By Jon Crowley, UTVGuide.net
Blake Van de Loo won the 2016 King of the Hammers UTV Race after a race-long battle with defending champion Mitch Guthrie. Guthrie led through several sections of the approximately 115-mile course, but a broken suspension joint on Jackhammer opened the door for Van de Loo to take control and race to the finish.
Branden Sims finished second, Chad Hughes completed the podium in third, and Dean Bulloch placed fourth on corrected time. Guthrie recovered from his mechanical failure to finish fifth.
The 2016 race combined high-speed desert terrain with some of Johnson Valley’s best-known rock trails, including Chocolate Thunder, Jack North, Jackhammer, Wrecking Ball and Aftershock. It became another important chapter in the history of the King of the Hammers UTV Race.
A Different King of the Hammers for Me
The 2016 King of the Hammers was the first time I had attended the UTV race without either driving or serving as co-driver. I enjoyed the relatively stress-free weeks leading up to the event and arriving on the lakebed without a race car’s long list of last-minute jobs. Once race day arrived, however, it was difficult to watch from outside the car.
I first saw the course on Thursday when the map was released online. Although its length was similar to the previous year at approximately 115 miles, the direction and trail selection appeared less difficult.
Instead of climbing Wrecking Ball and Jackhammer, the UTVs would descend them. Jackhammer had been a major bottleneck during the 2015 King of the Hammers UTV Race, where several competitors faced mandatory winching sections.
The 2016 course also bypassed Highway 19/20 for the UTVs and sent competitors down Aftershock. It certainly was not going to be easy, but I predicted to KOH media liaison Emily Miller that the first finisher would arrive by 1 p.m.
An Unexpected Start to KOH Week
My trip nearly ended before I reached Johnson Valley. Just outside Sacramento, I pulled off the highway to pick up Paul and Brett from Harts UTV when a big rig hauling water rear-ended my trailer.
The impact knocked the trailer off the hitch and pushed it through the motorhome’s radiator and into the 8.3-liter Cummins engine. The motorhome was totaled, and damage to the trailer coupler meant it could no longer be towed.
After dealing with insurance and towing, I returned home to put together a backup plan. A friend loaned me a trailer, while another had room in his fifth wheel for Paul and Brett. I loaded my cabover camper and reached Johnson Valley about 24 hours later than planned.
Pre-Running the 2016 Course
Once unloaded, we joined the crews from Jagged X and High Lifter at Turkey Claw. The trail sits close to Hammertown and packs several technical obstacles into a relatively short distance.
On Monday, we drove to Pit 1 and explored part of the desert loop. It was not serious rock crawling, but it was not smooth, high-speed desert terrain either.
We eventually reached the Sand Hill. Racers had three basic choices in this area. The Sand Hill offered the quickest route when completed cleanly. A safer alternate several miles earlier added at least five minutes, while a nearby canyon combined loose sand and rocks.
I climbed the Sand Hill cleanly on my first attempt in a Polaris RZR XP Turbo, then became stuck on the second try. I also tested the canyon route. I made it through, but needed several back-ups and would have lost valuable time in a race. Carrying more momentum would make the canyon faster, but it would also increase the risk of breaking something.
Jack North and Jackhammer
On Tuesday, we joined Harts UTV, Team Ducky Racing and High Lifter to run Jack North before following the race course down Jackhammer.
Everyone made relatively easy work of Jack North. I was especially impressed by the High Lifter crew. Although best known for mud riding and racing, they adapted quickly to the technical Johnson Valley rocks.
After climbing Jack North, we tried to follow the course down Jackhammer. We reached the most difficult section before encountering a large group of rock buggies traveling up the trail.
Jackhammer is substantially harder in the uphill direction, and it appeared the group would take a while to clear the obstacle. Team Ducky managed to squeeze through, but the rest of us turned around and returned to camp by another route.
Race Cars Arrive in Hammertown
On Wednesday afternoon, we visited Hammertown to watch the cars pass through technical inspection. Polaris RZRs dominated the field, so two vehicles from other manufacturers immediately caught my attention.
Sara Price and Erica Sacks—known as the Teryx Girls—formed the race’s only all-female team. This was their first King of the Hammers attempt, and theirs was the only Kawasaki Teryx in the field.
Jason Weller of Weller Racing was one of only a handful of competitors racing a Yamaha YXZ1000R. After attending the original Yamaha YXZ1000R press introduction, I questioned whether its manual transmission and gearing would work in the severe KOH rock trails.
Weller Racing and Tube Works addressed that issue by modifying the transmission. Gears one through five were approximately 30 percent lower, while first gear received an additional 40-percent reduction. The setup helped compensate for the larger race tires and effectively turned first gear into a crawler gear.
Blake Van de Loo was another racer I expected to challenge for the win. Blake and I teamed up in 2013, with me driving, and finished only 16 seconds behind Mitch Guthrie. You can read that story in the 2013 King of the Hammers UTV Race recap.
We switched seats in 2014, with Blake driving his new RZR XP 1000. Despite working through new-car problems, we finished fifth. With more development time on the car and Blake’s speed in the desert, he had the equipment and experience to challenge Guthrie in 2016.
Van de Loo and Guthrie Battle for the Lead
On race morning, Paul and Brett headed beyond Pit 1 to capture photos and video while I positioned myself near race mile two.
Mitch Guthrie immediately established a lead, but Van de Loo was charging through the field. Starting seventh, Blake used the first desert section to move into first by the end of the opening lap. Running near the front also helped both teams avoid the worst dust and traffic.
Van de Loo took the lead around race mile 20. Guthrie passed him at the second visit to Pit 1 when Blake stopped for fuel and repairs to a broken sway bar. By race mile 50, Van de Loo had regained the lead, with Guthrie close behind.
Different Lines at the Sand Hill
At the Sand Hill near race mile 57.5, Guthrie attacked the hill while Van de Loo selected the rocky canyon beside it. The Sand Hill was faster with a clean climb, and Guthrie had practiced it several times during pre-running.
Van de Loo moved quickly through the canyon but lost some time to Guthrie’s more direct line.
Unfortunately, after photographing race mile two, the Sand Hill, Wrecking Ball and Jack North, I filled an 8GB SD card. I replaced it with another card, but the first one disappeared. In a decade of shooting races, it was the first time I had lost a card containing event photos.
Chocolate Thunder and Jack North
At Wrecking Ball, Guthrie led Van de Loo by only a few minutes. The two then headed to Chocolate Thunder, where Guthrie chose the conservative route and winched. Van de Loo attacked a more difficult line, completed an impressive pass and moved back into the lead.
The route toward Jack North became confusing after strong winds had blown away many of the course markers. The course also crossed other trails in the area. Van de Loo made a wrong turn, allowing Guthrie to regain the lead before the climb up Jack North.
Van de Loo stayed directly on Guthrie’s bumper throughout Jack North. The two were fierce competitors, but they were also clearly enjoying the close race. I sprinted up the hill to photograph them at several points and nearly became sick by the time I reached the top.
Guthrie Breaks on Jackhammer
Paul and Brett moved to Jackhammer to photograph the leaders descending the trail. Guthrie remained ahead of Van de Loo approaching the first major drop, but a heim joint failed on the driver-side lower A-arm of his RZR.
Van de Loo now had a substantial lead. He cleared the remaining obstacles and completed the course in 4 hours, 22 minutes and 53 seconds to earn his first King of the Hammers UTV victory.
Dean Bulloch moved into second on Jackhammer, but his Arctic Cat Wildcat Sport broke farther down the trail.
Guthrie repaired his RZR by borrowing a heim joint from another location on the car. The improvised repair was not ideal, so the team reduced its pace and concentrated on reaching the finish.
Branden Sims passed Guthrie at Devil’s Slide and carried second place to the finish. It was Sims’ second runner-up finish at King of the Hammers after also placing second in 2014.
Chad Hughes also moved past Bulloch and Guthrie after Jackhammer, securing the final podium position. Bulloch repaired his Wildcat Sport and battled Guthrie to the finish. Although Guthrie physically crossed the line first, Bulloch earned fourth place on corrected time.
Jason Weller finished seventh in the specially geared Yamaha YXZ1000R, demonstrating that the platform could survive both the desert and rock portions of King of the Hammers. Erik Miller placed ninth in the UTV race before winning the main ULTRA4 race the following day.
2016 King of the Hammers UTV Race Results
| Position | Driver | Car No. | Elapsed Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Van de Loo | 1919 | 4:22:53 | Winner |
| 2 | Branden Sims | 1913 | 4:55:19 | |
| 3 | Chad Hughes | 1295 | 5:05:52 | |
| 4 | Dean Bulloch | 1909 | 5:11:44 | |
| 5 | Mitch Guthrie | 1 | 5:14:19 | |
| 6 | Rob MacCachren | 4900 | 5:21:33 | |
| 7 | Jason Weller | 1910 | 5:30:50 | |
| 8 | Evan Engelhardt | 1991 | 5:36:55 | |
| 9 | Erik Miller | 4421 | 5:37:21 | |
| 10 | Richard “Buzz” Bronsema | 4917 | 5:43:18 | |
| 11 | Ross Pilgreen | 111 | 6:26:54 | |
| 12 | Brian King | 669 | 6:29:19 | |
| 13 | Tyler Greves | 4919 | 6:34:36 | |
| 14 | Austin Massingill | 1738 | 7:01:54 | |
| 15 | Anthony Yount | 2506 | 7:22:44 | |
| 16 | Brent Zimmerman | 31 | 7:22:45 | |
| 17 | Wesley Gryner | 7 | 7:37:58 | |
| 18 | Sheldon Creed | 4974 | 7:42:51 | Included a 135-minute penalty |
| 19 | Jesse Johnson | 1947 | 7:47:12 | |
| 20 | Brian Fisher | 970 | 7:54:40 | |
| 21 | Robby Gordon | 4977 | 8:18:59 | Included a 135-minute penalty |
| 22 | Todd Romano | 4933 | DNF | Unofficial finish |
Notable Performances from the 2016 Race
- Blake Van de Loo: Started seventh and moved into first by the end of the desert lap. Despite losing time to a broken sway bar and a navigation mistake, he stayed close enough to capitalize when Guthrie broke on Jackhammer.
- Branden Sims: Started 38th and worked through traffic without becoming trapped in a major bottleneck. His second-place result matched his finish from 2014.
- Mitch Guthrie: Repaired a failed suspension joint on Jackhammer and continued despite concerns that the damaged car might not survive the remaining course.
- Rob MacCachren and Bailey Cole: MacCachren drove the desert portion before Cole took over for the rocks. Starting 44th, the team advanced to approximately sixth by the end of the first lap and ultimately finished sixth in MacCachren’s first UTV race.
- Jason Weller: Finished seventh in a Yamaha YXZ1000R equipped with substantially lower transmission gearing.
- Sara Price and Erica Sacks: The only all-female team produced a strong run through the desert before a mechanical problem in the rocks ended their race.
- Erik Miller: Finished ninth in the UTV race and then won the main King of the Hammers ULTRA4 race the following day.
Final Thoughts
The 2016 King of the Hammers UTV Race became a direct fight between Van de Loo and Guthrie. The lead changed because of pit strategy, line selection, navigation and mechanical problems—the same combination of factors that makes King of the Hammers so unpredictable.
Van de Loo had the speed to stay with the most successful driver in the history of the UTV race, and he was positioned to take advantage when Guthrie’s RZR failed on Jackhammer. Sims’ charge from 38th to second was nearly as impressive, while Hughes completed the podium after working his way past damaged competitors late in the race.
For more race recaps and milestones, visit our complete King of the Hammers UTV Race history.
