SPEED UTV TACKLES 2024 KING OF THE HAMMERS

   What is billed as the toughest one day race KOH 2024, delivered the sentiment as usual. Professional driver and now powersports manufacturer (Speed UTV) Robby Gordon agreed by saying this about the 2024 KOH course “ it is for sure the toughest race in the world, we can talk about Baja, we can talk about Dakar, this is the toughest race in the world by far”.

  Like many manufacturers in the UTV game, they use this race to not only showcase their machines but to test components that may later make it into production. And that’s exactly what Robby Gordon, Todd Romano and the entire Speed UTV team set out to do at the 2024 Progressive King Of The Hammers Event last week. Of the four official Speed cars that started, two of them finished the entire race giving them a 50% finishing rate. 

 

Compare that to the 114 car field which only 42 finished, that is a 35% finishing rate.  Another 5 or 6 customers also entered Speed UTV’s but we don’t know if they finished or not because Ultra4 Racing doesn’t list vehicle by manufacturer in their entry lists or results.. We also know that close to a half dozen  Can-Am Maverick R’s entered and only a handful finished, but the top finishing car was a Maverick R driven by Kyle Chaney.  We are pretty sure Kawasaki had a 50% finishing rate with Jeremey McGrath running a www.kraftwerksusa.com Supercharged KRX taking the 28th overall spot with the other KRX not making it to the finish.

Looking back to the Speed effort, Robby Gordon posted on social media that he and his son Max, both suffered tie-rod failures which were quickly fixed and the cars continued to the finish. Keep in mind, most manufacturers purposely make the tie-rod a weak link up front.  A tie-rod is the cheapest and easiest part to replace in the steering or suspension system. The fix is by far easier to make than a bent A-arm, steering rack or or frame. Plus, when a tie-rod bends, you can usually feel the problem in the steering wheel and then stop to make repairs or limp it to the pits and put the crew to work.

In the race, Robby and crew changed a tie-rod after noticing it was bent at a pit stop. Max had a couple flats and also bent a tie-rod or two but still limped it through the desert, down the rock trail called Resolution and made it to the finish securing 10th place in the Stock Turbo UTV class. Brock Heger in a Polaris RZR Turbo R won the class with another 15 year old Nathon Parker taking second in a Can-Am and Robby Gordon rounded out that podium. Robby finished 17 Overall  out of 114 starters and Max finished 37th. 

As for the other Speed UTV’s entered the race, Robby hasn’t commented on what kept them from the finish yet. But regardless, we have confidence, any failures will be noted and potentially be upgraded on production models in the near future. That’s why they entered the event in the first place.

Raul Gomez made it 118 miles before he abandoned the race and 4400 class winner JP Gomez made it 111 miles in his Speed UTV. We have a message out to the Speed team to see what happen to the two Gomez cars and when we hear back, we will let you know.

Finally, Gordon stated that a handful of the cars his team raced will be up for sale immediately at www.speedutv.com

 

 

 

Check out the complete King Of The Hammers podium and overall results breakdown here. https://utvactionmag.com/2024-king-of-the-hammers-rock-race-results-updated/