Falken Tires, a leader in high performance tyre technology for both on- and off-road vehicles, and well-known among off-road enthusiasts for its successful and highly regarded WILDPEAK line, once again returns to the opening round of the popular King of the Hammers (KOH) race week with the SAVVY Off-Road team, this year carrying Falken livery in both the 4500 and 4600 Classes.
Returning to Falken in the 4500 Class is Driver Dan Fresh and Co-driver Mike Kim of SAVVY Off-Road, who took first place overall in the 2018 Every Man Challenge, where only 12 teams out of 135 finished.
“SAVVY Off-Road has been racing with Falken Tires since 2012, and during our time with them, they’ve earned six overall wins and eight class wins in the Ultra4 Every Man Challenge,” stated Brandon Barberena, Falken Tires’ Supervisor, Light Truck and Off-Road Events.
New to Falken Tires this year, but a veteran of KOH, is a second SAVVY entry which is slated to run in the 4600 Class, a Falken-wrapped Jeep Wrangler JK, driven by Jon Shaffer of RPM Extreme with Co-driver Logan Slykhuis. Like the 4500 Class tube buggy, both vehicles will be running DOT-approved Falken WILDPEAK M/T’s.
The 4600 Class features stock vehicles and the new Wrangler JK entered was built by SAVVY. It is restricted to a stock wheelbase and drivetrain along with stock frame and body. Axles can be changed and a 14-inch wheel travel limit is permitted as are 35-inch-tall DOT tyres. One shock and one hydraulic bump stop are allowed per corner, though no coilover suspension.
The 4500 Class modified vehicle driven by Fresh is allowed to run 37-inch-tall WILDPEAK tyres.
The full week of off-road events, managed by Ultra4 Racing, begins February 2, 2019 and runs through Saturday, February 9th. This year’s schedule is highlighted by the Wednesday running of the Every Man Challenge (on the 6th) and the King of the Hammers race on Friday, February 8th, considered by many to be one of the toughest one-day off-road races in the world. All events take place on Means Dry Lake in Johnson Valley, CA, with attendees and fans occupying a dedicated area known as “Hammertown.”
“As always, we look forward to this event as the beginning of the off-road season, and we’re very excited to be again partner with SAVVY Off-Road,” Barberena added. “We’re running with winners here and we know our Falken WILDPEAKs are up for the job of taking our teams through some of the toughest desert surfaces and rock crawling conditions to victory.”
The 13th running of the King of the Hammers week attracts more than 30,000 spectators and participants with multiple races held throughout the week including Can AM UTV, the Every Man Challenge, Desert Invitational truck race and King of the Hammers. For more information, please visit www.ultra4racing.com.
Full list of competitors racing on Falken WILDPEAK tyres at King of the Hammers week 2019:
