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February 7-13, 2010
Lucerne Valley, CA: The Hammers

4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier Order and Course

JOHNSON VALLEY, CA. – The 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers has 21 additional spots available for the 42 competitors of the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier on Tuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th.

The 2010 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier order has been determined by random draw. Larry Gipson will be first off the line Tuesday morning to test his talents and attempt at qualifying. “I am used to all the pressure and know what needs to be done,” said Gipson. “I need to drive as hard as I can and be as smart as can be. I just need to finish it to get into the race on Friday.”

By Wednesday afternoon the 42nd and final driver will be Tim Emick, who some argue will have the best opportunity after watching the 41 drivers before him complete the course. “I think this is the first time I am happy to go last,” said Tim Emick, whose brother Dustin Emick will be co-driving. “Only time will tell if we are really lucky though, it all depends on what the tracks are like after the 41 people before me.”

The Last Chance Qualifier has a lot of names that are familiar with King of the Hammers. Ian McGlynn, Cottin Rodd and Larry Gipson all raced in the 2009 Griffin King of the Hammers main race last year and are still trying to qualify for this years race. There is also a group of seven that competed in last years LCQ who are trying their luck again including Brandon Johnson, Troy Bailey, James Andrus, Brandon Davis, Loren Healey, Jose Ponce and Josh Patt.

There are 33 names on the 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier list that have never competed in the event before. Trophy Truck driver Curt Leduc and NHRA Pro Sportsman Drag Racer Les Figueroa are included among them. Les comments, “This is a huge challenge not knowing what to expect, it’s the most homework I have ever done for a race, it’s a lot different than going really fast, and trying to stay straight! Luckily, we will be going in the first day and if we do well that will give us an extra day to prepare for Friday’s race and be successful.”

There is quite a bit of strategy that will go into the qualifying process. Drivers will not only want to be in the qualifying group, but will be conscious of what position within the 21 they end up. As part of the Main Race starting draw, the LCQ starting positions were determined as well. For example, the Last Chance Qualifier that finishes in the 8th place, will take the 3rd position on the Main Race starting grid. Whereas, the driver that gets a better time in the LCQ and finishes 4th has a Main Race starting position of 94th! David Smiley who will race on day two said, “we will watch for times and try to position us the best as possible, although we know there are still a lot of drivers behind us that could throw it off. We will watch on Tuesday and change and firm up our strategy depending on what we see during Day 1 Qualifying.”

The course this year is a grueling 6 miles. It starts by zig zagging up and around Means Butte and then increases speed through some fast desert to the Back Door obstacle that was the center of attention last year. Once the driver clears Back Door, they have a stretch of fast yet large whoops to handle and then go down Trap Door. As Back Door is a vertical climb, Trap Door is a vertical fall. Competitors will finish off the course with a very fast and fun desert section that has some serious potential for overdriving. As a spectator, it is good that there are two days of qualifying so you can move to different locations to see all the action.

See the entire course rolled out:

Every spot in the Griffin King of the Hammers has been earned, but those that qualify through this final process could be called Knights of Armor. They are attempting to race two of the most challenging races back to back with only a day in between.

2010 4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier Starting Positions

1 Larry Gipson

2 Clay Eagan

3 Michael Feagins

4 Carl Nielson

5 Jonathon Terhune

6 John Goodby

7 Robert Foster

8 Willie Gray Roberson II

9 Jack Childers

10 Ian McGlynn

11 Brian Tilton

12 Mark Weel

13 Ritchie Keller

14 Brandon Johnson

15 Chad Burchik

16 Bill Kreisel

17 Michael Colville

18 Troy Bailey

19 Matt Burkett/Curt Leduc

20 Cottin Rodd

21 Les Figueroa

22 Jason Feuilly

23 Josh Patt

24 Shawn Fisher

25 Matt Enochs

26 Chad Wheeler

27 Andy Gladen

28 Brandon Davis

29 Aaron Beckstead

30 Gary Ferravonti

31 James Andrus

32 Jason Conover

33 Rob Klinger

34 David Smiley

35 Scott Morris

36 Damian Layer

37 Joel Withers

38 Joey Weber

39 John Bennett

40 Loren Healy

41 Chris Garrison

42 AJ Condon

43 Matt Peterson

44 Jose Ponce

45 Tim Emick

2010 Griffin King of the Hammers Starting Grid for LCQ Finishers

3 LCQ 8

5 LCQ 1

9 LCQ 10

10 LCQ 2

14 LCQ 18

18 LCQ 16

19 LCQ 9

25 LCQ 14

26 LCQ 19

34 LCQ 11

53 LCQ 5

58 LCQ 3

60 LCQ 6

64 LCQ 21

75 LCQ 20

77 LCQ 17

82 LCQ 13

83 LCQ 15

84 LCQ 7

94 LCQ 4

99 LCQ 12

2010 Griffin King of the Hammers

4 Wheel Parts Last Chance Qualifier

Pit Bull Tires UTV King of the Hammers

Official Tire: BFGoodrich

Official Wheel: RaceLine

Official Light: Vision X

Official Shock: FOA

Official Suspension System: GenRight

Official Toyota Rock Crawling Parts Supplier: Trail Gear

Official Steering: PSC Motorsports

Official Oil: Royal Purple

Official RC Car: Traxxas

Hammerking Productions, Inc. created the “King of the Hammers” off-road race in 2007 (www.kingofthehammers.com). The 2010 Griffin King of the Hammers will be on Friday February 12th, 2010 where over 15,000 drivers and fans from around the globe will descend on the desert of Johnson Valley for over a week of off-road related activities. The 2009 running of the King of the Hammers was featured on Spike TV and in the film “Second Crusade.” In 2009, Hammerking expanded race action to include three additional regional qualifiers for the 2010 race. In 2010, there will also be the addition of the Pit Bull Tires UTV King of the Hammers on Thursday February 11th, 2010. More information can be found at www.kingofthehammers.com.