Monster Energy Off-Road Team Podiums at Vegas to Reno!

Best in the Desert’s Vegas to Reno is the longest, most treacherous, off-road race in the United States.  Starting outside of Las Vegas in the mining town of Beatty, NV, the 550-mile course winds its way across the badlands of Nevada.  Racers encounter a mix of high-speed graded roads, wicked silt beds, rocky washes, mountain passes, and giant rolling hills.  With more than 300 entries, this race is one of the most difficult to finish, let alone win.

The Monster Energy Off-Road Team lead by Trophy Truck Champion “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin came with guns blazing as the team managed to qualify four vehicles in the top-20 during qualifying on Wednesday.  The team consisted of “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Troy Herbst, Tim Herbst, Larry Roesler, Jerry Zaiden, and Jerry Whelchel in Trophy Trucks.  Representing Monster Energy in Class 1 was bike veteran Mikey Childress and Rock Crawler Champion Shannon Campbell.

Mikey Childress had a great start moving up from 5^th to 4^th until he had transmission problems with a failed torque converter that ended his day early at Race Mile 118.  Shannon Campbell also fought the course, the field, and mechanical issues to at 19^th overall and 9^th in class finish.  The team of Jerry Whelchel and Jerry Zaiden managed to fight their way through the dust to move from the 22^nd starting position to nearly win the race!  Towards the end of the race a combination of a dented drive shaft (which kept them under 80mph) and smashing multiple wheels on the giant embedded boulders that lined the racecourse like rows of teeth waiting to strike, took out their chances of overall victory.  The team still managed to finish 4^th in class and 7^th place overall.

The team of Troy Herbst and Tim Herbst also started off running well until at race mile 210 they were stopped in a remote area with a broken transmission in the number 49 Herbst/ Monster Energy Trophy Truck.  The team of Ed Herbst and Larry Roessler in the number 19 Herbst/ Monster Energy Trophy Truck also ran strong until they also lost all forward gears in the transmission at race mile 312.  Undeterred off-road legend Larry Roessler put the truck in reverse and drove it backwards nearly 20 miles to the next pit where they were able to change the transmission and get the truck in for a finish.

“Ballistic” BJ Baldwin had issues all day; starting with a leak in his helmet visor that let in dust interfering with his vision and breathing all day. Then BJ had a failure in the dry brake fueling system causing him to be short fueled at multiple pits shortening his fuel range and forcing him to stop at almost every pit for fuel.  Additionally BJ experienced a crank position sensor failure causing him to stop for over twelve minutes at Pit 9.  Despite all the changes BJ managed to finish 3^rd overall and 2^nd in Class.  In the end, The Monster Energy Off-Road team came away with one podium, and 4 top-20 finishers.

Words by Matt Martelli

Photos by Jason Zindroski

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Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

The Monster Energy Off-Road team tackles qualifying for Vegas to Reno, the longest off-road race in America. “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin, Bobby Bladwin, Chad Ragland, Tim and Troy Herbst, Larry Roessler, Mikey Childress, Shannon Campbell, and Jery Zaiden all are after the overall win in a full out assault with 5 Trophy Trucks and 2 Class 1 Cars!

Directed by The Martelli Brothers, Produced by Mad Media

The Monster Energy Off-Road Racing Team was at this past weekend’s Silver State 300; that took place 90 miles North of Las Vegas in the desert.  The race was a 300-mile loop race through some of the most striking terrain that Nevada has to offer.  It was an amazingly close race as top 11 finishers were all within 10 minutes of each other.  Here’s a recap of how the Monster Energy Racing Team fared:

“Ballistic” BJ Baldwin qualified second for the race, and used his position starting out front to set a blistering pace.  In fact he was clocked doing 133mph over the desert on the dry lakebed.  He managed to remain the front-runner for the entirety of the race and did not get passed, and physically finished the race first.  Unfortunately, he had a couple of mechanical issues which cost him time, and he finished fourth in the overall standings 4:21 behind and finished second in Trophy Truck just 42 seconds behind the leader.  “We had a great run out front,” stated Baldwin, “we just had a few minor issues that cost us the win.”

Rock-Crawling Legend, Shannon Campbell, raced in the highly competitive 4400 Class, which had over 40 entries.  Shannon was extremely fast all day and won his class easily by over 32 minutes over the next competitor.  In fact, Shannon finished the race 24^th overall, which is highly unusual for his class versus some of the faster classes.

Mikey Childress, in the THR Porter Class 1, had a solid day finishing the race 6^th overall and third in class, just under 5 minutes behind the eventual winner.

The Camburg Racing Team, featuring Jerry Whelchel behind the wheel had a rough day on the course and eventually called it quits around race-mile 276.

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Watch FOX Racing Shox athletes as they describe what has been called the toughest off-road race in the world.
FOX Racing Shox sponsored rock racer, Shannon Campbell, won his second King of the Hammers, becoming the only driver to win the race more than once since its inception four years ago. Campbell charged through the treacherous Mojave Desert, overcoming obstacles that stopped other drivers dead in their tracks, to take the crown with an impressive 31-minute lead over the rest of the pack.

Shannon Campbell becomes the only driver in KOH history to take the champion title more than once—he earned his first title in 2008.

Watsonville, CA (PRWEB) March 3, 2011 – FOX Racing Shox sponsored rock racer, Shannon Campbell, wins his second King of the Hammers, becoming the only driver to win the race more than once since its inception four years ago. Campbell charged through the treacherous Mojave Desert, overcoming obstacles that stopped other drivers dead in their tracks, to take the crown with an impressive 31-minute lead over the rest of the pack.

Shannon Campbell shook his head in disbelief, smiling and said, “It’s good to be The King once again. You really cannot believe the beating these shocks take during a race. I could not have done it without FOX Racing Shox’s superior suspension technology and factory race support.”

King of the Hammers is a newly formed rock racing event that combines two demanding and distinctly unique offroad disciplines, rock crawling and open desert racing. Suspension setup, as always, is the key to podium success especially when combining two disciplines that span the gamut of the speed spectrum—rock crawling where the pace is slow and methodical to the break-neck speeds reached in open desert racing. The 120-mile course features some of the most inhospitable terrain in one of the world’s toughest deserts, the Mojave, where racers face off against each other through seemingly impassible rock gardens that were formed during the ice age, and then speed across rough stretches of desert hitting speeds of 140 miles per hour.

Along with Shannon Campbell’s victory, FOX Racing Shox sponsored driver, Jason Scherer, took an impressive third place in the event.

“Racing against such a formidable force like Shannon is exactly what we strive for. We wanted to go head-to-head with the best and that’s what we got. We couldn’t do it without the race expertise of the engineers and factory support team from FOX Racing Shox. We’ll be back faster, stronger, and better than ever before,” Scherer went on to say.

“The King of the Hammers is one brutal test of both the driver and machine and with Shannon’s second win, FOX Racing Shox has won it three out of the four years it’s been in existence,” said John Marking, VP of Offroad at FOX Racing Shox. “We’ll be working hard with our drivers to continue to own this event.”

About FOX Racing Shox

For over three decades, FOX Racing Shox has been the industry leader in the design and development of high performance shock absorbers and racing suspension products for ATVs, Motorcycles, Mountain Bikes, Offroad trucks and cars, Snowmobiles and UTVs. In 1974, Bob Fox started racing his products in motocross and they haven’t stopped racing since. FOX Racing Shox equipped vehicles and racers have stood atop podiums in every sport they have competed in — from the sands of Baja to the dunes of Dakar. FOX’s team of engineers perform rigorous tests with their athletes year round, and the data FOX collects from performance testing and the application of that knowledge to their products is what separates FOX Racing Shox from every other suspension company. World Headquarters are in Watsonville, CA with its Offroad Division in Santee, CA. FOX Racing Shox distributes its products in more than 40 countries.

Gilbert, AZ (February 13, 2011)- The 2011 King of the Hammers race has once again come and gone, and once again, Shannon Campbell of Team Monster Energy/Campbell Racing is the King. No stranger to holding the title, Shannon won the first King of the Hammers race in 2008 in a dominating fashion and has returned to the desert ready for the challenge in front of him and hungry for the win. Accustomed  to starting in the back of the pack, Shannon knew he had to demand the top performance out of his car to get to the front of the group before they reached the first section of rock crawling, Outer Limits, that has always had such a high attrition rate. He proceeded to punish his equipment and grind down until he attained his goal; which proved to be a significant contribution to his victory.

Shannon’s efforts along with strong support from his various sponsors and support crew allowed him to claw his way from his 62^nd starting position, to a first place finish 6 hours and 11 minutes later. Right from the start, Shannon was on a mission for winning, passing half the field by check point one and was in the lead before the start of his second lap. In true Campbell fashion, the race was full of make it or break it situations, a full on edge of your seat race from start to finish. One of the most exciting moments was the pass on Jason Scherer for the physical lead. After that initial battle, the two chased each other in the rocks and desert for the next 40 miles until Scherer eventually suffered mechanical failure. Shannon started having some issues when a bent driveshaft caused him to stay below 50mph and with a 14 minute lead, Shannon’s Dad, Don Campbell, a racing legend himself, told him,” back it off and bring it home.”

It’s been said that racing requires the minimum amount of skill and the maximum amount of courage, but Shannon and the rest of the racers will agree that the King of the Hammers requires skill, courage, and grit, accompanied with dedicated partnerships to get to the finish line. As Shannon crawled out of his car and shook the dust off, the King of the Hammers crew handed him the trophy and that’s when the reality of the race had finally set in. When asked how he made such a victorious run to the finish line, Shannon said,” I’m just the monkey behind the wheel, my team and sponsors made this win possible.”

Team Monster Energy/Campbell Racing would like to thank the backbone of our race team; our sponsors who have brought us to the podium:

Monster Energy Drink, Goodyear Tires, Currie Enterprises, ARB, Turn Key Engines, Fox Shocks, Howe Performance, Hughes Performance, Ron Davis Racing Radiators, Walker Evans, Advance Adapter, ProAm Racing, Mastercraft, Powertank, KC Hilites, Dynomax, Ultraseal Tire Sealant, Southwest Ground Control, Warn, Motive Gear, Arizona Driveshaft, MasterPull, PCI Race Radios, Superduty Headquarters.

Team Monster Energy/Campbell Racing wants to thanks to everyone that came out and worked so hard for the team:

Nick Campbell, Rob McKenney, Mitch Guthrie, Dustin Smith, Donnie Thomas, Don Campbell, Ron and Marie, Wayland Campbell, CJ Monson, Kerry Campbell, Bill Campbell, John and Steven Butts, Justin Atkins, Tom, Ben Pettersen, Tammy Campbell, Bailey Campbell, Tammy Shamhart, Larry Corum, Adam Schrand, EJ Rusiski, John Larson, John Molett, Tim Morehead, Randy Ellis, Mike Dieu, The guys from BlueTorch Fab, Dynomax crew-Scott Wagner, Jason Spiess, Richard, Rick Resh.

The AZ Undertakers, some hardcore trail wheelers took time out of their wheeling trip to run our remote pit:  Rob Finelli, Andrew McLaughlin, Jason Hurst, Andrew Knoell, Pierre Burns, Ryan Miller. “HIGH FIVE”

Photos Courtesy of:

Race-dezert.com brings you highlights and interviews from the 2011 King of the Hammers event in Johnson Valley.

In every sport there is a person who is the living breathing embodiment of what the sport “means”.  In rock crawling that person is Shannon Campbell.  Not only does he fight like a mad dog for every inch of ground at every race, but he continually strives to break new ground on vehicle design.  One hundred years from now I’m sure his name will be uttered as one of the greatest of all time.  This year, his quest to become “King of the Hammers” has been achieved.  He bested the nearest competitor by over 30 minutes and became the first man to win “King of the Hammers”  in an A-arm vehicle.  Here is an extended gallery of his efforts along with teammate Casey Currie. Photos by Jason Zyndroski of Mad Media.

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Shannon Campbell was crowned the King of the Hammers Friday for the second time in its history besting a deep field of rock racings elite. With a total time of 6hrs 11min 54sec Shannon took the overall win with over 30 minutes to spare unofficially.

Shannon Campbell flyin to his second King of the Hammers win

“I’m happy as hell,” said an exhilarated Campbell, ” I’ve been working on it for the last two years.” “I’ve wanting to get a win in this car and prove that A-arms are the shit; and it works!” “We started 62nd so there was lots of traffic; but most of them were broke and were friendly enough to move over and let me by.” “The Outer Limits section was tore up!” “The only problem’s I had was one flat and later a bent drive shaft; I could’t get over 58mph without having a huge vibration.” “That’s where Scherer kept getting me was on the high speed stuff, but I could get him back in the tight and rough stuff.” “But it was a great day, I couldn’t be happier.”

Rolling in second unofficially was Tony Pelligrino and his co-driver Bryan Lyttle who started 41st. “We started out slow because we knew everyone would just kinda throw it away at the beginning,” said Lyttle “We kept the pace that we wanted and did most of our passing in the rocks.” “I swear we were almost upside down a few times but Tony kept it together.” “Thanks to his driving we kept it going and brought it in.” “This is my first time out in this kind of event; I’m super stoked!”

Carnage at the "Backdoor"

Started 36th and third to cross the finishline was Jason Sherer. “I was a great day, we had a little trouble towards the end there but we’re here,” said Sherer, “I have to thank BFG tires who got me here; they really stepped up in a big way and helped me get to Hammers in the first place,” “And to my crew, I can’t thank them enough.”

Thousands of fans gathered to watch

The unofficial top ten finishers:

1. Shannon Campbell 6:11:54

2.Tony Pellegrino 6:42:51

3. Jason Sherer 6:49:50

4. Randy Slawson 7:01:13

5. Greg Adler 7:09:40

6. Tracy Jordan 7:35:17

7. Gary Feravanti 7:27:25

8. Matt Messer 7:28:42

9. Les Figueroa 7:39:03

10. Ben Napier 8:15:16

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The Monster Energy Off-road team showed up to Parker in force with five trophy trucks and one hybrid Class 1 car. Here is an extended look at the most dominant off-road team in the Desert.

Photos by Vince Knakal of Mad Media

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The 2009 King of the Hammers started with a blast…actually several rollovers, breakdowns, and broken hopes for those less fortunate that didn’t make the cut. The King of the Hammers promoter set up today’s “last chance qualifier” where over 34 contestants competed for the coveted 14 spots to race Friday’s race. That means that almost half of the contestants would get sent home packing.

Unlike Best in the Desert‘s qualifying where an unlimited amount of vehicles compete for a top ten starting position, the entrants today had to put everything on the line to be allowed to race the main event.

The Last chance qualifying course was about 3 miles long and included a smooth desert section to show off the speed of their vehicles and wild whoops for fun, soft dune-like sand, and a rock crawl section with refrigerator sized rocks that required some contestants to use winches to complete. Because of the difficulty and awe inspiring course, only a maximum of 3 rigs were permitted at any time on the course. New qualifiers were only allowed out on the course once the previous rig cleared the rock section in order to prevent bottle necks and provide a fair competition.

We hung out among thousands of excited spectators at the “waterfall” of the back door trail. Awesome scenery and atmosphere to watch the competitors battle it out. It seemed like every other competitor picked a slightly different line over those refrigerator sized rocks with various outcomes. Some looked like huge desert creatures made to combat even the toughest of terrain and some looked like a chihuahua lost in the desert rocks. We witnessed no less then 3 rigs roll over (see our pictures below for a visual) as they attempted to drive over a section we had a very hard time walking through! No physical harm was done in all cases other than shattered dreams of those that had to withdraw because the rules call for a DNF once outside assistance is applied.

Tomorrow at 8am no less then 90 rigs will attempt to dominate the awesome miles long course filled with go-fast desert sections and rock crawling. Last years winner Shannon Campbell is the people’s favorite, however he is entering a completely new and less proven rig with IFS and 4WD. What will become of Shannon Campbell?

Stay tuned for the conclusion of the 2009 King of the Hammers by tomorrow evening.

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