DynoMax driver Randy Slawson won his second “King” title at the 2015 Nitto King of the Hammers (KOH) race in Johnson Valley, Calif., recently, followed by other DynoMax drivers Erik Miller in second, Levi Shirley in third and Wayland Campbell in fourth. Only 17 out of 129 drivers finished the epic 215-mile race that marked the opening of ULTRA4’s 2015 race season.
KOH week’s other events included the Every Man Challenge, focused on stocks, mods, specs and legends. As the first and only finisher in the stocks class, Matt Peterson drove the same 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee that helped him bring home a win for Team DynoMax in 2013. Leading the legends class among other alumni ULTRA4 cars was DynoMax driver Ben Napier who took first in a Bomber Fab racecar. Additionally, in the spec class, Luke Johnson won driving the DynoMax spec car.
“This year’s race certainly pushed the DynoMax team to its limits,” said Chris Gauss, director, performance products, Tenneco. “The DynoMax team not only provides us great insight into our products and future product development through races like King of the Hammers, but they provide great brand stewardship through their camaraderie in the field and within the off-road community.”
Slawson joins DynoMax teammates Shannon Campbell and Loren Healy as two-time Kings, despite running out of gas on the second lap of this year’s KOH race. Erik Miller, 2012 KOH King, who dominated much of this year’s race and encountered a flat tire following the first lap and a lost steering pump at mile 198, followed Slawson closely. Like Slawson, Miller was the only other returning King that drove a straight-axle rig. Levi Shirley took third, crushing his previous best place finish of 19th at the 2014 race. Shirley was the only driver on the podium who drove a single-seater IFS.
Former King (2008 and 2011) and fan favorite, Shannon Campbell had problems with his compressor relay on the second lap going up Back Door, one of the course’s rocky trails. The DynoMax driver repaired it only to eventually succumb to an overheating transmission. Shannon asked the Campbell family pit crew to shift focus to his racing children, Wayland and Bailey. Wayland, 19, finished fourth in his best race to date, and Bailey, 18, was the only female driver in the event. She finished the course but did not make the 14-hour time cutoff.
Combining high-speed desert racing with highly technical rock crawling while requiring top-quality vehicle components and a high degree of driver skill, King of the Hammers is one of the toughest, one-day, off-road races in the world. For more information about the ULTRA4 racing series or the King of the Hammers event, visit www.ultra4racing.com.
Manufactured and marketed by Tenneco, DynoMax is one of North America’s leading brands of dyno-proven exhaust technologies for late-model and classic muscle cars, diesel and gas trucks and SUVs.
To learn more about DynoMax Performance Exhaust products, visit www.DynoMax.com, contact your nearest DynoMax supplier or call 1-734-384-7806. For the name and location of your nearest DynoMax retailer, check out the Dealer Locator at www.DynoMax.com.
