2014 King of the Hammers UTV Race

Mitch Guthrie captured his fifth King of the Hammers UTV victory in 2014, leading Branden Sims and Casey Currie across the finish line after approximately 120 miles of desert and rock crawling in Johnson Valley.

The 2014 race also marked the introduction of UTV qualifying at King of the Hammers. Only 10 of the 36 starters finished—seven in the Pro class and three in Sportsman.

For winners, results and major milestones from every era of the event, visit our history of the King of the Hammers UTV race.

Race report by Rusty Baptist, Fatography.net

UTV Qualifying Comes to King of the Hammers

Hammerking Productions added qualifying for the UTV field in 2014. On Tuesday morning, 24 Pro UTV racers staged in Hammertown beneath the iconic Red Bull starting arch.

A two-mile qualifying course had been marked in the foothills outside town. Although much shorter than the main race, it incorporated several of the challenges competitors would face on Wednesday, including a short-course-style infield, rocks, whoops, jumps and hill climbs.

The goal was to create a course capable of testing the drivers and vehicles without destroying them before the main event. Starting position mattered because bottlenecks could develop in the rock trails, and competitors faced approximately 49 miles of desert before reaching the first major obstacle.

Lone Star Racing’s Branden Sims qualified first in his Polaris RZR XP 1000. Dean Bulloch placed second in an Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000, while four-time King of the Hammers UTV winner Mitch Guthrie qualified third in another RZR XP 1000.

The 2014 KOH UTV Race Begins

At 8 a.m. Wednesday, 36 UTVs lined up in 18 rows. Top qualifier Branden Sims and second-place qualifier Dean Bulloch occupied the first row. The remaining competitors received the green flag two at a time at 30-second intervals.

By race mile 15, the battle was already underway. Blake Van de Loo began charging through the field in the No. 1919 Jagged X Polaris RZR XP 1000 after starting 10th. Its Walker Evans Racing shocks were working well, and Van de Loo quickly began making up time.

Unfortunately, Van de Loo clipped a bush that damaged the radiator. The Jagged X team carried a spare and quickly installed it, but the time lost during the repair would leave Van de Loo and co-driver Jon Crowley fighting their way back through the field for the rest of the day.

At race mile 49, competitors reached the Sand Hill—a steep, sandy notch through the mountain with large rocks hidden beneath its surface. Guthrie reached it first and made the climb look easy.

Sims and Bulloch arrived only minutes later and chose different routes. Bulloch selected the more conservative alternate line, while Sims attacked the Sand Hill.

Guthrie stopped after the first lap to address a loose tie-rod bolt. When the crew could not locate the correct tool, they tightened it by hand and applied red threadlocker before sending him back onto the course.

The competitors then faced another 22 miles of desert before reaching Aftershock and the most demanding rock-crawling portion of the race.

Aftershock Claims Its Share of Competitors

Aftershock was the first major rock obstacle, and it immediately began taking a toll on the field. The Brave Motorsports Arctic Cat Wildcat X broke a driveshaft while attempting the final obstacle at the top. With only front-wheel drive remaining, the team had to winch out and travel approximately four miles to the pits.

Brian Bush suffered a mechanical failure at the bottom of Aftershock. He hiked four miles to the pit and returned with an axle so he could drive the UTV out in reverse.

Matt Enochs and Team Nasty were among the first UTV competitors to climb Aftershock. Sims lost time when he put his RZR XP 1000 on its side and had to winch it back onto its wheels.

Behind the leaders, Guthrie, Casey Currie and John Duckworth worked their way through Aftershock. Casey and Cody Currie made quick work of the rocks in their Kawasaki Teryx machines and remained separated by less than a minute.

Guthrie Passes Sims in Wrecking Ball

A trail bottleneck formed on Highway 19/20 with several of the leaders stopped. Guthrie attempted to winch around the traffic, but Sims got moving before Guthrie could complete the pass. Enochs had broken an axle and waved Guthrie through.

Sims maintained the lead through Chocolate Thunder and into Wrecking Ball, but Guthrie began increasing his pace. While Sims winched up a line on the left, Guthrie selected a route to the right and made the pass.

Once ahead, Guthrie never surrendered the position. He pushed hard through the final 27 miles and reached the finish shortly after 1 p.m., approximately three hours before the course closed.

Guthrie’s adjusted race time was 5:00:13. Sims finished second, just over eight minutes behind him, while Casey Currie completed the Pro podium in third.

Jagged X Recovers for Fifth Place

Despite losing significant time replacing the damaged radiator, Blake Van de Loo and Jon Crowley brought the No. 1919 Jagged X RZR XP 1000 home in fifth place.

The team finished in 7:49:10, becoming one of only seven Pro UTV teams to complete the race. Their recovery demonstrated how much preparation and carrying the right spare parts mattered at King of the Hammers.

The finish continued Crowley’s run of notable KOH results after he and Van de Loo had finished only 16 seconds behind Guthrie in the 2013 King of the Hammers UTV race.

Only 10 UTVs Finish the 2014 Race

The 2014 King of the Hammers UTV race produced only 10 finishers: seven in the Pro class and three in Sportsman. John Duckworth won Sportsman, followed by Cody Currie and Scott Barnett.

The demanding finishing rate offered another indication of how quickly UTV racing was evolving. Machines that had once competed primarily in the open desert were now expected to survive long, high-speed sections and Johnson Valley’s notorious rock trails in the same race.

2014 King of the Hammers UTV Race Results

2014 King of the Hammers UTV Photo Gallery

Photo credits: Rusty Baptist of Fatography.net and Don McNeilly of Discount Tire.

More King of the Hammers UTV Coverage

• King of the Hammers UTV race history
• 2013 King of the Hammers UTV race recap
• 2011 King of the Hammers UTV race report
• 2010 King of the Hammers UTV race report
• 2009 King of the Hammers UTV race results and photos
• Ultra4 Racing