CYPRESS, Calif. (Feb. 5, 2014) — Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. will be the presenting sponsor of the 2014 Griffin King of the Hammers off-road race and will sponsor nine drivers this year, up from six last year.
The eighth running of the Griffin King of the Hammers Presented by Nitto Tire is set for Feb. 7 in California's Johnson Valley. The 4x4 race will be the culmination of a week-long event that also features a vendor show, entertainment and spectator areas.
Considered one of the toughest single-day off-road events in the world, the King of the Hammers combines aspects of desert racing and rock crawling, pitting vehicles against sand, hard-packed rock trails, near-vertical rock walls and treacherous ledges, according to Nitto.
The event has evolved from an invitation-only, non-spectator event with13 participants to more than 180 teams competing in front of more than 35,000 fans onsite and nearly a half-million online. At the end of the main race on Feb. 7, Nitto will award the winning team with the customized King of the Hammers Nitto championship ring.
Cypress-based Nitto is sponsoring three former King of the Hammers champions: 2012 winner Erik Miller, 2010 winner Loren Healy and 2009 winner Jason Scherer. The other sponsored drivers are: Ben Napier, Rick Mooneyham, Nick Nelson, Cottin and Randy Rodd, Mel Wade and Derek West.
All Nitto-sponsored drivers will be running on the Nitto Trail Grappler off-road tire.
For more information about the Griffin King of the Hammers event, visit the Ultra4 Racing website www.ultra4racing.com or Nitto's website.www.nittoracing.com
