RACE RECAP | KOH Can-Am UTV Hammers Challenge 2023

Kyle Chaney Takes the Cake (Again)

107 UTVs Entered the Battlefield but Few Remained in the End

Photos: Logan Gallagher & Justin W. Coffey

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

You can see the camel colored cloud hovering low above the earth revealing this makeshift city from miles away. That silty fog is a product of the dense collection of land vessels moving through a flat patch of desert, kicking up dirt all at once. Every year, King of the Hammers grows bigger, changing the environment that hosts it for several weeks. The atmosphere in Hammertown is otherworldly. A concoction of dust and exhaust replaces the air, and all we breathe for a solid week (or more)…is glory. They call it controlled chaos – mayhem disguised as structure, designated by yellow vests, orange flags, wooden posts and warning signs.

The early morning sun: that time of the day where the moon still glowed but the sky had already turned blue. Haze set the scene for the big show, which over 85 thousand people and counting had been waiting for: the Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship. Engines were already grumbling and roaring to life. One by one, side-by-sides lined up in anticipation of two laps of speed and agony, with the rock race through Chocolate Thunder as the undignified cherry on top. Many would fall victim to the many consequences of crawling for sport. Others wouldn’t even make it that far.

You’d think veterans of King of the Hammers could worry less about how to overcome obstacles they’ve already tackled many times before. In some circumstances, that’s how it panned out. This was exactly the case for Kyle Chaney (191) in Pro Stock Turbo defending his 2022 and 2021 titles. It seems certain that he used his experience to his advantage, crossing every hurdle flawlessly. However, luck can have as much say in the matter as preparation and expertise, so even strong drivers like Bryce Menzies (7), RJ Anderson (37x) and CJ Greaves (33) can underperform their expectations. Menzies especially felt the burn, being forced to call it quits 1.8 miles east of RM70 when he was holding a strong position on the first lap.

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

When the rough roads of the desert loop are considered the “fun” part of the day, there’s no doubt the challenges through the narrow canyons and steep boulder fields in the rock loop were pretty unnerving for many of the pilots, especially those at the rookie level. Even those racers who have tons of seat time and accolades on short courses, desert challenges, and the like take pause facing a mighty stone slope which is, to all intents and purposes, impassable to the average motorist. That could have easily described Avid Racing Yamaha, newcomers to KOH, who entered veritable unicorns into the contest: a modestly updated YXZ1000 and a YXZ-Rmax hybrid which has caught the internet’s curious eye.

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

This was the first attempt at KOH with these Yamahas, but it won’t be the last. Team owner and founder of Avid UTV, George La Monte, is reportedly doing some top secret testing for the Japanese OEM, and it has us all wondering: Are we going to see a new BluCru model coming soon? Whether this mean-ass machine made it to the end or not, Avid Racing Yamaha has our attention. And we’re happy to watch them work out the kinks on the racetrack. Perhaps next year, if they can tune and refine their chopped and screwed rig, they might be in line for a chunk of KOH’s infamous (and sizable) prize pool. With nearly a million dollars to pass out in 2023, 946 race teams registered and over 85,000 attendees – and counting – any edition after this will have a pretty high bar to reach. And those who sign up will encounter a monumental climb to the top.

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

By the second lap, the Sportsman Stock UTV class was heating up, making the demanding push towards the checkered flag. There wasn’t a huge turn out in this category with five entrants, but all of those pilots were displaying peak performances. Dylan Heiser (5924) was first and Ben Collier (713) in third, both battling it out near the outer limits before the long traverse towards the rock sections which lay waiting ahead. Second to start Lap 2, but quickly picking up pace ahead of the pack, was Brian Tilton (916), all alone at the front. It was a position which he held onto all the way to the finish, and what a finish it was!

In so many words, Tilton annihilated his competition, completing the course in +05:59:31 while the remaining were still grappling with Mother Nature well past the seventh hour. Whatever happened to Heiser and Collier? They were nowhere to be found when Hubert Rowland (615) finally crossed the line. Slow and steady might not always win the race, but it can certainly place you in second. That’s not shabby when you were last to start the second loop. By the ninth hour, there was still no sign of the rest of Sportsman vehicles, as attrition was the true contender of the day.

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

Pro Stock NA was another four-person lineup with a lot of gumption. Anthony Yount (69) was first off the line, and even started the Desert Half nosed out at fore. But the wilderness favors no one, and issues quickly arose for the frontrunner who struggled to reach the main pit. This gave way for his adversaries to cut in and chase each other for the highest steps on the podium. AJ Hoover (3947) was in first by the second lap, but drifted back as Kyle Anderson (4960) and Martin Duffy (1993) passed him by, neck-and-neck.

The group began spreading apart with an 11-minute gap between Anderson and Duffy, separated from Hoover by 27 minutes come Lap 2. It was there where Anderson set an unmatchable pace. He approached the crags without anyone breathing down his neck. His opponents were just reaching Outer Limits while UTV 4960 had already passed Chocolate Thunder. But sadly, they would never catch up. Kyle Anderson was the sole finisher in this class.

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

UTV Open showed no less heart on-course. The speed section was over for a spell, and the real test of who had the largest huevos (and tires) started amongst the stones. CJ Greaves was initially keeping Casey Currie (2) and RJ Anderson at bay until the second half of the heat. But issues early on knocked Greaves out of the running, with Anderson pitting after RM5 endured his own set of mechanical problems. This meant Currie had an unobstructed path to pull far ahead as he cleared the boulder gardens with considerable ease. Shannon Campbell (5) tailed him at a distance for the outstanding miles of race while Michael Lee (211) rounded out the leaders.

In the end, Currie showed us why he’s Monster’s sweetheart as he blazed across the last swift bits of the track, extending his time against the next side-by-side from roughly 28 minutes at the Rock Half to about 40 at the finale. At times seeing over 90mph, Casey made great time through the Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship in +04:46:34. Campbell secured the second place seed in +05:26:03. Lee took the last step of the podium nearly 55 minutes behind. It’s a shame Greaves and Anderson ran into trouble, but they weren’t the only racers to struggle through this event. By 3pm PST, the only other UTV to reach Hammertown was Ronald Beck (1777) who scored a respectable Fourth.

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

In the desert, it seemed like Jay Shaw (17) would have the advantage. He tore through the short course like a rabid dog and set off through the barren landscapes northwest of Hammertown only to come out of it in the fourth seat before setting course for the second go around. Phil Blurton (944) had firmly planted himself at the head at that point, while Dustin “Battle-Axe” Jones (T978) and Robert Parker (900) had also snuck through the door. The Rock Half saw Blurton, Cole Clark (24) and Jones brawling for every last inch of course, but fate had already chosen its winner.

No surprise, Blurton was first to reach the finish line of the UTV Pro Modified cars. He beat out Cole Clark (24) by 50 seconds and one of the favorites to win, Jones, by 00:04:16. This was a spectacular finish for Blurton who has been sweeping the leaderboards this past year and, evidently, already off to a good start. It’ll be interesting to see where 2023 takes him and his team. Shaw ultimately succumbed to his issues as Travis Zollinger (20) and Parker managed 4th and 5th place around 22 and 50 minutes behind the principal driver.

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

Cody Miller (221), Kyle Chaney (191), Bryan Hamby (817) and Hunter Miller (190) kicked off the race in that order with the best times heading into the desert loop. Chaney passed Cody as they began rewinding through last Sunday’s Toyo Tires Desert route. William Martin (1420) and Brian Deegan (38) had caught up by then as well, while Hamby and both the Millers dropped back a bit – but not for long. The sheer power of the Can-Ams and the control by the brothers put them back in contention along the lake beds and other wide open spaces. Cars 191, 190 and 221 paraded through Johnson Valley in line with fairly consistent intervals until the climax.

Chaney came in at +03:30:31, a little over 24 minutes before Hunter. Cody didn’t make them wait long, when he pulled up at +04:05:40, but not in enough time to help his brother and co-driver Chad Hughes push the #190 Can-Am across the finish line. As soon as they hit the short course, Hunter and Chad knew they’d blown a belt and tried to coast as far down the track as possible. Yet at 100 meters out, the men had to slide out of the cockpit and manually drive their vehicle to the line. The sun was bright, the temp was 70 degrees and the fire suits layered under race suits probably didn’t help the situation, but they persevered. And “the Dustins” (Jones and Henderson) rushed to their help to run the last few meters, after which Hunter rightfully sprawled out on the ground in exhaustion.

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

As the final UTVs rolled into camp, the overall results became pretty apparent before too long. Kyle Chaney continued his streak, winning his second Can-Am UTV Hammers Championship in a row. In fact, Can-Ams swept the premier spots. Currie and Cole Clark (24) represented the only other brand, in a pair of Polaris RZRs, to crack the Top Ten. Plenty of the prominent players in this sport might not have made the Winner’s Circle this time, like Ronnie Anderson (52), Cameron Steel (16) and Jamie McCoy (70), but they still managed to see the final flag. While comrades like Johnny Greaves (22), Jake Versey (43) and Shaw weren’t quite so lucky.

By sundown, hearts were broken, rigs were thrashed, champagne was popped and celebrations were just taking off as the adrenaline of the 4,900 teams wore off after a brutal competition. Some of these savages are still running events over the next couple of days, attempting a futile rest in a bowl echoing engine rumbles, loud music and the constant toasting cheap beer and Fireball. Those who carried on throughout the evening felt the heavy weight of desert racing lift off their shoulders with every sip.

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

UTV Sports Photo by Logan Gallagher

UTV Sports Photo by Justin W. Coffey

2023 was indeed a brutal match, and a marvel to witness, whether in-person or on-screen. But that’s KOH for you, the most rigorous test for man and machine that we gratefully have in the United States. It’s tournaments like this which remind us we’re alive, which drive us to excellence and humble our egos. We beat and batter ourselves for prizes, yes, but more for the love of it. And perhaps, to be transported from our mundane lives to this petrol-powered alternate reality.