The Evolution of King of the Hammers

King of the Hammers (KOH) has often been referred to as the Burning Man of off-road. What began as a home-grown group of friends doing their thing in the desert morphed into an international phenomenon. This year’s event encompassed two and a half weeks, drew more than 100,000 spectators, hundreds of vendors in the consumer show, and over 600 competitors.

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Joel Dulac, #4629 running through the desert on race day in his Hankook Tire Dynapro MT2 sponsored Suzuki Samurai. 

This adventure story is produced in conjunction with Hankook Dynapro MT2, @HankookTireUSA

The big event for Hankook Tire’s two race teams was EVERY MAN CHALLENGE (EMC)—a 150-mile mix of adrenaline-pumping Baja-style desert running and brutal, tire-shredding rock crawling. The EMC offers multiple vehicle classes, ranging from the run-what-ya-brung Stock 4600 Class to ready-for-primetime 4800 Class tube-frame buggies. The caveats? Regardless of class, they must run DOT-approved tires.

As a testament to the durability and performance of the Hankook Dynapro MT2, the two teams ended up losing only 1 tire during the hundreds of miles of pre-running, testing, qualifying and race day. After completing the race and coming in 6th, Jacob said: “We only lost 1 tire throughout a hundred and fifty miles. It is unheard of… these things held up, I’m glad I switched over. Thank You. Hankook!”

Race Day Begins

Joel Dulac Prepares for His First EVERY MAN CHALLENGE

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Opting to save the race car, Joel decided not to qualify for position and ended up starting near the back of the pack on race day.

As the sun rose over Johnson Valley, KOH rookie Joel Dulac took his positioning near the back of a 127-vehicle-strong field. Running in the Stock 4600 Class and being his first year, he said:

“There are pros and cons of starting near the back. A disadvantage is that we’ll probably get stuck in traffic when we get to the rocks. But our Samurai is slow, so the advantage will be that we won’t have the faster cars trying to squeeze around us. Our goal is to get to the finish, our strategy will be to take it easy and avoid breaking the car or slashing a tire. We mounted a fresh set of Dynapro MT2s for this race, and they are up for the task.”

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Jacob Pacheco Sets His Sights on the Podium

Veteran Jacob Pacheco, who qualified in 28th position, lined his 627-horsepower VP Racing Trent Fab buggy up near the front. Strapping on his brain bucket and connecting his intercom system, he said:

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After an engine failure while pre-running and testing, the team worked tirelessly to replace the engine. They were able to qualify in 28th position for race day.

“We were hoping for a better starting position, but considering we had to source and install a new motor 36 hours ago, we are glad to be where we are.”

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Jacob hitting the gap jump at full tilt, putting 20 feet between the race car and the ground.

Off the Line

The first cars were off the line at 0800, and Pacheco hit the “gap jump” at full tilt, putting 20 feet of air between terra firma and his 37-inch Dynapro MT2 tires. Executing a picture-perfect landing, he and co-driver Mike Murphy disappeared in a cloud of dust and spray of gravel.

Dulac, knowing the little Samurai could not gain enough speed to clear the jump, made the wise choice to go around and followed the pack into the desert.

Racer’s Journal

Joel Dulac – Car #4629

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“The first lap was great. We were cruising, making good time, and feeling good. But we damaged the rear driveline about 15 miles into Lap 2, had to take it out, and then only had front wheel drive. This made it really difficult in the rocks, and even though the driveline was damaged we had no choice but to put it back in for a few sections. Then the front passenger side hub failed, and we were basically in one-wheel drive.”

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“At one point, we got buried up to the axles in a silty area with big, deep ruts cut in by the previous cars. I thought we were going to have to winch out, but the tires had enough traction and when I put it in reverse, we were slowly able to back out. In the silt and sand, this is where the Dynapro MT2s really impressed me.”

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“We made it 122 miles total but decided to quit halfway through Lap 2. It was getting dark, the next sections were the most difficult of the day, and at that point we could still get back on our own power.”

We had a bunch of fun, definitely want to do it again, and have lots of ideas to make it better; prepping the car, certain tools and spare parts to bring like extra drivelines. This has been a family effort, and I couldn’t have done it without my brother [navigator] Justin spending hours in the passenger seat compiling race notes.

I also want to thank Hankook Tire, not only for their support, but for make a really great tire—we didn’t have a flat the entire day.”

Jacob Pacheco — Car #4812

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“We just got done running the hardest race in the world. Toughest in my lifetime, and I’ve run King of the Hammers nine times. Dave Cole put on one heck of a race, and the Hankook Dynapro MT2s held up great.”

“I would like to shout out a special thanks to my wife Bruk, family, co-driver Mike, crew chief Henry and my crew for the incredible hard work that they put into the car to allow me to race and finish. We started in 28th position and began picking cars off in the desert during Lap 1. The dust was extremely bad, and we came to a full stop a couple times so we wouldn’t run over anyone.”

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”We did have one tire issue early on. I think I ran over someone’s tool bag and got a puncture, but didn’t know I had a flat until I came into to the pits. We changed it and didn’t have another problem.”

”We ran at our own pace, opening it up when we could, backing down when we had to. I knew were moving pretty good, my goal was to be 15th at the end of the first lap. The second lap, which is the rock sections, was all about not damaging the car. We got into some difficult positions a couple times and had to winch out.”

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“Halfway through the second lap we lost rear wheel drive in high range, so we had to run a lot of the sand sections in low range, which cost us time. We rolled into the finish with four inflated tires, and you can’t ask for anything better than that.”

”At the end of the day, we had moved up 20 positions to 8th overall, and 6th in the 4800 Class. This is the third year in a row that I finished, which is really exciting. The best thing I did while preparing for this race was switching over to the Hankook Dynapro MT2 tires…they did the job.”

The Brutality of KOH 2025

To give you an idea of just how tough the 2025 King of the Hammers EMC was, when the dust settled, less than 25 percent of the 127 teams that started the race reached the checkered flag. Pacheco overcame significant hurdles to land a top 10 finish overall, and our rookie Joel Dulac absorbed what he had learned, licked his wounds, and began preparing for the next race. And that’s racing!

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What’s Next?

Hankook tire is not new to the motorsports scene. Since 1992, Hankook Tire has been supplying tires to top domestic and international competitions, including Super GT2, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, FIA World Rally Championship, FIA Formula E World Championship, Super Taikyu Series and much more.

Building on its success in rally and circuit racing, Hankook’s involvement in the 2025 King of the Hammers EVERY MAN CHALLENGE with Joel and Jacob is just the beginning. We’ll bring you updates as Joel competes in the Nor Cal Rock Racing Series and Jacob takes on more ULTRA4 West Coast races. If the past is any indication, we’re excited to see how Hankook continues to expand its presence in the off-road space.

Where Can I Find The Dynapro MT2?

The Dynapro MT2 is available in 36 sizes, with select options currently in stock at Hankook-certified dealers such as TIRE RACK / SIMPLE TIRE.

Join the Action!

Follow @HankookTireUSA or #HankookTire on social media for real-time updates and race results. Check out the Hankook Dynapro MT2 to see why it’s built for the toughest off-road challenges on the planet.

This adventure story is produced in conjunction with Hankook Dynapro MT2, @HankookTireUSA

 

 

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