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    BFGoodrich Tires looks for second straight victory at King of the Hammers

    Feb. 23, 2009

    As the official tire of the second annual King of the Hammers, BFGoodrich Tires looks to secure its second straight victory in Johnson Valley, Calif. on Friday, February 27. In 2008, BFGoodrich enjoyed capturing the top two podium positions in the ultimate off-road event.

    This year’s King of the Hammers has nearly quadrupled in popularity with more than 150 drivers competing for 92 spots. The 100-mile course includes some of rock crawling’s most technical courses combined with wide-open off-road racing. More than 60 drivers will compete in a last chance qualifier that will take place on the infamous two-mile loop in Johnson Valley, Calif. known as the “Backdoor.” The last chance qualifier will take place on Thursday, February 26 and fill the remaining 10 spots.

    For the second year straight, BFGoodrich teams will compete on a variety of tires, including the BFGoodrich Krawler T/AKX tire and a newly redesigned BFGoodrich Baja T/AKRT tire, which is a combination of the Baja T/A and Krawler designed specifically for rock racing and King of the Hammers.

    “Similar to the Baja 1000, we believe King of the Hammers is a great platform for showcasing BFGoodrich Tires’ support of off-road racing and rock crawling,” said Frank DeAngelo, off-road motorsports manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “This year’s King of the Hammers is going to be one of the toughest courses that off-road racing has ever seen with two very different types of terrain. BFGoodrich Tires takes pride in providing specialized race tires such as the BFGoodrich Baja T/AKRT tire to respond to specific types of terrain. The technology we learn through motorsports is transferred directly to the tires, and this race is the ultimate.” 

    Last year, Shannon Campbell took the checkered flag after starting 43rd out of 44 total racers. Campbell, who raced on BFGoodrich Krawler T/AKX tires in 2008, will begin the 2009 race in the 65th position. Casey Currie, who finished second overall on BFGoodrich Krawler T/AKX  tires, will begin in the 35th position.

    Along with Campbell and Currie, other drivers to watch out for are the Lovell brothers, Brad and Roger, who will be driving in separate rigs. Roger looks to improve on his 17th place finish from 2008. Additional drivers to follow are Dean Bulloch, who finished eighth overall in 2008, and Tracy Jordan and Jason Scherer, who with both be driving new vehicles in 2009. Other notables include Jason Paulie and Joachim Schwiesow of Rock Runner Racing, 2008 W.E. Rock Pro Modified National Champion Derek West, female driver Nicole Johnson and Jeff Mello, who will kick off the event by starting first overall.