Not only is the truck on King shocks but the truck is on the same King shocks that were originally installed when it was new. They are in fact the second set of King Shocks ever built. Eighteen years later, they are still running strong and winning races. The locations Racing team just took the top spot in class eight at the SNORE, KC Hilites midnight special in Ridgecrest, Ca. and is a top contender for the championship this year. The truck has had a long history of running out front including finishing second overall at the Vegas to Reno race in 2001 with Kyle behind the wheel.   

 Still winning races with eighteen-year-old shocks that have been pounded for countless thousands of miles on a big, V8 powered class eight truck is a real testament to the quality and value you get with King Shocks.

Photos by: Mikes Race Photo.com

The challenging Western Australian terrain would be a true test for 90 truck, bike and quad competitors from all over the world in the 2011 Australasian Safari. The safari covers 1600 miles in seven days of challenging stages that traversed a mix of fast graded roads, soft sand, unexpected washouts and rocky riverbeds.

The Team of Steve Riley and John Doble, (2008 and 2009 overall winners), drove a smart race in their King Shocks equipped, 500hp Mitsubishi, Montero. After finishing third in the prologue, the team took the early lead after stage one. Over the next three days they maintained a steady pace that kept them in a solid second place overall. On day five, the team took the lead and stayed out front for the remainder of the safari finishing one hour and fifty minutes ahead of the second place team.

Steve and John know from their experience that you have to keep a fast pace without pushing so hard that you crash or damage the vehicle. The two finished with a few wrinkled body panels after a close encounter with a tree but overall they drove with controlled aggression adding another impressive win to their Australasian Safari tally.

In their first attempt at the Australasian safari, King Shocks racers John Purshouse and Dave McShane marched through the field to finish 2^nd overall. Their self-built Mitsubishi, Triton was completed only a few days before the start, which gave them virtually no time for testing. After finishing 13^th in the prologue, the team showed immediate results. They quickly moved up to 7^th after the first stage and then to 5^th at the end of the first day. Each day they consistently got better climbing to 4^th, 3^rd and then 2^nd on day six. “The only problem we had was when I drove off the road in the first stage,” said John Purshouse, “I was trying to win on the first day and that doesn’t work. After that, I settled down and concentrated on driving neat and making sure we could find our way. I was absolutely ecstatic with the vehicle. The main changes made were to tweak a little more torque out of the engine and install King shocks to handle the rough terrain. We hoped to just finish and if we did, our next goal was to get in the top ten. To go out there and finish second in our first event in something we built ourselves was unbelievable.”

The brutal conditions in the Australian Outback place huge demands on a vehicle and its drivers. You need the most durable and best performing shocks available. King shocks’ highly refined damping technology has been race proven in the harshest environments around the world. That’s why teams who race to win choose King Shocks. When you ride on Kings you will know, there really is a difference. Nothing else rides like a King.

Photos by: Max Sullivan

Ultra4 series Champion and former “King of the Hammers” Loren Healy made the switch to King Shocks just in time for qualifying at the Ultra4 series season ender at Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, Ca. Healy bolted new King, “Pure Race” coil-overs and bypass shocks onto his rig and with only a few minor adjustments went out and qualified fifth in a field of 42 rigs that included two other KOH Kings and a long list of hard chargers hell bent on seizing the last victory of the 2011 season.

The Glen Helen course did not have a boulder in sight but the steep hills, huge jumps and tight corners rocked the competitors in only a few hours of qualifying on Friday. The crews worked late into the night replacing blown engines, fried transmissions and broken axles. The race itself would be equally harsh, after four hours of incredible racing on Saturday, there were ten rigs still running with only four battling on the lead lap. Loren Healy ran a smart race clicking off consistent laps to stay ahead of second place finisher and fellow King Shocks racer Jason Picket in his Carnage Crew Garage built #4444.

The victory for Healy adds to an already impressive list of accomplishments for the popular driver. A long-time recreational wheeler, he got his first taste of competition in 2009 when he traveled from his home in New Mexico to compete in the King of the Hammers race (KOH). He and a few friends put together a car from junkyard parts just to see what they could do. They finished second in the LCQ but only went a few miles in the race when the car caught on fire. For 2010, they showed up with a new Jimmy’s 4×4 car and won, which had many people asking who is this Loren Healy guy? The 2010 season was very successful for Loren being crowned the King, winning the Silverstate 300 desert race and taking the Ultra4 series title.

“I never dreamed I would be a professional racer,” says Loren, “it just happened. I had always heard that Kings were the best in the industry. Thanks to our success last season, we got the sponsorship support we needed to buy the Kings. The Kings were ready to go right out of the box. My favorite part of racing is catching big air. The way we were running the course backwards, the jumps were steep with flat landings. The Kings handled the landings fine and worked great in the corners too. Our next race will be KOH so we’ll have to change from short course settings to a desert set-up but I know King will be there to help. I couldn’t be happier with their quality and their customer support.”

King Shocks custom tuned, UTV performance shock kit gives your Can-Am Commander unparalleled levels of performance and ride quality. Each side x side shock kit was developed with punishing real world testing to develop the optimal damping curve and spring rate. UTV shock kits available for stock height or long travel aftermarket suspensions provide easy bolt-on installation and adjustable ride height.

	1. Beautifully anodized aircraft quality billet aluminum construction..		7. Large 3/4” diameter shafts have a minimum tensile strength of 100,000 pounds per square inch. They are hard chromed and micro-polished to a 6 RA finish for extended seal life.
	2. Clearly marked, ergonomic knob design is easy to use even while wearing gloves.		8. Shock cylinders are precision bored to within +/- .001, then honed after cadmium plating to remove buildup for a tight piston seal and optimum valving function.
	3. Individual detents make each click of adjustment easy to feel while turning. Each of the twenty levels of adjustment offers precise compression damping control ranging from very soft to very firm.		9. Bolt on installation available in stock lengths or extended versions for long travel suspensions.
	4. Wide range compression adjuster can be retro-fitted to existing King Shocks.		10. Integrated piggyback style mounted light weight hard anodized 6063 aluminum alloy reservoirs dissipate heat quickly and will not rust due to gas charging contamination.
	5. Reservoir mount bolts securely to the shock and includes a quad sealed fluid transfer tube.		11. Urethane foam bump stop included to cushion when bottoming.
	6. Machined with our own truncated thread design for ultimate strength and trouble free spring preload and ride height adjustments.		12. Aluminum components are machined from aircraft quality billet. Steel Teflon lined spherical bearings for smooth articulation and long life with no metal to metal contact.

The King of the Hammers race that takes place in Johnson Valley, California’s network of challenging trails commonly known as “The Hammers” started when a group of 13 friends ran several of the toughest  trails in a single day just to see if it could be done. Every year since that initial “O.G. 13 run”, as it is called, the race has witnessed an explosion in spectators, media exposure and the number of drivers wanting to compete. The event has been so successful; it has spawned the Ultra4 racing series, which holds events across the nation.

One of the racers who have been caught up in the KOH whirlwind is Australian Ben Napier. Ben had been driving 4×4’s since he took his driver’s license test behind the wheel of the family’s 1972 Land Rover. Ben then stepped it up when a friend asked him to compete in the Australian W.E. Rock series, which he did, and they had great success. Ben was having fun in the WE Rock series but he had read stories and seen videos of the newly developed King of the Hammers race that really sparked his interest.

 In 2009, he came to the U.S. to race with Bomber Fabrication owner Randy Slawson in the Best in the Desert, Vegas to Reno off-road race. Ben wanted to get some desert racing experience and figure out the logistics involved with competing half way around the world. The race that year was a multi-stage event that featured three days of desert racing with overnight stops along the way where all the service and repairs were done for the next day’s racing. He and Randy got third place, which qualified him for the 2010 KOH race.

In 2010, Ben raced while commuting back and forth from Australia. He competed in the King of the Hammers race but he was unable to finish in the allotted time. He placed 6th in the Ultra4 Grand slam and 3rd place at both the Hill Climb and the Ultra4 Stampede, which qualified him for KOH 2011.

Ben is one who figures if you are going to do something, do it right. After the 2010 race season, Ben knew that in order to do better he would have to spend more time testing and tuning and that would be difficult to do from his home in Australia. To be competitive in one of, if not the toughest races on the planet, he would have to dedicate his free time to racing. In order to do this, he packed up and moved to California.

Ben spent the months leading up to the 2011 King of the Hammers race dialing in his car and tuning his suspension to handle the brutal mix of the high speed desert sections and huge rocks in Johnson Valley. The hard work and dedication paid off with a solid 10^th place finish at King of the Hammers and a good showing at Rausch Creek. Currently, Ben is in 3^rd place in the Ultra4 series with three events remaining.  He continues to advance his race program with King Shocks’ new IBP internal bypass shocks that give him velocity and position sensitive damping in a durable, monotube shock body. Ben is also running the Wide Range Compression Adjusters so he can make quick changes to the compression damping with a simple twist of the knob, which comes in handy when you race in such diverse conditions.

Ben Napier and racers like him are the reason why we never stop developing new ideas or refining our existing products at King Shocks.  When you put so much effort into being the best, you deserve the finest shocks available. Whether you are racing the toughest race on the planet or just out for a fun weekend with the family, get the most performance and control from your vehicle with a set of King Shocks. Nothing rides like a King.

*Photos by Mikes Race Photo.com

There is an old saying that goes “the only job where you start at the top is digging a hole”. Apparently, driver Samuel Hubinette has never heard it. Samuel’s debut in the TORC off-road racing series netted back-to-back wins and placed him at the top of the Pro light leader board.

 His incredible results might have shocked a few but to those familiar with his long racing history; it was not surprising. Samuel developed his car control skills at an early age getting tips from his father while he slid around on the frozen lakes of his native Sweden. At only sixteen years old, he got his racing license and started competing in Rallycross events. Rallycross is a sprint type race, similar to the TORC series but with cars, held on courses incorporating several different track surfaces including tarmac, gravel and dirt. His driving experience also includes Hollywood stunts, Motocross, snowmobiles, Touring Car, multiple Formula Drift championships and a stint as a factory Volvo test driver. In the Viper Racing League series, he won six out of six races in 2005. Samuel has been racing for Mopar since 2004 so when they decided to compete in the TORC series, he was at the top of their list of potential drivers. 

Going into his first race in the truck with very limited seat time, Samuel was disappointed. Qualifying had been rained out so they drew numbers for their starting positions. Samuel drew the last position on the grid. Disappointing yes but it would prove to be a blessing in disguise. With no pressure and nothing to lose, Samuel figured he would get comfortable with the truck and just go out and have fun. Moving up through the field to 4^th place at the competition yellow must have been great fun. When racing resumed, he soon found himself in an intense battle for the lead with fellow King Shocks racer Casey Currie, the reigning TORC Champion. Samuel and Casey would duke it out till the very end with Samuel taking the win by a couple of feet.

Round 2 on Sunday would have different circumstances but the same results. Samuel started 6th, a huge improvement over the 17^th spot in round 1. The track was much worse after the pro-2’s and Pro-4’s ran and the other competitors had a chance to learn the track and make adjustments after the previous round making things much more difficult. “The track was narrow with tight corners”, said Samuel, “I’m surprised we moved through the field like we did.  My spotter Craig Deer was a huge help all weekend keeping me informed about what was happening on the track. I made my way up to 2^nd spot behind CJ Greaves and just settled in on his bumper waiting for him to make a mistake. My years of drifting experience came in handy as I am used to driving very close to the vehicle in front of me without making contact. He gave me a little opening and I took it. I can’t thank my team and my sponsors enough for putting me in such great equipment. My Mopar, Ram Truck engine is a beast and the Jenkins Bros. chassis handles great. The teams experience really showed when we lined up in round 1 with no track time and yet my King Shocks and BF Goodrich tires were dialed in perfectly”.   

Next stop on the TORC series schedule is “The big house” at Crandon international Raceway June 18^th and 19th. The tight twisty track at Red Bud will be a mere memory as the competitors will be tested on the wide, high speed corners and long straights Crandon is famous for.

King Shock’s racer Carl Renezeder used new shock packages on both his trucks to put on an impressive show in rounds 5 and 6 of the Lucas Oil Off-Road Racing Series held in Glen Helen, California. Carl’s Crew Chief, Bill Smith, has been hard at work with King to find the “little bits” as Bill puts it, which will give Carl an edge over the competition. Carl’s new shock package on the Pro-2 uses a single coilover shock equipped with a Wide Range Compression Adjuster at each wheel. The Wide Range Compression adjuster gives Bill the ability to quickly and easily make compression adjustments to compensate for the constantly changing track conditions. “The biggest difference has been the additional control that Carl has,” says Bill, “we might have only picked up a few tenths as far as speed goes but Carl now has the control to pick the lines he wants regardless of how rough the track gets. We also had a big edge in the whoop sections, that’s where we made the biggest time on the rest of the field.” Carl swept the field In the Pro-2 Unlimited class, winning both rounds in dominating fashion. Work is not done on the Pro-2 however, King has a few more tricks that they hope will be done in time for the next two rounds in Utah.

In Pro-4 Unlimited, Carl would have a much tougher challenge. At the drop of the green flag in round 5, Carl got knocked straight into the concrete barriers in turn one allowing the entire field to get past. Entering turn two, Carl had dropped from second place on the grid to dead last. In what can only be described as amazing, Carl methodically made his way through the entire field to finish in first place. Getting pushed all the way to the back was a blessing in disguise as it allowed Carl to put the hammer down and see what the truck could do.

After the resounding success in round 5, a win in round 6 looked to be a sure thing but fellow King Shocks racer Kyle Leduc battled fiercely with Carl right down to the wire taking his second win of the season by a mere 2 tenths of a second over Carl. The clash between Carl and Kyle was one of the most exciting races of the season. There were numerous lead changes and several near crashes that were avoided by great saves. The intense battle left the crowd buzzing long after the checkered flag waved.

With the next round in Tooele, Utah coming up in a few weeks, the work is continuing at a brisk pace on both trucks. The results at Glen Helen prove that the dyno time, the track testing and the new shock technology is definitely paying off for Carl and the team. The successful weekend keeps Carl on top of the leader board in Pro-2 and closes the gap on first place in Pro-4 with a lot of momentum going into the midpoint of the season.

*Photos by: Mikes Race Photo.com

King Shocks, Monster Truck racer Scott Hartsock was victorious at the 2011, Monsters on the Beach event held on the sand at Virginia Beach, VA may 6th through the 8th. Scott qualified in the number one spot, which earned him a single run in the first round. He then went on to defeat the black and green wrecking machine (Grave Digger) driven by Randy Brown in the semifinals and Mopar Magic with Chris Baker at the wheel in the final round.

Scott was able to drop the hammer, even in the loose sand, due to his new power plant and his King Shocks at all four corners. Monster truck shocks need to soak up huge hits from the stacks of cars they launch from and the hard landings that follow their flights that sometimes reach over 40 feet in the air. They also need to accelerate quickly off the line and carve corners like a slot car in order to win. Scott’s Pure Race series 3.0 coilover and bypass shocks on each wheel enable him to land in control and get back on the gas quickly, which is crucial in today’s super competitive, side-by-side Monster Truck racing. Scott can rely on his King Shocks to keep him pointed straight and on the gas. The Gunslinger went to Virginia Beach looking for a showdown but in the end, it was just a day at the beach for Scott Hartsock.   

*Photos by Dustin Hart, AllMonster.com

Michael and Denise Vaters who campaign the Black Stallion Monster Truck have recently unveiled their latest creation that should excite school-aged children and bus drivers around the world.

The King Shocks suspended “Higher Education” Monster Bus made its debut in front of a huge crowd at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. During the pit party, the bus was hidden from spectators until after the wheelie competition. The house lights were then dimmed as Higher Education, driven by Jimmy Tracey, roared out onto the track with lights flashing to the music of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”  The crowd went crazy! What could be more awesome for a kid than to see a school bus getting big air, crushing cars, and causing destruction to buses, RVs and everything else in its path?

Inspiration for the project came from Ken Nelson’s “Cool Bus” wheel stander that Ken and his wife built  for dragstrip exhibition runs all over the US, Canada and Mexico. Michael Vaters has always had a great respect for Ken Nelson and sends out a special thanks to Ken and his wife for their help and cooperation in making this project happen.

Several years were spent planning the bus so construction only took 13 long days to complete by the Black Stallion crew. The bus is built to ¾ scale and constructed to withstand the constant abuse that Monster Trucks endure. They built two fiberglass sections to make up the roof and a fiberglass front clip. The sides of the bus are built from fiberboard donated by Capitol Building Supply in Hagerstown MD, one of Black Stallions sponsors. The paint, (school bus yellow), was provided by PPG another team sponsor and applied by the Stallion crew in house.  Vaters wanted the bus to look as realistic as possible so he fabricated black rub rails to run down both sides of the bus, installed red flashing lights and a flip out STOP sign. With plenty of horsepower and King Pure Race shocks on every corner, this is one bus that will definitely take you to school!

*Photos courtesy of  Johany Jutras, Stephanie Cotnoir and Black Stallion Racing.

King Shocks has just completed extensive desert testing of their new performance coilover shock kit for the Polaris, RZR, XP900. The XP900 is delivered as a long travel machine direct from the factory yet King’s race proven damping performance takes it to a whole new level. King’s Performance series shocks boost wheel travel from 14 to 15.5 inches in the rear and from 13.5 to an incredible 16.5 inches in front. The increased wheel travel, when combined with King’s highly refined damping control, lets you tap every ounce of performance from the RZR and its potent 88 horsepower, 900cc, twin EFI powerplant.

King Shocks test drivers were amazed by the modified RZR’s ability to devour the roughest terrain at speeds approaching that of many purpose-built racecars. King’s shock kit for the XP900 delivers unparalleled high-speed performance without sacrificing comfort or control at lower speeds. If you want the ultimate performance from your RZR, you need the durability and performance that King Shocks can provide.

*Photos by: Mikes Race Photo.com