BFGoodrich Tires gears up for King of the Hammers domination

BFGoodrich Tires is looking to continue its domination at the 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, Calif. on Fri., Feb. 12 with its third straight victory.  In 2008 and 2009, competitors on BFGoodrich tires won five of the six possible podium spots with the coveted King of the Hammer scepter going to Shannon Campbell in 2008 who then handed it off to Jason Scherer in 2009.  Not only did BFGoodrich Tires sweep the podium in 2009, but took the top nine spots at the ultimate combination desert-and-rock race.  The field, which will be narrowed from 145 to 100 before race day, will be gunning for reigning King of the Hammers Champion, Scherer, who drew the 38th position for 2010.  Scherer will attempt to repeat on BFGoodrich Baja T/A KRT tires, the same tires that lead him to victory in 2009.  

The 135-mile 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers loop course combines wide-open desert racing with the Hammer trails, some of rock crawling’s most technical courses.  More than half the drivers who started last year’s race were unable to cross the finish line and will be the first to explain the difficulty of the terrain.  However, the challenging course format has not dissuaded competitors from attempting to conquer Johnson Valley’s rugged landscape.  The ultimate desert race is continuing to grow in popularity with entry numbers jumping to 100 in 2010.  A total of 78 spots have been filled with the remaining 22 positions going to the top finishers at the last chance qualifier that will take place on Tues., Feb. 9 and Wed., Feb. 10.

In addition to competing for its third straight victory at King of the Hammers, BFGoodrich Tires will introduce a new 42” off-road racing tire at the event.  BFGoodrich Tires’ drivers will also be competing on a new 39x13.50R17 Baja T/A KRT tire, which was designed specifically for rock racing and King of the Hammers.  

“BFGoodrich Tires races King of the Hammers to prove the extreme capability of our tires,” said Roberts Kukainis, Motorsports Manager, BFGoodrich Tires.  “King of the Hammers has done a good job linking some brutal rock portions with punishing sections of desert.  BFGoodrich’s racing in desert, rock racing and rock crawling allows us to develop ever-better tires for all drivers who want the ability to go off-road with race-proven confidence.  King of the Hammers also proves that the best of the best choose to race on BFGoodrich tires.”