney’s streak was especially significant because King of the Hammers rarely produces predictable races. Courses change, rocks move, traffic develops without warning and small mechanical problems can cost hours. Winning four consecutive times required speed, vehicle preparation and consistent decision-making.

The 2022 race showed how competitive and difficult the modern event had become. Chaney won in 4:26:02, Hunter Miller finished second and Paul Wolff placed third. Approximately 30 of the 124 entered UTVs completed the race within the nine-hour limit.

In 2023, Chaney earned his third consecutive overall win over a roughly 130-mile course. He made history in 2024 by becoming the first driver to win the UTV Hammers Championship four years in a row.

Read more about Kyle Chaney’s fourth consecutive UTV Hammers Championship.

2025–2026: A New Era of UTV Hammers Racing

Brock Heger ended Can-Am’s five-year winning streak in 2025 with the Polaris RZR Pro R Factory. Heger led most of the race and earned the overall victory ahead of Cody Miller and Nathan Parker.

The result demonstrated how far factory UTV race programs had progressed. Modern race UTVs are faster, wider and substantially more sophisticated than the machines that entered Johnson Valley in 2009. Factory teams now arrive with extensive testing, specialized engineering and professional support operations.

Read the full story: Brock Heger wins the 2025 UTV Hammers Championship.

The 2026 race produced a very different story. Lead changes, mechanical failures, bottlenecks and penalties kept the final result uncertain even after the competitors returned to Hammertown.

Jeff Martin ultimately earned the overall victory in a Can-Am Maverick X3. Cole Clark finished second, and defending champion Brock Heger placed third after breaking two axles while leading on Jackhammer.

Martin’s victory was particularly notable because it came from a non-factory-backed team in an era increasingly shaped by professional factory race programs.

Read UTVGuide.net’s complete 2026 UTV Hammers Championship recap and analysis.

UTVs Take On the Unlimited Race of Kings

The growing capability of modern UTVs is also visible in the unlimited 4400 Race of Kings. UTV racers including Kyle Chaney, Cody Miller and Hunter Miller have entered modified side-by-sides against purpose-built Ultra4 cars.

In 2025, Chaney and co-driver Terry Madden made history by winning the Race of Kings in a heavily modified Can-Am. It was the first time a UTV-based vehicle won King of the Hammers’ premier unlimited race.

That victory did not make the UTV Hammers Championship obsolete. The two events use different rules and attract different types of vehicles. However, it proved that the performance gap between the best purpose-built UTVs and unlimited Ultra4 machinery had narrowed dramatically.

Read more about Can-Am UTV racers take on the 2021 Race of Kings
Read more about Kyle Chaney’s historic 2025 Race of Kings victory.

How King of the Hammers Changed UTV Development

King of the Hammers became a real-world proving ground for sport UTV development. The race exposes weaknesses that may not appear in short-course competition or conventional desert racing.

• Suspension: Vehicles must remain composed at desert speeds while maintaining enough control and articulation for technical rock trails.
• Drivetrain durability: Axles, differentials, CV joints, belts and transmissions face heavy shock loads in the rocks.
• Cooling: Slow rock sections reduce airflow while engines, transmissions and differentials remain heavily loaded.
• Tires and wheels: Racers need traction in loose desert terrain without sacrificing sidewall strength in sharp rocks.
• Recovery equipment: A functional winch and an efficient recovery plan can be the difference between finishing and timing out.
• Navigation and communication: The co-driver must manage course information, traffic, vehicle condition and recovery work.

In the early years, many teams adapted recreational UTVs into race vehicles. Today, the leading cars are highly developed machines built specifically for the demands of Johnson Valley.

My History at King of the Hammers

I have been at every King of the Hammers UTV race since the class was introduced in 2009. My roles have included driver, co-driver, vehicle builder, media representative and technical commentator on the Ultra4 Live Show.

My UTV Hammers podium finishes include:

• 2013: Second place, 16 seconds behind Mitch Guthrie Sr.
• 2015: Third place behind Mitch Guthrie Sr. and Dean Bulloch.
• 2017: Third place with Reid Nordin.
• 2019: First place as co-driver for Mitch Guthrie Jr.

In 2021, I joined the Ultra4 live broadcast as its lead technical commentator for the UTV race. That role provided another perspective on how the course, cars, race strategy and technology have evolved.

This page is therefore more than a list of race results. It is based on firsthand experience from the starting line, inside the race vehicle, in the pits, along the trails and behind the live-show desk.

UTVGuide.net King of the Hammers Race Archive

The following reports document the development of the UTV race through firsthand recaps, photos, results and vehicle details.

• 2026 UTV Hammers Championship recap
• 2025 UTV Hammers Championship results
• 2024 UTV Hammers Championship results
• 2023 UTV Hammers Championship results
• 2022 UTV King of the Hammers results
• 2021 King of the Hammers UTV race results
•  
• 2019 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 2018 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 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
• 2012 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 2011 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 2010 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 2009 King of the Hammers UTV race recap

King of the Hammers UTV Race FAQ

When was the first King of the Hammers UTV race?

The first King of the Hammers UTV race was held in 2009. The main King of the Hammers event began before UTVs were added to race week.

Who has won the most King of the Hammers UTV races?

Mitch Guthrie Sr. holds the record with six overall victories. He won in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Who won four consecutive UTV Hammers Championships?

Kyle Chaney won four consecutive championships from 2021 through 2024 in Can-Am Maverick X3 race vehicles.

Who won the first King of the Hammers UTV race?

Mitch Guthrie Sr. won the inaugural UTV race in 2009.

Who won the 2025 UTV Hammers Championship?

Brock Heger won the 2025 UTV Hammers Championship in a Polaris RZR Pro R Factory.

Who won the 2026 UTV Hammers Championship?

Jeff Martin won the 2026 UTV Hammers Championship in a Can-Am Maverick X3.

Is the UTV Hammers Championship the same as the Desert Challenge?

No. The Desert Challenge emphasizes high-speed desert racing. The UTV Hammers Championship combines desert sections with technical Johnson Valley rock trails.

Final Thoughts

The King of the Hammers UTV race has grown from a short desert event with a few rock obstacles into one of the most important tests in side-by-side racing.

The names, sponsors, classes and vehicles have changed, but the essential challenge remains: run fast through the desert, survive the rocks, solve problems on the trail and make it back to Hammertown before time expires.

After attending every UTV race at King of the Hammers since 2009, I have watched the vehicles progress from lightly modified recreational UTVs to specialized race machines capable of challenging unlimited Ultra4 cars. That development makes the UTV Hammers Championship an important part of both King of the Hammers history and the larger history of the sport UTV.