King of the Hammers 2022 Proves It’s Still Ripe for Off-Road Insanity
‘King of Hammertown’ Raul Gomez is crowned the King of the 2022 King of the Hammers by taking his first 4400 unlimited class victory.
King of the Hammers. Even the name sounds tough. Like something superhero Thor would compete in. While the drivers who compete in this event might not be able to summon thunder, they and their vehicles are every bit as tough. The race is known as the toughest one-day off road race in the world. To survive such an event both the driver and the vehicle must display exceptional strength and speed. The 2022 King of the Hammers ran from January 29 to February 5 in Johnson Valley, California. There are 300 teams competing in several classes and subclasses. They are all tough but only the winner of the 4400 unlimited class is the King of Kings.
This year Raul Gomez took home the title. Results for all classes can be found by clicking here. Hours of race footage can be found on the Ultra4 Racing YouTube channel. Other than competing yourself video is the only way to truly appreciate what the King of the Hammers is like. Pictures just can not do justice to the abuse that vehicle and driver are put through during the course of the race. Wheeling your Jeep is fun and can certainly be challenging. But this race takes things to a whole new level.
Race of Kings
The racing done here is so tough because it combines two things that no one vehicle should be able to do well. High speed desert running and extreme rock crawling. Jeep fans probably know better than anyone that if you build your rig to specialize in climbing over rocks you are typically going to sacrifice drivability and speed. But if you want to compete in the toughest one-day race, then that is not a sacrifice that you are able to make. These rigs must be able to do both exceptionally well.
Gomez Brothers Racing
The Gomez Brothers Racing team is made up of three brothers: Raul, Marcos Gomez, and JP Gomez and Raul’s son Darian Gomez. The race team was founded in 2012 when the brothers decided that their off-roading hobby could be something more than just a hobby. They eventually enlisted the help of Joe Thompson from UFO Fabrication. Together with Thompson they designed an off road rig that was more than competitive, it was a winner. It survived three brutal laps of the desert course and completed them quicker than any of the 80 other rigs that managed to finish.
Next Up
King of the Hammers used to be a single event, but it proved to be so popular that the Ultra4 Racing Series was developed. The series puts on seven races that are held throughout the country. Next up is the Battle in Bluegrass. It is set to begin on March 25 in Bedford, Kentucky. Mark your calendars now if you love to watch driver and vehicle pushed to the absolute limit of what is possible.
Photos: Ultra4 Racing