Ford Named Official Vehicle Of King Of The Hammers Extreme Racing Series

Ford is joining a new performance venue as its growing lineup of rugged off-road trucks and SUVs has made it a favorite of the off-road world. As such, Ford has decided to become the official vehicle of the King of the Hammers and ULTRA4 extreme off-road racing series.

Racing Series Is A Natural For Ford

“Working with ULTRA4 Racing and King of the Hammers is a natural for Ford based on our truck, SUV, and off-road heritage,” Marc Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports, said. “Our participation in the King of the Hammers builds on our rich history of off-roading by continuing to deliver … in the most demanding conditions.”

According to Ford, sales of rugged trucks and utilities have been growing at twice the rate fo the overall SUV segment. Rugged SUVs account for about one-quarter of the entire SUV segment today – up from 12 percent about 10 years ago.

Ford Has A Rugged Lineup Of Vehicles

Ford’s lineup of rugged off-road vehicles includes the F-150 Raptor, the ultimate high-performance off-road pickup, the highly capable Super Duty Tremor, plus the all-new Bronco SUV, set to debut this spring and an upcoming small SUV.

The signature ULTRA4 race attracts about 75,000 spectators, with more than 1 million online viewers online. It is the grueling annual race in the Johnson Valley of California. The ULTRA4 is an international race organization that is developing vehicles for multiple motorsports disciplines, including rock-crawling, high-speed desert racing, and short-course events. It King of the Hammers attracts a considerable crowd.

First Event Of Season About To Run

This year’s upcoming event next weekend will see more than 450 teams from around the world -- in both modified, stock, and extreme off-road vehicles – compete to be crowned king in one of the most grueling desert courses every created. It is a course that combines high-speed racing and low-speed rock-crawling.

Dave Cole, president of Hammerking Productions/ULTRA4 Racing, said that the “racers and spectators are as authentic and passionate as they come. Our dedicated staff, loyal fans, and fearless racers have helped to build this motorsport and lifestyle platform for more than a decade, and we couldn’t be more excited to get the 2020 racing season started with Ford as our official vehicle partner.”

Recently, Ford has been increasing its footprint in the off-road enthusiast realm. Indeed, the automaker’s collaboration with ULTRA4 continues its growing presence in the off-road enthusiast realm. For example, Ford has stepped up to serve as the official truck and SUV of SCORE-International Off-Road Racing. This group holds the Baja 500, Baja 1000, and the San Felipe 250 championships in Mexico. Ford also serves as the official vehicle of the Best in the Desert race series.

Marc Stern has been an auto writer since 1971. It was a position that filled two boyhood dreams: One was that I would write, and two that I write about cars. When I took over as my newspaper’s auto editor, I began a 32-year career as an automotive columnist. There isn’t much on four wheels that I haven’t driven or reviewed. My work has appeared in Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. Today, I am the Ford F150 reporter for Torque News. I write how-to and help columns for online sites such as Fixya.com and others. You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Most of Marc's stories can be found at Torque News Ford coverage. Check back again and search for Torque News Ford F-150 news for more F-150 truck news coverage.