‘Guns, Beer, Boobs and Freedom’: Inside the World’s Toughest Off-Road Race

Big dust The cloud hovers over the clear Johnson Valley in Southern California. Near the town of Lucerne Valley, there is a piece of public land filled with all kinds of living things off road Vehicles: Dirt bikes, first generation Toyota Trucks with welded cages, brand new Broncokid-driven mini ATVs, and UTVs. RV campsites stretch into the desert on both sides, a temporary structure houses a bar and restaurant, and the road ends at a vendor village that could rival a small county fair.

Welcome to Hammertown, the temporary desert town that kicks off every January for a 16-day off-road racing series known as… King of hammers. He thinks Burning Man meet Mad MaxBut sponsored by Monster Energy.

Having recently completed its 20th year, Hammers began as a competition between 13 friends and now features a series of races featuring everything from dirt bikes to VW Bugs to trucks with million-dollar prizes. Most notably, it is the birthplace of the Ultra4 Series, which includes the Race of Kings – often called the world’s toughest single-day off-road race – which combines 100-plus mph desert racing with high-tech rock crawling. At 245 miles, this year’s race was the toughest yet. Only two teams finished within the allotted 14-hour time frame. The event now attracts more than 80,000 attendees, who can purchase general admission tickets starting at $100, and features about 750 riders, both professional and amateur, from around the world. People can watch at home, too: organizers say 1.2 million viewers watched the content online this year.

As King of the Hammers enters its third decade, it’s clear how much off-roading has evolved from the days of “dirt box” trucks covered in scratches and stickers to custom-built, logo-emblazoned rigs that easily cost hundreds of thousands. Ultra4 racing takes place internationally, and the off-road vehicle market is valued at more than $22 billion, according to Grand View Research.

Aside from corporate sponsor banners and factory-backed rigs, many of the vehicles double as political statements. They have custom vinyl wraps, antenna mounted flags, and sticker tailgates. While the Stars and Stripes are prominently displayed, Gadsden flags are common; “1776,” “We the People,” and the Second Amendment also appear regularly. Trump flags are present, although far fewer than one might expect given the setting. One says “Guns, Beer, Boobs, Freedom.” The vehicle customization points to a recurring theme – a preoccupation with autonomy – set against one of the largest open off-road vehicle areas in the country. King of the Hammers isn’t just about who crosses the finish line first, it’s about a community that returns every winter to break things, fix them, and break them again.