The New RPM Steering and Suspension Blog! King of The Hammers Recap.

We’re kicking things off with a recap from the biggest off-road event of the year — King of the Hammers. This year, RPM Steering and Suspension headed out to the desert to support the Seat Time Syndicate race team and their drivers: Ben Ertel in the 4500 car, Hollie Fowler in the 4500 car, and Justin Joseph in the 4400 car. Competing under the banner of Ultra4 Racing, the team battled what proved to be one of the most unforgiving race weeks in history.

Held annually in Johnson Valley, King of the Hammers is known as one of the toughest one-day off-road races in the world — combining high-speed desert sections with brutal rock trails. This year raised the bar even higher. Widely regarded as the hardest race in event history, the desert absolutely dominated the field. In the premier 4400 class, only two competitors finished within the official time limit — a true testament to how punishing the course conditions were.

While race day was intense, the week wasn’t all about competition. RPM also hosted an unforgettable ride along on one of Johnson Valley’s most iconic trails, Turkey Claw. The team brought out their brand-new 2-door build featuring a 10” rear stretch and 3.75” front stretch suspension setup — a dialed combination designed for both stability at speed and precision in the rocks. The Jeep climbed everything flawlessly, proving its capability in real Hammers terrain. Let’s just say… Don may officially be converting to a 2-door JK driver after that performance.

We want to give a huge thank you to everyone who came out for the trail day and spent time with us in the desert. The support, conversations, and shared passion for wheeling are what make this community so strong. We’re already looking forward to more trail runs with everyone back in Johnson Valley.

The STS race team pushed hard, represented strong, and showed what true grit looks like. Even though the desert claimed most of the field this year, we’re proud to stand behind drivers who take on the toughest race in off-road and refuse to back down.

Thanks for following along, and welcome to the new RPM blog — there’s a lot more to come. See you on the trails.

- The RPM Team