“Man, I love this car.” ~ Andrew McLaughlin
Smashing through qualifying in the 4493 with a “Take No Prisoners” mindset.The King of the Hammers has come and gone. Such a strange thing to be so focused on one event and then… poof, it’s gone. I’m sure NASCAR drivers feel the same way about Daytona. There’s so much focus and energy on the biggest race of the year and the start of a new season that it’s almost overwhelming.
More than 60,000 people attended this year’s King of the Hammers, with more than 415 competitors and one brutal racecourse. Only 13% of the 4400 class competitors finished in time. This is the “Hardest One Day Offroad Race in the World” for a reason - the title is earned, not given by a marketing department.
While the 4493 IFS car was ready, the big stress for LetzRoll was the #ibelieve campaign of the 4511. As we chronicled in this blog, the car was given a 50/50 chance of racing and we took her to the Lakebed as a “roller," with hopes and dreams of finishing the car onsite and taking the green flag Thursday morning. The journey to the Hammers began on Saturday, January 31, when the LetzRoll team loaded up their race haulers, fell in line with the ESAB Welding & Cutting Solutions truck, and headed to the desert for some racing!
The Journey
The long road to the Hammers.Johnson Valley OHV area is truly one of the last great public Off Highway Vehicle playgrounds in the United States. Spanning thousands of acres in the Mojave Desert next to the Joshua tree forest, the journey itself can have its challenges. Flat trailer tires, long stretches without fuel or facilities, and the ever present danger of highway hypnosis can play tricks on the brain. Once you swing onto Boone Road, however, and see the spectacle that is “Hammertown” - a makeshift city of offroad enthusiasts gathered for the King of the Hammers - you forget about the journey as the adrenaline starts to pump.
Incredible night shot of “Hammertown," courtesy of Kyle Wells Photography (used with permission)
Once on the Lakebed, the team set up shop in earnest, including a makeshift garage to finish building the 4511. Sitting on the lakebed, the magnitude of the job before us quickly set it. We had five days left to complete the car and race at 100 percent. It was time to get busy.
The 4511 / #ibelieve
Burning the late night oil; the ESAB truck was a beacon in the night.The support from the other teams, our own team, and the international racing community was incredible. Jeff Wilstead (LROR) and "Ginger" Mike Robertson (LROR - UK) took the lead, but hands from all over the world worked on this car. The team was stationed close to the ESAB Welding & Cutting Solutions truck and were furiously cutting tabs, welding tube, and finishing the fabrication process.
With a final push all through the night (thanks to light and power from the ESAB truck), the team wrapped up the car two hours before the race, only to discover a massive air pocket in the cooling system, driving up the vehicle temps. After pushing the car over to ADS Racing Shocks to set up final ride height, the team finally burped the bubble with less than 30 minutes until the start of the race.
Thirty minutes before the race, the 4511 was still overheating.
With Andrew and Jason pushing their way through the other class cars, they created an opening for the 4511 to make it through the pack and start at the end of the line in their class. Even with all the exhaustion, energy, and late nights weighing on the team… it all evaporated the moment the green flag came down and the car shot off the line! Never one to do things halfway, the first 100 yards the car ever drove were under race conditions and included three tabletop jumps. If we were going to fail, we were going to fail spectacularly at the start line!
Taking the green flag. #ibelieve
All things considered, the maiden voyage of the 4511 was a success. #webelieved and we completed the car in time to take the green flag. While our final results were not what we wanted, our actual results were better than we had allowed ourselves to hope for.
Flying through the desert at full speed.
Hats off to the entire team for their countless hours of time and energy to complete the 4511. Just for fun, after the race, we took her wheeling to get some rock time. Jeff and Ginger Mike drove the whole time on Saturday after working so hard to complete the car.
Having some fun on Chocolate Thunder, one of the Hammer’s trails in Johnson Valley, CA.
The 4493
PUMPED. That is the only word for how the team was feeling after the qualifying run for the 4493 on Tuesday.
“I knew this year would be like no other. I went out with a goal of simply going as fast as we could for as long as we could,” said 4493 driver Andrew McLaughlin. “We had the best team and plans we have ever had, but there were two huge variables (new cars). This would be the first time I ever dropped my new IFS (Independent Front Suspension) Jimmy’s chassis like a racecar, and Dave Cole told me that after close to 80 people, I was sitting on the pole. Though that would not last, we did start in the fourth row, which is right where I felt we belonged.”
Andrew giving it all it’s got. Who needs all four tires on the ground?“The race went as expected.... Tons of fun, a few issues that caused us to fall far into the pack, and doing what we do best.... digging deep, pulling together, and figuring it out,” he said. “I knew as the day went on we were well behind the clock, but the team stood behind me as I brought the brand new car across the line in 21st place (after time but still a finish).”
Speeding through the end of lap one, making up time.The 2015 King of the Hammers was a brutal test of the new car, but as the day wore on, the car kept coming to Andrew.
Now we’re already excited for our next race, the MINT 400 – the Great American OffRoad Race – coming up in early March. It will be a true desert race and excellent 400 mile venue to stretch the legs of the ESAB Welding & Cutting 4493.
Excavating work with the 4493.The ESAB Impact
We’ve said it time and time again: It all starts with the welder. ESAB Welding & Cutting is the official welding sponsor of the King of the Hammers and they were incredibly busy the entire week.
Race vehicles of all classes lined up to use the ESAB equipment.In addition to helping support racers during the race, the ESAB Welding & Cutting solutions truck was in full swing all week, supporting drivers, fans, and event volunteers. “We would not have been able to race if it wasn’t for ESAB….” was heard on more than one occasion as teams either used the provided equipment, or had experts such as the legendary Bob Bitzky teach them or actually weld for them.
Nothing too big or too small to handle to get racers back in the race.The 60,000 people on the lakebed appreciated ESAB being on hand to support the sport we love. LetzRoll sincerely appreciates the quality products, support, and expertise that ESAB brings to the table. Take a minute and check out this thank you video of people who were impacted by ESAB during KOH week. Also take a minute to head over to www.youtube.com/esabweb to see other testimonials and stories from the Lakebed over the next few weeks and months. We’ll be sharing a new story every week or so.
Additional Photos
