2020 King Of The Hammers Live Stream – 4WP Every Man Challenge Race

We’ve got three classes racing today at the 2020 King of the Hammers in the 4500/4600/4800 4WP Every Man Challenge Race. Live stream starts at 8:55am PST and runs all the way until 4:00pm PST.

Classes & What Do They Mean

• Branik Motorsports 4800 Legends Class (Front engine, two seat, solid axle, single shock, 37-inch DOT approved tires)
• Yukon Gear and Axle 4500 Modified Class (Factory appearing body, partial frame, mechanical steering, two shocks per corner, 37-inch DOT approved tires.)
• Spidertrax Offroad 4600 Stock Class (Factory engine, stock frame, full body, single shock, 35-inch tall DOT approved tires.)

How many racers are there?

• 125 drivers total
• 4500 – 30
• 4600 – 29
• 4800 – 66

What does the race course look like?

The 2020 King of the Hammers 4WP Every Man Challenge race course is 143 miles, it the same as the UTV race course. Lap 1 is 77 miles and lap 2 is 66 miles.

Notable Drivers in the 4500 class

Jimmy Jack (#63)

• Won 4500 last year
• Husband and wife racing team
• No longer on Nittos, on Toyos that he bought himself 
• Good overall 2019 season. Finished 3^rd at 2019 Stampede stop and 2^nd in Oklahoma.

Justin Hall (#13)

• Single-seater vehicle built out of his garage
• Based on a Suzuki Samurai

Matt Howell (#4510)

• Been in 4500 for a while
• There’s not a 4500 class that Matt Howell hasn’t won except for the EMC at KOH.
• He won the 4500 class of the Ultra4s series in 2016, 2017 and 2018, so he wants this EMC win badly. He only competed in KOH in 2019 where he finished 8th.

Dan Fresh (#8)

• Also a 4400 racer
• Won 4500 class in 2018 
• Fresh is from San Juan Capistrano, California and is a former Baja 1000 winner. He’s the manager of OC Motorsports in Costa Mesa, CA where they specialize in building Jeep Wranglers for every level of Jeep enthusiast.
• In 2019, Fresh brought home 2nd in the 4500 class at KOH, 1st at the Ultra4Racing Stampede, Clash at Cross Bar and El Rey De Las Baja’s. He took home 2nd in Ridgecrest and 3rd at the Ultra4Racing Nationals in Reno scoring him the National Champ title as well as the Western Champ title in 4500 class. This means Fresh never once finished off the podium in 2019. 
• Fresh has also had his hand in SCORE racing. In 2019, Fresh got 3rd in Trophy Truck Spec class at the Baja 1000 and 1st in 7F at the Baja 400 in the Savvy Gladiator.

Notable Drivers in the 4600 class

Albert Contreras (#4605)

• Won 4600 championship last year 
• Notable tumble at Ridgecrest Race, which he has recovered from and re-built car cage, etc and is back competing at KOH 2020

Amber Turner (#468)

• Racing in a Suzuki Samurai on 36” tires
• Turner has been wheeling her Samurai since 2013, throwing it at the hardest trails on the west coast with only minimal modifications. 
• Has been a volunteer at every King of the Hammers since 2014, and volunteered or competed in several other events over the years such as W.E. Rock, Supercrawl, and Nor Cal Rock Races.
• She also coordinates a small event called Zukicon on the Rubicon, a 3-day trail ride that encourages Suzuki owners from all over North America to experience the legendary Rubicon Trail for themselves. 
• Her love of four-wheeling has even led to a successful welding career over the last five years. 
• Competing in the 4600 stock class in the Every Man Challenge this year will be her biggest challenge to date.

Dawson Allington (#4695)

• Dawson raced KOH 2019 two weeks after finishing radiation treatment for Stage 4 Brain Cancer (Medulloblastoma) which he had surgery for in November 2018. 
• Dawson raced the entire Ultra4 2019 Western Series while he continued to recover. 1st Place Ultra4 Nationals, 2nd Place Western Champion, 3rd Place National Champion. Dawson is disease free as of his last MRI 10-2-2019.

Jesse Haines (#4699)

• Racing in the Mahindra Roxor again
• 2005, 2017, and 2019 WE Rock national champion, first driver to sweep a WE Rock national series, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2018 Western Series champion, 43 career rockcrawling wins in 16 seasons, building championship winning buggies since 2003

Jon Schaefer (#4688)

• Racing a Savvy 2-door JK
• Leading the race last year by a good margin but had mechanical failure

Josh Attebery (#4693)

Justin Reece (#4619)

• Won 4600 last year 
• Tan normal-looking Toyota pickup – fan favorite 
• Justin has been involved in Ultra4/King of the Hammers racing since the mid 2000’s.  He was the first full-bodied vehicle (FJ40) to finish the race back in ~2010. Since then he has been a Co-Driver for an IFS 4400 car along with building and racing his own Second Gen 86′ Toyota Pickup.

Notable Drivers in the 4800 class

Brad Lovell (#232

• KOH staple
• Won the overall EMC in 2016 and 2017. He won the Legends class in 2014. In 2010, he finished 28 seconds behind the winner in the main KOH race.
• Pro lite champ
• Grew up camping and 4-wheeling in the Colorado backcountry. 
• Professional career started in 2004 with his brother Roger. Together they have won 6 rockcrawling championships and stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the sport. 
• Joined the TORC Pro-Light field in 2010. 
• Has won championships in short course, Ultra 4, and rock racing as well as victories in desert racing and hill climbs. 
• Has amassed 9 season championships and more than 35 race victories which earned him the honor of Dirtsports Driver of the Year in 2012. 
• Lives in Colorado Springs, CO with his wife and kids. Close to his family, which is the backbone of Lovell Racing.

Cameron Steele (#16)

• Steele won the Baja 1000 in Nov. 2018. He’s also a successful commentator on ESPN/ABC/NBC/CBS and Speed network TV gigs.
• Driving the desert lap 
• Bailey Cole the rocks
• Competing in every event at KOH 2020, including 4800 in EMC. 

Casey Gilbert (#618)

• Won 4800 class last year and overall title

Levi Shirley (#81)

• Co-driving in UTV
• Racing in EMC and KOH
• Was named the Ultra4 Sportsman of the Year 2011 and 2014. 
• In 2015, finished 3rd place at KOH 4400 class. 
• In 2017, Levi had five podium finishes, and became the Ultra4 West Coast Series Champion and runner up in the 2017 Ultra4 National Championship.
• Levi is also well known in the Ultra4 Europe community. He was the first American driver to race in the Ultra4 European Series. Levi became a triple threat after taking three titles in the 2014 Ultra4 Europe Series: King of the Mountains in Italy, King of the Valleys in Wales, and King of Portugal.

Mike Johnson

• Only races KOH EMC
• Has been racing since the first EMC
• Races a “junk-looking” Jeep
• 7 top 5 finishes

King of the Hammers Past EMC Winners

Story and photos courtesy of Ultra4Racing.com